Does anyone have actual experience, working for "000" Dispatch service?
I have plenty of call centre experience, but I'm wondering how best to get in the door to be a Emergency dispatcher. Is there any certifications other then first aid of course, that will work in my favour?
Would love to hear how best to pursue the avenue.
* I don't wish, to hear about why I shouldn't pursue it, unless you have worked in the field yourself, or know someone who has. I do understand that the calls are going to be tough to deal with physically and emotionally!
6 Replies
I'm an ex ambo volunteer and all our dispatch operaters for ambulance are mostly actually paramedics that are unable to do physical work for a while or had enough of it. I assume it's the same for police and firies. Unless you mean the first point of call where they just put you through to police, fire, ambulance then I think you need some professional history.
What state are you in?
This is info for ESTA in Victoria
https://www.esta.vic.gov.au/employees
For ESTA (Victoria) you need to be extremely accurate and fast at typing. That is probably a really major thing, however also understanding conflict resolution with proven ability is highly favourable.
It's a long process to be accepted but it is rewarding :)
My sister in law works in 000 for police. She had 0 call centre experience and was part of a big recruitment round about 15 years ago. Honestly it's just timing.
https://www.ambulance.qld.gov.au/rec-emd.html
QLD. Follow your dreams sounds like your motivated and eager to do this. Can’t say I’d be great at it. Hope you get the answers you need ❣️
I work for a state ambulance service. First I was a calltaker now I am a dispatcher. I have worked for them for 3 years now and I love it.
There aren't really any specific quals as all the training you need is very role specific. Most services in Australia use a very emergency services specific triage and dispatch system that outisde quals have little relevance to. Be prepared for a slow yet rigorous recruitment process that tests your typing skills, your resilience , your capacity to multi task and adapt to changing situations. Your application will stand out if it is professional and appears to link to the job description in the job advertisement. You may need to do some psychometric testing after u apply as well.
It is important to be aware as well that nothing prepares to u for what you will hear. As a calltaker You will deal with pediatric deaths, hangings, car accidents, traumatic injuries and just purely tragic situations... Even if you believe you are tough and have great coping skills, some of these jobs will never ever leave you. I have 2 that really stick with me. You will also have days where you will purely deal with nannas having falls, hospital enquiries, people with chest pain and people who call an ambulance because they kick their toe. These days can be monotonous.... If you end up dispatching, you will inevitably be working with limited resources, most of the time there are more jobs then there are ambulances and you at times need to make some tough decisions which can result in poor outcomes... also shift work is a grind, not sure if Its something you have done before but managing your fatigue is important and this type of work combined with shift work can be a big adjustment.
Overall its a great job tho and i dont see myself doing anything else. Carefully weigh up the pros and cons for you and your family and if it's something you can truly see yourself doing then go for it.