To wonder how you become a 999 responder?

[GraceyBeaker]

I think I quite fancy this job but I’m struggling to work out how you get ‘in’. My grammar is good as is my manner on the phone, and I’ve done a healthcare based degree so would be able to discuss that at interview.

Anybody have personal experience getting into such a job? I’m in the north-west.

The title says First Responder. Not call handler. The only mention of phones in all of her posts was in the OP ‘good manner on the phone’ - not call handler.

OP - what role are you actually talking about? Do you even know?

No need to be so rude, the op was only asking for advice.
i am sure there are lots of people on here who can help out, and want to help.

Oh go away - everybody else worked it out. You’re being pedantic for the sake of being pedantic.

I wrote a long post offering advice and information and you’ve responded like that. You’re being rude. You won’t get any role with that attitude.

I do it for the police - most forces advertise on their force website jobs section, same for each ambulance and fire service I imagine.

I had a typing test and spelling test first, followed by an interview where they gave me some scenarios.

The pay isn't bad but the shifts are very unsociable, covering 24 hours a day, we do a rotating pattern. We don't follow a script and neither do fire so there's a lot of thinking on your feet involved - Ambulance call handlers have to follow a script, and in all of them there will be a lot of very distressing calls and you have to be prepared to take a lot of abuse amd possibly become very cynical (along with developing a very dark sense of humour!)

The BT operators are different, they just ask which service you require and transfer you through to whichever one you say (or just to the police if they can't work it out). They are based in Liverpool, Nottingham, Dundee, Portadown, Belfast, Birmingham, Bangor and Glasgow. Sorry any BT exchanges I have forgotten!

Crumpet Thankyou! I can’t sleep ( night here) and have spent the last hour or so listening to “Lifelines” - it’s brilliant!

If you’re talking about 999 call handler then you can look on the YAS website current vacancies. They might have one on there.

Although it’s a drama I thought it gave such good insight into how it might be. Particularly how after a really intense call the handler will have no idea how things end once the on site services arrive

NHS jobs website - all the ambulance services in England advertise there for call handlers

My son’s girlfriend has just completed her training. We’re north west but she’s working for North Wales ambulance service. She’s out at the moment but I’ll ask her how she found the job 😀

I'm sorry but no way did that happen! NO police force would purposefully traumatise new staff like that. We have upsetting real calls, yes - but management will be straight over if we have one like that, check we are OK, offer any support needed to help deal with it- be that a bit of fresh air or someone to talk it through with.

Even in training (which we still have regularly) we'll be warned if content may be distressing and given the option to leve the room for that part if needed.

My experience was that the officers in the room (they used to get rotated through to experience it) with us found it much harder than us staff. They were used to going and fixing the problem, whereas our job was just to get the information and pass it through.

But yes, some calls are horrific. And they’re interspersed with idiots calling because their pizza hasn’t arrived. Switching between the two adds a layer of stress.