147
Many 911 call centers are understaffed, and the job has gotten harder (www.npr.org)
submitted 7 months ago by jeffw@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
18 comments fedilink hide all child comments
all 19 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Gerudo@lemm.ee 46 points 7 months ago

My wife recently applied to be one in 3 different towns. They actually pay pretty well, considering. The problem is the bonkers level of background checks and pre work to even be interviewed.

The applications were between 30-40 pages. Then you have pre-tests, one of which is 2 hours long. Then the interview. If you get past all that, then you have the lie detector and drug test, and THEN you can shadow someone and see if it's the right fit for you.

Some of the questions on the lie detector are even about your family and spouses' past. She nailed every pre-test, scoring in the top percentile and crushed the interview, but she was ineligible because I used marijuana a couple years ago. I bet it's easier to become a cop.

[-] otp@sh.itjust.works 12 points 7 months ago

It'd be funny, but not completely surprising, if weed were legal where you live...lol

[-] MichaelTen@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago

They should pay the applicants for applying

[-] Gerudo@lemm.ee 9 points 7 months ago

Icing on the cake? 1 city said it was a 4-6 month hiring process.

[-] IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

I wonder how many potentially good hires they loose out on due to that. Most folks don’t just apply to one place and wait it out… I’d think just about any employer that make a decent offer in a couple weeks would undermine that months long process…

[-] xnx@slrpnk.net 5 points 7 months ago

Whats pretty well pay? Especially considering the mental toll they need to pay well well

[-] Gerudo@lemm.ee 1 points 7 months ago

50-75k. Even higer Depends on area and tenure.

[-] xnx@slrpnk.net 4 points 7 months ago

i dont think thats really well with these rent/home prices and the toll that takes

[-] Gerudo@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago

For a job that you need zero training, zero prerequisite work history, no degree etc. It's pretty decent.

In Texas, so lower cost of living here, so it stretches way better then a lot of areas.

[-] Drusas@kbin.run 2 points 7 months ago

I've done the job. The pay is mediocre. You don't need a degree or specific experience, but you do need some sort of experience showing that you can handle stress. You also have to deal with the stress of the application process, which is intense. If you can't deal with those stressors, you can't deal with the job, because it's all boredom, boredom, boredom, STRESS, boredom, STRESS, boredom, boredom....

There's a reason few people stay in the job long despite how hard it is to get.

[-] Drusas@kbin.run 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I have been a 911/police call taker. The pay is mediocre and the stress immense.

The application process will vary a lot based on the jurisdiction you're applying for. I only had to fill out about five pages of paperwork, but I did have to go through a rigorous background check, testing, etc.

Also, this article is wrong. There's no spike in adrenaline when you put the headset on; there's a spike in adrenaline every time a new 911 call comes in.

I'm very grateful that I was on the job before the opioid crisis had reached crisis levels. It's not something I had to deal with. In fact, my first thought based on my experience back then was that it's gotten harder now because you also have to take text messages, which was just starting to be part of the conversation when I was in the job.

[-] whostosay@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

It is, I've had a second degree felony charge and brother is a cop. This was within four years of the arrest. It was ultimately dismissed, but still.

[-] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 7 months ago

I know people who do contract manufacturing work for the us military, had to get interviewed by the FBI and past weed use, and even future use (yep they asked if he would) wasn't an outright disqualifier. Still had to piss clean for the job though. Guess it depends a lot on the state and the agency you're gonna work for.

[-] reddig33@lemmy.world 38 points 7 months ago

Sounds like they should offer people more money for the job.

[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 27 points 7 months ago

And more benefits. I can't imagine that it's easy to do, mentally and emotionally.

[-] hoshikarakitaridia@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago

Spoiler alert: every operator who went public about it agrees afaik.

[-] Drusas@kbin.run 1 points 7 months ago

The benefits are generally decent, but the pay is not remotely sufficient for how hard the job is.

[-] Tronn4@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

Some dumbass gonna apply AI to this position and it'll tell me how to bake a cake while getting robbed.

this post was submitted on 08 Apr 2024
147 points (100.0% liked)

News

23274 readers
2946 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil

Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.

2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.

Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.

3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.

Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.

4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.

Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.

5. Only recent news is allowed.

Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.

6. All posts must be news articles.

No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.

7. No duplicate posts.

If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.

8. Misinformation is prohibited.

Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.

9. No link shorteners.

The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.

10. Don't copy entire article in your post body

For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
rjc@lemmy.world
Thekingoflorda@lemmy.world
dezmd@lemmy.world
Tenthrow@lemmy.world
JonsJava@lemmy.world
gedaliyah@lemmy.world
Blackbeard@lemmy.world
little_cow@lemmy.world
jeffw@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world