When dealing with a crisis situation, the number one concern is getting the situation under control and making sure that the appropriate emergency services are involved. Emergency personnel don’t have time to stop and think about the sensitivity of the situation or the feelings of the people involved because the situation may involve life or death. They are working to do everything they can to save lives; however, the better emergency personnel can communicate, the better they will do their jobs - and sensitivity has a lot to do with effective communication.
Effective communicators are sensitive to what’s going on around them and understand what other people are going through, which allows them to deal with the situation in the most effective way possible. Here are a few sensitivity tips emergency personnel can use to be more effective in a crisis situation.
Notice Facial Expressions
Whether you are dealing with a bystander or someone who has been injured, paying attention to their facial cues can let you know if they are going to be able to help you and/or provide you with the information you need in the situation. Letting them know that you can see they are upset, angry, scared, or whatever it is they are feeling, will go a long way to helping them stay calm so they can focus on what you need them to do even if that is just to stand back and let you do your job.
Watch Your Tone of Voice
Of course, emergency dispatchers don’t have the capability to see facial expressions yet but with the latest developments in public safety technology, that may not be too far off. Whether you are a dispatcher or emergency personnel dealing with a crisis face-to-face, tone of voice is extremely important. Keeping an even and calm tone of voice will help the people you’re dealing with to remain calm as well.
Ask Questions When Necessary
Sometimes you will need to get more information about the situation. Listen to what people are telling you and then ask clear, short questions to clarify what they’ve said. Often in a crisis situation, people aren’t thinking clearly so their words don’t come out the way they intended. Asking questions about what you’re being told will help you understand the situation more completely as well as let the people you are communicating with know you are appreciative of the information they’ve given you.
Listen Without Judgment
Whether dealing with a 9-1-1 call or a face-to-face emergency, it’s important to listen without judgment. Listening without judgment is an important step in managing your own emotions and improving your emotional intelligence. By eliminating preconceived ideas about the situation, you are better able to put yourself in the shoes of those, involved which is a much more sensitive and helpful way to approach the situation.
KOVA Corp provides public safety solutions that can help determine if your call center agents are using an appropriate amount of sensitivity. To learn whether your 9-1-1 call center employees are applying best practices when it comes to showing sensitivity towards callers, try Audiolog for Contact Centers by Verint Systems Inc. Audiolog allows you to evaluate agent performance through its optional Interaction Quality software. To learn more about Audiolog, contact us today.
Good morale is like fitness for the mind. It helps keeps spirits high and can keep you going even when times are tough. Many of the same strategies for keeping morale high for employees in other industries during the holiday season also apply to public safety officers.
Declining morale can have a drastic affect not only on individuals, but on departments as a whole. Because of this, keeping morale high should be a priority - especially during the holiday season, when stress seems to be at its highest levels. Here are some tried and true strategies for keeping morale high for public safety officers during the holiday season.
Celebrate Successes As They Happen
Although the holiday season is busy, it’s important to remember to celebrate successes both large and small. Celebrating a success is a small gesture, but it goes a long way to improving morale. Even something as simple as verbal recognition of a job well done is appreciated. Rewarding successes as they happen is often more effective than recognizing them after the fact.
Feed Them!
Studies have shown that employees feel valued and appreciated when they have food at the office. This is especially true for public safety officers, who work such long shifts. If providing meals at the stations isn’t feasible, then provide officers with food vouchers for lunch and dinner when they have a long shift.
Help Them De-Stress
The holidays are often a very stressful time for public safety officers, who may be dealing with more emergencies than usual. Help your public safety officers reduce stress by offering free yoga classes, meditation sessions, or counseling sessions. Yoga can help relax the mind and the body and counseling offers public safety officers a way to talk about their experiences on and off the job in a confidential and safe environment.
Keep Communication Lines Open
Always communicate as openly and honestly as possible. This prevents misunderstandings and shows that you are willing to listen if there’s anything your employees want to discuss with you. Communication also helps prepare your officers for what’s to come. If you know the holiday season always brings certain patterns in public safety, communicate them to your officers so they can prepare as best as possible.
Focus on the Good
When things get hectic and out of control, it’s easy to see the bad. Instead, try to focus on the things that go right during the holidays. Celebrate the season and celebrate your officers even if it’s just the little things. Practice daily gratitude at the office and be sure and comment when things are going well.
And don’t forget about the power of efficient, effective software tools when it comes to boosting morale. Kova Corp’s selection of public safety software solutions can help your 911 operators and public safety officers do their jobs better, leading to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover.
For more, read “5 Ways for Public Safety Workers to De-Stress During the Holidays.”
Calling 911 is a very serious action. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, you don’t realize what you’re going through isn’t actually an emergency. Unfortunately there are some people that are still calling 911 when it's not necessary. In the past we've shared some of our favorite funny and ridiculous 911 stories. Below are some of our favorite 911 calls from the 2017 holiday season.
The Grinch is Planning to Steal Christmas
In Mississippi, five year old Ty-Lon Pittman was watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. He suddenly became very afraid and felt he needed to call 911. He told the 911 operator to watch out for the Grinch because he was going to steal Christmas. Ty-Lon’s father grabbed the phone and apologized to the 911 operator.
Later that day a police officer showed up at the door to talk to Ty-Lon and explain to him that the Grinch wasn't going to steal Christmas and invited him and his family to visit the police station on Monday. When he was visiting the police station, Ty-Lon got to see a real Grinch (someone dressed up in a costume) in the back of a police car - and he got to lock him in a holding cell.
Dummy Causes 911 Calls
A practical joker in Boulder, Colorado, caused some commotion by creating a realistic-looking mock-up of a person hanging lights on his house. The dummy was so real looking that it caused many of the joker's neighbors to call 911. The dummy was positioned in such a way that it looked like someone had an accident while hanging Christmas lights and they were dangling by their hands.
Are You Okay in There?
When a Canadian woman heard yelling and shouting coming from her neighbor's apartment, she felt she needed to call 911. When the police arrived to check out the situation, they discovered the man was just having trouble on the toilet.
Outed By His Own Phone
A burglar in Shelby County, Ohio accidentally...erm...“derriere-dialed” 911 while breaking into a home. He then hid in the closet and was exposed by his phone again when the low battery warning went off and alerted police to his location.
Maybe a Little Too Realistic
A fire department in Regina, Canada, was called out to a local football stadium to put out a fire. When they got to the stadium, they realized the fire was just a very realistic burning log image on high definition TV.
No Cheating Allowed
A seven-year-old girl in Burnett, Wisconsin called 911 and hung up. When the police arrived at her house, they discovered that her grandfather was cheating at a game of cards.
While these 911 calls are entertainin,g we want to remind you that calling 911 is very serious and should be reserved for emergencies only. Spending time on calls that are not emergencies takes time out of a 911 operator’s busy day of answering emergency calls. KOVA Corp provides a number of public safety solutions for 911 call centers. If you’d like to learn more about improving processes at your 911 call center, contact us today.
