911 Mental Health Crisis Response Survey

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Alabama Fellowship of Fire Chaplains

Est. 2012

911 Mental Health Crisis Response Survey

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The vision of the Alabama Fellowship of Fire Chaplains (AFFC) is to have a trained chaplain in every fire department, providing 24/7 spiritual and emotional support to every first responder and their families. Nevertheless, one group of first responders that is often overlooked and underserved is our public safety telecommunicators.

This is where you come in. While every first responder’s needs are not the same, they are equally important. By participating in this survey, you can help us obtain a clearer understanding of the unique stressors challenging telecommunicators and enable us to serve you better.

SECTION 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION

SECTION 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION

Please confirm your responses before starting:

All answers to the following are honest and accurate.

I understand my responses will be used to help AFFC’s curriculum team develop the best approach to the unique training needs of chaplains serving telecommunicators and other chaplains and first responders working with them.

I understand that at NO time will my general information in SECTION 1 be made public or published within the curriculum.

I agree to participate in future “911 Mental Health Crisis Response” follow-up surveys and other future surveys related to mental health needs.

Name*

Email*

Cell Phone*

Best Contact*

If cell contact is preferred, are text messages okay?

Yes

No

Current Status*

Former

Active

Retired

Role*

911 Dispatch Center Type*

Emergency Communications District (ECD)*

SECTION 2 – CALL HANDLING

SECTION 2 – CALL HANDLING

A telecommunicator’s ability to identify a mental health crisis early and deploy the right resources can prevent escalation and improve safety. The same can be said about their hindsight.

1. After an intense call, is your stress response on average:

Immediate Physiological & Emotional (Hyper-Vigilant) – I experience stress right away, such as an increased heart rate, anxiety, body tenses up, or an adrenaline rush.

Short-Term (Acute) – I experience a detached response after the call, such as emotional numbness, fatigue, or difficulty concentrating.

Post-Call (Hypo-Vigilance) – The stress affects me for a short period after the call, but I usually recover within a few hours or by the end of my shift.

Long-Term (Chronic) – The stress from difficult calls accumulates over time and may affect my sleep, mood, relationships, or overall well-being.

Minimal or No Noticeable Stress Response – I generally do not experience significant emotional, physical, or ongoing stress after handling a high-stress call.

2. When is the nature of your own mental health recognized after a call?

Early – I recognize my emotional or mental response before handling another call.

Later – I do not fully recognize the impact until later in the shift or after I have left work.

Sensory Triggered – The effects are triggered by something that reminds me of the call, such as a sound, phrase, image, smell, or other sensory cue.

New Call Triggered – The effects become noticeable when I handle another call involving a similar type of incident.

No Noticeable Impact – I do not typically recognize a significant emotional or mental health impact from calls.

Additional Comment(s) for Questions 1 and 2

3. While all first responders contend with high-stress environments, 911 dispatchers face a distinct set of challenges. Which stressor(s) are challenging for you?

Lack of Closure – Not knowing the outcome of a call or what happened after responders arrived on scene.

Repetitive Exposure – Recurring traumatic, stressful, or emotionally difficult calls.

Shift Work – Challenges related to long hours, on-call, overtime, night shifts, fatigue, and disruptions to sleep or family life.

Auditory Trauma – Exposure to distressing sounds, such as screams, panic, violence, or medical emergencies over the phone or radio

Immediacy/Responsibility – The pressure of making quick decisions and knowing that the information you provide can directly affect outcomes.

Emotional Isolation – Feeling that others do not fully understand your experiences or feeling unable to discuss the emotional impact of calls.

High Call Volume – Phones never stop ringing. No time to mentally rest between calls.

Other

If you chose "Other," what other stressor(s) are a challenge for you?

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4. Based on the unique set of stressors in Question 3, please rank each according to how challenging it is for you, with 8 being the most challenging and 1 being the least. If you did NOT check “other” in Question 3, “other” will be your “1” (least challenging).

Lack of Closure

Shift Work

Auditory Trauma

Repetitive Exposure

Immediacy/ Responsibility

Emotional Isolation

High Call Volume

Other

5. Does a caller’s communication style, tone of voice, or emotional state make a difference in handling the reason for their call?

Additional Comment(s) for Questions 4 and 5

6. Telecommunicators are often indirectly exposed to the traumatic experience of another person, which can lead to vicarious trauma (or secondary traumatic stress). This type of stress can manifest in various ways. Have you experienced any of the following because of work? Choose all that apply.

Sleep Disturbances

Increased Anger or Irritability

Feeling Emotionally Numb or Disconnected

Hypervigilance – feeling constantly alert or on guard

Physical Changes – difficulty concentrating, headaches, fatigue, digestive issues, etc.

Worldview Changes – shifts in how you view people, safety, or the world around you

7. The symptoms in Question 6 can gradually wear away a telecommunicator’s quality of life and lead to burnout, depression, anxiety disorders, and PTSD if unaddressed. To what extent have any of these symptoms affected your quality of life?

Additional Comment(s) for Questions 6 and 7

8. Have you practiced any of the following good mental health tactics?

On-Shift Coping Methods – take breaks, talk with coworkers, mindfulness practices, etc.

Off-Shift Self-Care – exercise, hobbies, time with family/friends, adequate rest, etc.

Professional Support – counseling, therapy, employee assistance programs, etc.

Other

None

If you chose "Other," what other good mental health tactics have you practiced?

9. If you have practiced any of the above good mental health tactics, which have helped you recover/cope, and how?

SECTION 3 – COMMUNICATION & COORDINATION

SECTION 3 – COMMUNICATION & COORDINATION

Effective coordination can save lives. Telecommunicators are the central hub for information between callers, fellow first responders, and other agencies, yet they rarely receive the same courtesy. A few key initiatives have been suggested:

Access to mental health resources
Proactive chaplain program that makes regular check-ins for wellness and stress reduction.
Chaplaincy network for information sharing between police, fire, paramedics, EMS, emergency room, and other agency chaplains.
Training and Education on vicarious trauma, stress recognition, and coping strategies during onboarding and throughout their careers.
Adequate staffing and breaks to reduce chronic stress and opportunities for recovery.
Post-Incident Debriefing Protocols after critical incidents, ensuring dispatchers have a structured way to process and offload their emotional burden.

1. Would any or all of the suggested initiatives help minimize the negative impacts to telecommunicators and stressors mentioned in Section 2?

2. If yes, which of the suggested initiatives would help? Choose all that apply.

Mental Health Resource Access

Proactive Chaplain Program

Chaplaincy Network

Training/Education

Adequate Staffing and Breaks

Post-Incident Debriefing Protocol

3. How would your selected initiative(s) help you specifically?

4. Was there anything NOT asked or mentioned that you would like addressed?

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS SURVEY. WE WILL REACH OUT TO YOU WITH ANY NEXT-STAGE SURVEY AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ISSUES, PLEASE CONTACT US AT ADMIN@ALFIRECHAPLAINS.ORG.

AFFC

Oops, there was an error in submitting your survey. Please try again or contact AFFC at admin@alfirechaplains.org.

AFFC Mailing Addresses

AFFC President's Office

13351 Olivewood Road

Coker, AL 35452

AFFC Administration Office

6144 Harpers Diary Loop

Bessemer, AL 35022

Other Contacts

Terry Jacobs

tjacobs@alfirechaplains.org

(205) 792-4888

Wanda Manning

wmanning@alfirechaplains.org

(205) 447-2787

© Alabama Fellowship of Fire Chaplains

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