'There is no day the same': What it's like working as a triple-0 operator
As soon as Erin Crosbie sits at her desk the phone starts blaring.
On the other end is a panicked voice and a life is often hanging in the balance.
For the next 12 hours, the triple-0 call centre where Ms Crosbie works fields almost 7000 calls, each one just as important as the last.
Ms Crosbie has been working as a triple-0 dispatcher in the police unit for two and a half years, and while people are aware of the work of paramedics and police officers, her life-saving actions often happen behind the scenes.
“It’s very important, without us police don’t know where to go and what to do,” she told Yahoo News Australia.
“We are people on the other side of the phone who are there to help others... that’s what we try to do.”
‘There is no day the same’
The triple-0 dispatcher said she had been applying to the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority for three years before she was hired for her “dream job”.
“There is no day to day, you never no what you’re going to get,” she said.
Throughout her gruelling shifts, Ms Crosbie most often answers emergency calls about erratic drivers, disputes and suspicious people.
But the hardest calls she says are the ones from family members who have found loved ones dead.
“They all mould into one because you take so many calls but when someone finds a loved one deceased that’s always really hard to deal with,” she said.
“You say you’re sorry and you’re just letting the police know. You just reassure them you’re doing everything you can.
“You need to make them feel comfortable speaking to you as you want to keep some normalcy for them.”
Ms Crosbie said after particularly stressful calls dispatchers would often take a break in a quiet room to decompress what happened.
“It’s important to debrief with people you trust at work,” she said.
“It’s like a little family, we support each other and on break sit together.
“People understand your alone time is sacred and we try to keep each other’s levels up.”
First few seconds of call are crucial
Ms Crosbie said callers were often either panicking on the other end, or wanted to deliver the information as quickly as possible and hang up.
Surprisingly though she said children were efficient when calling in emergencies.
“Children are really good callers,” she said.
“They give you the facts and know exactly what they need. They have less heightened emotions and a lot of the time just say it how it is.”
Ms Crosbie said the first few seconds of a call were crucial and determined how she responded.
“It’s important to remember people handle emergencies differently, there’s no right or wrong way,” she said.
“Without a rapport you’re not going to get the answers you need.
“Just remember we only ask the questions we need to get the help they need.”
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