Taking control Special team at heart of bringing help to county
Think you are having a stressful day? Robin Jenkins checked out a shift for 999 call handlers to get a different perspective
WHAT Gloucestershire’s 999 call handlers and dispatch operators deal with day in, day out is simply remarkable.
The reality of the stressful situations they have to cope with was made clear at the Triservice Emergency Centre at Waterwells Business Park in Quedgeley, Gloucester.
While some deal with the calls, others go about dispatching the appropriate response.
The operation takes place in one large open plan office of the emergency centre, which opened in 2003 for the police, fire and ambulance services.
While the police and fire services’ control rooms removed, the ambulance service’s is based in the Bristol area.
While the police’s control room it was relatively calm – calls included reports of burglaries, domestic violence and a swan wandering between vehicles at Over – there are often times when callers speak to people about serious road traffic collisions, shootings, stabbings and violent incidents fuelled by drink and drugs.
Superintendent Gareth Morris manages the operation and has nothing but admiration for the professionalism and calmness of his team.
In the daytime the average number on duty ranges from about 18 to 25. That number dips at night but bosses try to have at least 10 people working.
While the number of calls coming in varies, the average is 230 per day – most last for about three minutes but some can be as long as 30 or 40 minutes.
Mr Morris said: “A call handler has to deal with instant challenges, with no gaps. They might have someone who is suicidal on the phone and then take a call about a violent incident.
“Trying to flick between very different critical situations requires a really chal- lenging skill set.
“They are paragons of patience. To sit and listen to how they deal with it is humbling.”
One example of the crucial role his staff play happened this year when a visitor to Gloucestershire found herself needing help as she tried to hold her six-year-old girl up out of rising flood water.
The call handler had to keep the woman calm while she was on her mobile phone and work out where to send the emergency services to someone who was not familiar with the county.
The mother and child had been walking near Riversmead Farm next to the River Severn in Sims Lane, Quedgeley, when the water rose until they became stuck and was waist deep.
Thanks to the call handler identifying where they were, police and firefighters were able to locate and rescue them.
The number of calls dealt with by the team has risen from 15,943 in the first quarter of 2015 to 21,099 by the same period this year.
Those figures do not include nonemergency calls, via the 101 phone number service, switchboard calls and emails which the control room also dealt with.
Dealing with often extremely anxious people and having to make decisions that could save lives can affect the mental health of team members.
Mr Morris added: “Call handlers can have a situation escalating while they’re on the phone. It’s an incredibly stressful and demanding role.
“They way they do put people at ease is exemplary.”
Supervisor Heather Hockley admits she will never forget certain calls.
One man was on the phone after a few drinks when she heard a thud and later discovered the man had been struck by a car and died.
She said: “We’re human. These things stay with you for the rest of your life.”
Call handler Nicola Denning, who has been in the job three years, said it can be very tough.
She said: “You can be dealing with someone saying they’re going to kill themselves, then take a call about an RTC (road traffic collision) and then another about mental health. There’s no break at all.
“On the late shifts, it can be relentless.”
The stresses and strains of the conversations she has with the public can leave her wound up.
“It’s difficult to switch off,” she said. “There are some calls that stay with you. You just learn to cope with it.
“Sometimes you have to take yourself out of the room for five minutes and get some fresh air. Talking to colleagues helps too. There’s a good camaraderie here.”