Crisis Management & Decision-Making Flashcards
7 cards from real CED practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Crisis Management & Decision-Making flashcards as text
A caller reports a multi-vehicle highway accident with possible entrapment. What is the dispatcher's FIRST priority?
Answer: Dispatch appropriate resources while gathering additional information
Dispatching resources immediately while continuing to gather information minimizes response delay and follows the simultaneous dispatch principle.
During a large-scale emergency, multiple units request guidance simultaneously. The best strategy is to:
Answer: Prioritize life-safety requests first, then property and resource needs
Triage of communications mirrors triage of patients — life-safety transmissions always take precedence.
A caller becomes hysterical and cannot provide a location. Which technique should a dispatcher use FIRST?
Answer: Use ANI/ALI data to identify location while calmly coaching the caller
ANI/ALI provides automated location data while the dispatcher simultaneously works to calm the caller, ensuring response is not delayed.
Which decision-making model is most commonly recommended for emergency dispatchers under stress?
Answer: Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD) model
The RPD model allows experienced dispatchers to quickly recognize situations and act on trained patterns, which is ideal under time pressure.
An off-duty officer calls in to report a situation and wants to handle it without official dispatch. The dispatcher should:
Answer: Document the call and dispatch appropriate resources per standard protocol
Protocol requires proper documentation and dispatch regardless of the caller's credentials, ensuring accountability and officer safety.
A dispatcher receives conflicting information from two callers about the same incident. The best action is to:
Answer: Dispatch based on the worst-case scenario while seeking clarification
Dispatching for the worst-case scenario ensures adequate resources while conflicting details are resolved.
A dispatcher is mid-call on a priority-1 emergency when a second priority-1 call comes in. The correct action is to:
Answer: Signal another available dispatcher to take the second call
Routing the second priority-1 call to another dispatcher ensures both callers receive the urgent attention their situations demand.