Current Events > Why are 911 operators so rude?

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So in my apartment a family got stock in the elevator. They're actually still stuck right now.

So I called 911 telling that there was a family stuck in the elevator on the 8th floor and they need emergency services to get them out. The dispatcher took the information, but I reiterated to be more specific that there was a child in the elevator as well and the dispatcher responded with a rude attitude saying "you already told me that" I actually didnt mention if there was a child or not and I wanted to include that to specific because I know in emergency calls you should be as detailed as possible.

She said that the fire Department is on their way and they are sending them. I asked politely if there was an estimate on how long it may take. She said with a rude attitude that they are on their way.

Also when the fire department did come the fire fighter mentioned that he had saw me here in the 8th floor when they came in they didnt know that this was where the family was stuck. I told him that I told the dispatcher that the family was stuck on the 8th floor and that she should have told them, but it seemed she had a rude attitude on the phone. He told me the dispatcher said a family was stuck but didnt mention which floor.

I was actually stuck in the elevator before in the same building. I called 911 to help get me out. The first call went okay they said they were sending the fire department. That was cool. After about 25 minutes of being stuck I called again and reported that I had been stuck in the elevator for a while. I said I had been stuck for about an hour and was asking if the fire department was almost there. The dispatcher had an attitude with me and was upset that I called back and said I was only in there for 25 minutes. I said its a traumatic experience being stuck on an elevator sorry if I havent tracked the time perfectly

Why is it that some 911 dispatchers are rude when they deal with helping people in life and death emergencies?

You know exactly why

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You go do their job then

deupd_u posted...

You know exactly why

Trumpo posted...

You go do their job then

This weird logic about never being able to complain about anything always gets me. It's so weird and honestly demented.

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I dunno i mean TC kind of has a point. Id like to think 911 operators would be calm towards somebody likely in distress in order to avoid escalating their mental state.

Ive never called (knock on wood), but thats just me.

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Being a telephone operator is a terrible job. You get all sorts of jerks that call you names, make fun of your pronunciation, give you false information.

Also, you don't need a high school diploma to become an operator. You don't need previous job experience to become an operator. Almost any warm body can become an operator

Trumpo posted...

You go do their job then

Nah, there's no excuse for being rude on the phone when it's not warranted. It's just unprofessional. I take insurance calls from dying cancer patients. I've literally had dying people blame me for personally screwing them over at the end of their life, when really I'm just the go between for the actual people handling the claims. But it doesn't mean shit. They're just unhappy they're dying (and in that moment not able to get whatever shitty insurance my company screwed them on), I don't get mad at them about it. And then the next person might be nice and brighten up my day.

If someone is hostile or erratic in some other way where you have to be a little more forceful to get them to cooperate, sure, but there's no reason to be rude. Instead of saying "You already told me that" I would have told tc "I understand sir, I've informed dispatch and the fire department of the situation. They're on the way." It's the same thing, just without the unnecessary rudeness.

Getting bitched out all day isn't an excuse to be mean to the next person. End of story.

They should get payed more then, and there should be more staff so they can deal with the calls without being overwhelmed

When the dispatcher is rude in can cause issues because in the conversation important details that may be needed for help may not be conveyed or they may be missed because the operator is more focused on being rude than getting all the info needed to help emergency services with the emergency

Stuck in an elevator isn't a life or death situation unless the building is on fire and there literally is no way the operator is going to get the fire department to get there faster. Also what sounds rude to you may and probably is not rude at all.

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xue1 posted...

Almost any warm body can become an operator

Not a 911 one. You have to have some great skills, imo. Remaining clam, spelling unknown names, hearing people through screams, having to keep the caller calm and giving you the info you need. I listen to a lot of 911 calls, and there are so many people that call 911 and don't tell the operator shit when they operator is trying to find out where they are

It's a hard job, not just anyone could do it, imo

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I had similar experiences with 911 operators, TC.

So in my apartment a family got stock in the elevator. They're actually still stuck right now.

So I called 911 telling that there was a family stuck in the elevator on the 8th floor and they need emergency services to get them out. The dispatcher took the information, but I reiterated to be more specific that there was a child in the elevator as well and the dispatcher responded with a rude attitude saying "you already told me that" I actually didnt mention if there was a child or not and I wanted to include that to specific because I know in emergency calls you should be as detailed as possible.

She said that the fire Department is on their way and they are sending them. I asked politely if there was an estimate on how long it may take. She said with a rude attitude that they are on their way.

Also when the fire department did come the fire fighter mentioned that he had saw me here in the 8th floor when they came in they didnt know that this was where the family was stuck. I told him that I told the dispatcher that the family was stuck on the 8th floor and that she should have told them, but it seemed she had a rude attitude on the phone. He told me the dispatcher said a family was stuck but didnt mention which floor.

I was actually stuck in the elevator before in the same building. I called 911 to help get me out. The first call went okay they said they were sending the fire department. That was cool. After about 25 minutes of being stuck I called again and reported that I had been stuck in the elevator for a while. I said I had been stuck for about an hour and was asking if the fire department was almost there. The dispatcher had an attitude with me and was upset that I called back and said I was only in there for 25 minutes. I said its a traumatic experience being stuck on an elevator sorry if I havent tracked the time perfectly

Why is it that some 911 dispatchers are rude when they deal with helping people in life and death emergencies?

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LightHawKnight posted...

Stuck in an elevator isn't a life or death situation unless the building is on fire and there literally is no way the operator is going to get the fire department to get there faster. Also what sounds rude to you may and probably is not rude at all.

But the average person stuck in that situation wouldn't know that. They'd be concerned with the elevator falling to the ground. Also what if it's an elderly person with claustrophobia that's stuck?

Also I wasnt trying to rush them to get the fire department to come faster. I just wanted to know if she may have had an estimate. No question should be taken as a dumb question in an emergency. Unless the person asking is being rude

KayfabeTactics posted...

Not a 911 one. You have to have some great skills, imo. Remaining clam, spelling unknown names, hearing people through screams, having to keep the caller calm and giving you the info you need. I listen to a lot of 911 calls, and there are so many people that call 911 and don't tell the operator shit when they operator is trying to find out where they are

It's a hard job, not just anyone could do it, imo

^yeah it's like when people think "hey, I can work at the post office ez" then they take the test and realize it's not a cakewalk
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2Pacavelli posted...

But the average person stuck in that situation wouldn't know that. They'd be concerned with the elevator falling to the ground. Also what if it's an elderly person with claustrophobia that's stuck?

Also I wasnt trying to rush them to get the fire department to come faster. I just wanted to know if she may have had an estimate. No question should be taken as a dumb question in an emergency. Unless the person asking is being rude

How did you not know how long it had been if you made the phone call? idk, certain circumstances call for being calm, others being frank and to the point is best.
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She probably just got off the phone with someone who just got cut in two pieces in a motorcycle accident and she heard his final dying breath wishing he could see his family one more time, then when she hangs up she immediately gets a call from your whiney ass freaking out about being inconvenienced for 20 minutes.

2Pacavelli posted...

But the average person stuck in that situation wouldn't know that. They'd be concerned with the elevator falling to the ground. Also what if it's an elderly person with claustrophobia that's stuck?

Also I wasnt trying to rush them to get the fire department to come faster. I just wanted to know if she may have had an estimate. No question should be taken as a dumb question in an emergency. Unless the person asking is being rude

An average person should know that a stuck elevator isn't a falling one. An elevator has a ton of failsafes built in to prevent falls.

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Any job that requires you to have extensive interaction with the public can turn people rude. 911 operators in particular have a very fucked up job since they have to listen to really horrific *and* really moronic shit and pretty much nothing but that. At least working other jobs you might have like 9 stress free customers to every 1 stressful customer but 911 operators don't really have those stress free breaks.

For practicality. Get to the point so they can move on to the next emergency.

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I'm a paramedic

I've been there, in the field they teach us about "compassion burnout". I had a dude die holding my hand telling me he didn't want to die. Thirty minutes later I was with a woman who tore her ACL and I was downright rude to her and I'm ashamed of it.

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