LifeLine 911
In a world where first responders face new challenges every day, LifeLine911 brings clarity, insight, and connection. Hosted by Erica Roberts—an Emergency Communications veteran with over 20 years of frontline and training experience—this podcast dives into the issues, stories, and voices shaping the world of emergency response, with a special focus on dispatch and communications. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or simply curious about how emergency services work, LifeLine911 offers engaging discussions, real-world stories, and answers to the questions you’ve always wanted to ask. Have a question or want to share your story? Email us at LifeLine911Podcast@gmail.com to join the conversation.
Episodes
Leadership is often defined by qualities such as integrity, transparency, diligence, and sound judgment—traits that transcend industries. Yet in specialized fields, like emergency communications, one question remains: are these universal skills enough? Or does true leadership in a dispatch center require firsthand experience behind the console? Can an outsider step into supervision and succeed, or is time on the heads...
In this episode of LifeLine911, we dive into one of the most infamous taboos in the culture of emergency services: the words you should never say on shift. Why do terms like "calm", "slow", or the dreaded "quiet" send shivers through dispatch centers and first responder units alike?
We’ll explore the roots of this superstition, its impact on team culture, and what it reveals abou...
LifeLine911 episode 79 - Superstitions will be out Monday, August 25, 2025 at 05:00 eastern! Tune in!
When a dispatcher gives a unit in the field a direction, such as respond to the call, why does the police officer, medic, or firefighter listen to them, especially when the dispatcher is a civilian? This is because of delegated authority, which is how a structure with a hierarchy operates; lines of legitimate control flowing down from the top. Today we explore how and why this works.
As always, if you have an...
The ideal emergency call takers and dispatchers are efficient and effective at their jobs, always paying attention to the screens, listening to the slightest change in voice from the callers and officers in the field. But not every operator can be these star service people. There are some who work hard enough just to get by. There are some who shoot for the Bronze Medal.
As always, if you have any questions o...
Of all the groups of people that society works to protect, perhaps none is more important than children. They serve as society's future and promise. To paraphrase President John F Kenney, "Children are the world's most valuable resource and it's best hope for the future." But too often, children's needs and struggles are overlooked in school systems which need to accommodate thousands or ...
In the first responder life, it is always important to be strive to have the best equipement, training, and resources available. But if you try and keep up with the Jones' (i.e. other agencies) you'll always find yourself lacking in some regards. That is why it's important to be thankful for what you have at your agency, because no agency can have everything. In short, be sure to count your blessings. T...
Emergency operators are often faced with a myriad of challenges throughout each shift they work; from the routine to the exceptional. These calls, while they might seem quite difference on the surface, are all really worked with the same fundamentals; keeping the responding units and citizens safe, providing prompt response, and maintaining excellent notes on what is occurring so that the case can be correctly followe...
Employee perks can range from picking a time to go to lunch, to preferences on parking; they are generally smaller things that can add up to a lot to make the employees feel appreciated for their hard work. But, when these perks become entrenched or expected, they may slowly morph into entitlements, which can be the basis for many issues with an emergency communications center.
As always, if you have any ques...
On July 1, 2025 at 12:01 am, the unionized city workers of the City of Philadelphia went on strike to protest for better wages and conditions. While the merits of units and strikes and general, and public sectors unions in particular, is its own discussion, what is relevant to us is that the 9-1-1 operators and police dispatchers also went on strike. That means that emergency calls for service in the City of Brotherly...
In the emergency communication profession, 9-1-1 operators and dispatchers will often times receive a battering from irate callers who speak with them in a less than civil manner. Expletives, derisive comments, and cruel remarks are among the insults which are hurled at telecommunicators whos job it is to help the public. But how should a 9-1-1 operator respond when the caller is being abusive towards them?
A...
Every day, 9-1-1 telecommunicators answer calls from individuals under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. These calls are often unpredictable, emotional, and at times dangerous - not only for the caller but for the responders en route. Callers may be extremely agitated, uncooperative, or even hallucinating and it is the 9-1-1 operator's job to figure out what is going on. But how can they make sense of an add...
In an emergency situation, people know that they can call for help using the 9-1-1 phone number in the United States and they will be connected with an operator for help. But what happens when the emergency call center has an issue of its own which causes the lines to not be answered? These events, while uncommon, do happen throughout the country. How do emergency call centers get back on their feet to answer the call...
One of the most prevalent questions that people considering a career in the emergency telecommunications field is "what if I know the caller?" This can be a challenging and almost nightmare scenario for people to contemplate: how to provide emergency services to a loved-one. Aside from the emotional toll it can take on you, there are also the ethical and moral questions which come along with it. Join us this...
The first few moments of an emergency 9-1-1 call set the tone and success of the entire incident. Knowing how to control a call from the beginning to be able to ask questions and receive information quickly is critically important to obtaining a positive outcome to emergency calls. But how do the telecommunicators do that when there is so much riding on the line? Join your host Erica this week as we delve into that to...
Look, up in the sky. It's a man. It's a bird. It's a... telecommunicator doing exactly what they were trained to do. Dispatchers and 9-1-1 operators are called upon to work difficult situations on a not infrequent basis. These men and women who don the headsets and answer the phones are trained to do their jobs to high standards, but sometimes these standards can slip when compliancy (that silent killer...
Each day, 9-1-1 operators work to help their communities by answering emergency calls placed to their centers. Most of these calls are typical burglar alarms, noise complaints, and other day-to-day incidents, but once in awhile they get a profound call which tests their abilities, knowledge, and even endurance. Nastacia Johnson was working an overtime assignment one day and had the opportunity to test her mettle as a ...
Throughout history, the division of language has created problems with communicating between two people their needs, wants, desires, and sometimes their emergencies. In today's world, where there are so many languages spoken, how can an emergency call center operate when there are callers who don't speak English needing assistance? Many 9-1-1 centers have turned to using third party assistance in the form of...
You dial 9-1-1 and are connected with an operator. You explain your situation and are informed help will be on the way. The minutes tick by and no police, fire, or EMS arrive on scene; have you been shortchanged? Did you call get cancelled accidentally? The most likely scenario is that your call was determined to be not as emergent as another call going on in the city. But why has this happened? This week we discuss t...
We all know that working in the field as a police officer, firefighter, or medic is an extremely challenging career that is entirely different than most other jobs; getting time off is hard, there are unexpected calls which force you to work passed you off duty time, holidays and celebrations are going to be missed. But even more challenging than this is to be married to someone who does this work; the stress and anxi...
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