911 operators...do they get a break?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve been hearing the On-Star commercials on the radio, the ones where a small child calls up crying because Mommy is having a seizure, and the On-Star operator calls 911 for help.

It got me wondering…do 911 operators get to take a breather after a particularly intense call, like a baby being born or a girl hiding under her bed because Daddy is beating up Mommy? Or do they have to say, “Okay, the police are here, so I’m hanging up” and immediately go on to the next call?

I know they have training for stuff like this, but jeez, they’re human. Can they take a walk to calm down after a heavy call?

2

Depends on the size of the call center. I’ve seen some with 4 or 5 operators. Others are merely the town firestation with one or two fellows trained to answer 911 calls.

In the case of the larger centers, the operators “spell” one another in the case of breaks. The same would apply if one had to take some time off after a traumatic event.

In the case of the smaller operation, there’s fewer calls so fewer cases of “breathers” to be taken. In my experience, anyway. YMMV.