Re: 911:: dispatch stress survey

[Guest guest]

I don't know how I found it, just surfing I guess..hehe can't even remember

what site it was on.. I saved it, if anyone wants to check it out, just email

me, and I'll send it to ya..

jamie in iowa

hlj0124@... address

[Guest guest]

Hi.. Ive had so many requests to send them a copy, I thought Id just post it

here..I found it in the Dispatch Monthly Magazine site.. By the way, I go

there often. go there, there is so so so much info for us.. Hope its ok if I

post

it here........Not stepping on anyones toes am I?.... I hope not.. Its just so

very interesting... Now Im paranoid to hit send for fear of posting

something I shouldn't have... .. awh.. maybe i should have gotten richards

permission.. ,,

DISPATCH Monthly Magazine - The News Source   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 and Dispatch Monthly Magazine for allowing us to use

their web site to get the survey out there. 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 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:

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

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/9/2004 1:34:21 AM Pacific Standard Time, hlj0124@...

writes:

Hi.. Ive had so many requests to send them a copy, I thought Id just post it

here..I found it in the Dispatch Monthly Magazine site.. By the way, I go

there often. go there, there is so so so much info for us.. Hope its ok if I

post

it here........Not stepping on anyones toes am I?.... I hope not.. Its just

so

very interesting... Now Im paranoid to hit send for fear of posting

something I shouldn't have... .. awh.. maybe i should have gotten richards

permission.. ,,

FYI: An analytical report on this survey appears in the Jan/Feb issue of

9-1-1 Magazine, in which and co-authors Fox and Acosta

discuss and comment on the survey figures at length.

rdl

Randall Larson

Editor, 9-1-1 Magazine

www.9-1-1magazine.com