Interview with a 999 operator

Jo Stanton has worked in the Emergency Control Room for two and a half years. We caught up with her to find out more about her role.

What made you apply for the job?
I was working as a Personal Assistant for a firm of Solicitors and also had a part time job working in the Control Room at Manchester City Football Club. I got to know the firefighters who were carrying out fire safety checks there and they gave me the idea of applying for a job at the Fire Service.

What does your job in the Emergency Control Room involve?
I answer 999 calls and deal with incidents as they arise. We have to answer 90% of all our emergency calls within 10 seconds, which is a national performance indicator for Fire Controls. We have exceeded this target in Greater Manchester every year. We must also gain as much information as possible about the incident from the caller and if necessary provide survival or other safety advice until the fire crews arrive.

Some days I can be helping on as many as 15 incidents at any one time. This means that as well as answering 999 calls, you have to keep in contact with the fire crews at each of these incidents.

What training is involved to work in the Emergency Control Room?
Training is a big element. When I was a new starter, I spent the first two months training – studying everything from what information is needed from the caller to getting to grips with the computer system. I then shadowed an operator, listening to her taking calls and finding out more about the routine administration before finally being allowed to take up my duties in the Control Room.

Aside from the above, when you first join, you spend one hour per shift training. Some of the training is structured, like the session this afternoon which is an update on the different types of incidents at an Airport. Like many of the Control Room Operators, I am currently studying for an NVQ Emergency Fire Service Control Operations Level III.

What do you like most about your job?
The work is interesting, challenging and rewarding. I enjoy working as part of a team and being able to help people. It brings together all the elements of my previous jobs, the administration, control room experience, computer skills and operational experience into one package and is in this respect the perfect job for me.

What do you like least about your job?
We receive and manage some very tragic incidents which have a devastating effect on the people involved. We appreciate the trauma that individuals and families go through when they are involved in a serious fire or other emergency. However, we are highly trained professionals who accept this as part of our job. On a lesser note, initially working nights took some getting used to as I hadn’t worked a night shift before I joined the Fire and Rescue Service, but I’m used to it now.

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