DISPATCHER  SURVEY
In early 2003 Richard Behr and Michael Fox prepared a first-ever survey on public safety dispatcher stress, and we posted it on-line for dispatchers to complete. The survey received over 2,000 responses, and from those Richard and Michael used over 1,000 of the responses for these interesting results. The survey shows that the public is not the most stressful part of the job (it ranks #4), that diabetes apparently isn't common among dispatchers, and the dispatchers have inreased tobacco use, but not alcohol use. Perhaps the biggerst red flag is vision care: two-thirds of respondents wear glasses, and of those, two-thirds say they change eyeglass presecriptions at least every two years. We applaud this first attempt to better define the health and welfare of the nation's public safety dispatchers.
Dispatcher Stress Survey Results
First of all, we’d like to thank all of the dispatch professionals that participated in the survey. There were some very interesting answers to questions 29 and 30. Some of the calls that were presented really tugged at your heart strings, while some of the descriptive responses of what 9-1-1 professionals go through each day in their own Communication Centers would make one wonder how they are able to perform their job under such diverse and negative circumstances. It re-enforces the belief that those in this profession are truly the unsung heroes of emergency services and that they are able to function and perform when under extremely adverse situations, whether the situation is from outside the Center or from within.
Thanks to Gary Allen and Dispatch Monthly Magazine for allowing us to use their web site to get the survey out there. Gary was a tremendous help and supporter of this project.
A more detailed breakdown and in-depth discussion of the survey results will be forth coming in the book, “Under the Headset, Surviving the Communications Center,” by Richard Behr, due out in spring of 2004.
There were 2, 024 responses to the survey. Only 1155 responses were used in the survey. 869 of the responses were thrown out due to individuals not responding to the question asking for their sex. One of the purposes of the survey was to see if there was any significant difference in stress responses between the sexes. We also threw out the question “Job Title” due to a small response that made it almost impossible to distinguish an individual’s position in the Communications Center. Here are the results:
Richard Behr
San Bernardino (Calif.) City Fire Communications |
Demographics
1. Sex
Male 34%
Female 66%
2. Area of Residence
Southeast US 22%
Southwest US 24%
Northeast US 17%
Northwest US 1%
Midwest/Central US 32%
Alaska 1%
Hawaii 1%
Canada 1%
Other 1%
(Australia & Portugal sent in responses)
3. Population Served
Less than 10,000 1%
10,000 – 50,000 29%
50,000 – 100,000 29%
100,000 – 500,000 37%
500,000 – 1 million 2%
More than 2 million 2%
4. Annual Calls for Service
Less than 25,000 25%
25,000 – 100,000 47%
100,000 – 300,000 1%
300,000 – 500,000 12%
500,000 – 750,000 11%
750,000 – 1 million 1%
1 million – 3 million 1%
3 million – 5 million 1%
Over 5 million 1
5. What shift do you work?
Day 36%
Swing 31%
Grave 23%
Other 10%
6. What shift do you prefer to work?
Day 49%
Swing 25%
Grave 25%
Other 1%
7. Your Age Group?
18 – 21 1%
22 – 25 1%
26 – 30 16%
31 – 35 24%
36 – 40 21%
41 – 45 19%
46 – 50 16%
51 – 55 1%
Over 55 1%
8. Type of Dispatching
Police 27%
Fire 1%
EMS 1%
Police/Fire 13%
Fire/EMS 1%
Police/Fire/EMS 56%
Other 1%
9. Years Dispatching
Less than 6 months 1%
1 – 2 12%
3 –5 23%
6 – 10 38%
11 – 15 19%
16 – 20 14%
21 – 25 1%
26 – 30 1%
Over 30 years 1%
10. Personnel Allotted per Shift
1 14%
2 –3 34%
4 –6 24%
7 – 10 12%
11 – 15 10%
16 – 20 1%
21 – 25 1%
26 – 30 1%
30 – 40 Less than 1%
41 – 50 Less than 1%
51 – 60 Less than 1%
61 – 70 Less than 1%
71 – 80 Less than 1%
81 – 90 0
More than 90 Less than 1%
Signs and Symptoms of Stress
1. Do you have trouble sleeping?
Rarely 19%
Occasionally 55%
Regularly 26%
2. Do you awaken due to nightmares?
Rarely 71%
Occasionally 28%
Regularly 1%
3. Do you overreact to minor issues with anger, hurt feelings and/or frequent crying?
Rarely 45%
Occasionally 44%
Regularly 11%
4. Have you noticed instances of over eating?
Rarely 23%
Occasionally 44%
Regularly 33%
5. Have you experienced a sudden loss of appetite?
Rarely 61%
Occasionally 38%
Regularly 1
6. Have you noticed an increase in the use of tobacco?
Rarely 69%
Occasionally 14%
Regularly 17%
7. Have you noticed an increase in the use of alcohol?
Rarely 70%
Occasionally 29%
Regularly 1%
8. Do you experience long periods of boredom?
Rarely 33%
Occasionally 49%
Regularly 18%
9. Do you have difficulty relaxing and letting go of tension?
Rarely 19%
Occasionally 49%
Regularly 33%
10. Have you experienced changes in your sexual behavior since beginning your career as a dispatcher?
Rarely 44%
Occasionally 37%
Regularly 19%
11. Do you exhibit signs of poor performance at work?
Rarely 74%
Occasionally 25%
Regularly 1%
12. Do you have difficulty making decisions at work?
Rarely 81%
Occasionally 18%
Regularly 1%
13. Do you have difficulty making decisions at home?
Rarely 58%
Occasionally 41%
Regularly 1%
14. Have you experienced an increase in headaches, stomach problems, neck and back pain, breathing problems, heart palpitations, teeth grinding, muscle spasms?
Rarely 17%
Occasionally 38%
Regularly 45%
15. Have you contracted 3 or more colds or influenza during the past year?
Rarely 51%
Occasionally 29%
Regularly 20%
16. How often do you take over the counter medication for headaches, tension, and general aches and pains?
Rarely 59%
Occasionally 23%
Regularly 1%
Daily 17%
17. How often do you take over the counter medication for heartburn, upset stomach, or other gastrointestinal problems?
Rarely 68%
Occasionally 15%
Regularly 1%
Daily 16%
18. Are you under the care of a doctor and/or taking prescribed medications for migraine headaches?
Yes 14%
No 86%
19. Are you under the care of a doctor and/or taking prescribed medications for problems with your stomach?
Yes 17%
No 83%
20. Are you under the care of a doctor and taking prescribed medications for depression or mood swings?
Yes 17%
No 83%
21. Are you under the care of a doctor and/or taking prescribed medication for anxiety?
Yes 11%
No 89%
22. Do you wear glasses?
Yes 67%
No 33%
23. How often has your eyeglass prescription changed?
Yearly 30%
2 Years 36%
3 Years 14%
4 Years 20%
24. Did you wear glasses when you first started your career as a dispatcher?
Yes 52%
No 48%
25. Have you been diagnosed with diabetes?
Yes 1%
No 99%
26. If yes, did you have diabetes before you started your career as a dispatcher?
Yes 1%
No 99%
27. How many sick days did you take last year due to illness?
1 –2 36%
3 –5 33%
6 –10 19%
More than 10 12%
28. Have you had a loss of hearing since you started your career as a dispatcher?
Yes 33%
No 67%
29. What was the most stressful incident you have handled in your career as a dispatcher? (There were several tie answers, so they are presented here by their ranking, highest to lowest.)
1. Officer injured
2. Suicide/Suicidal Callers
3. Death of a Child
4. Line of Duty Death / Pursuits
5. Shots fired / Natural Disasters
6. Officer Shot / Murder
7. Traffic Accidents
8. Shooting Victim(s) / Structure Fire
9. Robbery / Barricaded Subjects / Calls involving children
10. September 11th, 2001 / Calls involving family or friends
1. What causes you the greatest amount of stress on the job? (There were several tie answers, so they are presented here by their ranking, highest to lowest.)
1. Co-workers
2. Administration
3. Supervisors
4. The Public
5. Field Personnel / Poor Equipment / Lack of Training
6. Poor Policies / Lack of Communication within the agency
7. Lack of Appreciation / Work Load
8. Personal Issues / Boredom
9. Low Pay
10. Communication Center Ergonomics
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