Editing Dispatcher (section)

==Working conditions and environment==
[[File:Dispatcher - 1992 - BLS.png|thumb|Dispatcher at work. (1992)]]
Dispatchers are responsible for monitoring all of the communications within a specific [[geographic]] area. Public safety dispatchers are responsible for all emergency communications that occur within the [[jurisdiction]] of their department. These workers receive and document incoming calls, transmit messages to appropriate personnel, and keep logs of the daily activities of their personnel. Public safety dispatchers usually work in a police station, a fire station, or a hospital.<ref name=ooh />  Other dispatchers work in centralized communication centers associated with their specific company or service.

Dispatchers of all kinds work with multiple communications systems depending on their function. These systems can include but not limited to [[telephone]]s, [[radio]]s, [[computer]]s and [[computer-aided dispatch]] programs, video [[surveillance]] cameras, and ground-to-aircraft messaging systems such as [[ACARS]]. As a result of sitting for long periods and using such equipment, dispatchers can develop eye strain and back problems. Many dispatchers must also work irregular hours to provide 24-hour service, which includes night, weekend, and holiday hours.<ref name=ooh />

Public safety dispatchers are usually the first point of contact between [[emergency service]]s and the public. When receiving incoming calls for help, these dispatchers must ascertain the nature, location, and extent of the emergency. Callers requesting emergency assistance are often in a state of heightened emotional distress, which can make it difficult to obtain the information needed to handle the call appropriately.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Simpson|first=Rylan|date=2020-09-03|title=Calling the Police: Dispatchers as Important Interpreters and Manufacturers of Calls for Service Data|url=https://academic.oup.com/policing/advance-article/doi/10.1093/police/paaa040/5900878|journal=Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice|volume=15 |issue=2 |language=en|pages=4–5|doi=10.1093/police/paaa040|issn=1752-4512|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The working conditions of a public safety dispatcher may be particularly stressful compared to others because handling a call incorrectly may delay or misdirect emergency personnel, which could result in serious [[injury]] or even [[death]].<ref name=ooh /> 

Human error can also produce deadly results for other types of dispatchers. A train dispatcher in Spain was found guilty of negligent homicide for a head-on train collision that occurred in June 2003.<ref name=EITB>{{cite web | title=Train dispatcher sentenced to two years for negligent homicide | url=http://www.eitb24.com/portal/eitb24/noticia/en/life/head-on-crash--train-dispatcher-sentenced-to-two-years-for-neglig?itemId=D35233&cl=%2Feitb24%2Fsociedad&idioma=en | access-date=2006-06-07}}</ref> Nineteen people died and forty-eight were injured in a crash where the dispatcher allowed a passenger train to leave a station when a freight train was approaching the station on the same line.<ref name=EITB />