In Part 1 of this discussion on stress we looked at a number of facts. First, 911 Dispatchers are not JUST anything. The dedicated men and women who do this job are not JUST phone operators. They are not JUST radio dispatchers. Each and every one of them is a first responder. They are essentially and intimately at the scene of every emergency situation they handle. Second, we started breaking down the pieces of stress beginning with the event, something occurring outside ourselves. This can be positive or negative. The event can also be categorized as basic or acute/traumatic. Regardless, the event, in and of itself does not create stress. Now we’ll discuss what does.
Perception
Stress begins in the brain. Our perception of an event and the degree to which it is viewed as severe or intense is unique, flexible and based on a number of factors:
Personality and Character: Who we are determines how we perceive events. A personality trait of mine is need for control. I know I’m not alone in this as most 911 Dispatchers that I’ve met have this trait as well. Rationally, I recognize that always being in control is not realistic, but that doesn’t change the struggle I have around this need. I understand I need to stay within my own hula-hoop and that I can only control what is going on with me. The sooner I can truly internalize this, the less I will perceive basic events as acute. Also, are you naturally high strung or a pretty chill person? This will affect your perception of everything around you including stressors.
Preceding Stressors: The other stressors you’ve experienced prior to the event will color your perception of the event. Stressors are cumulative and when they stack on top of each other, they get heavy. For example, you might have had a shift where you begin with a call where someone yells at you, followed by three 911 hang-up in a row and then a sobbing mom who has a custody issue you can’t help her with. This on top of any of the basic stressors you are dealing with already. I was told when I first started that I needed to leave all my home issues outside the door of the communications center and when I left to leave my work issues inside the door when I exited. I think back on that suggestion now and realize it was not only ridiculous but impossible.
Protective Factors: How resilient are you? Some people are more resilient than others and this does not mean that skyscraper high, six-foot thick wall you’ve built around your heart. Research has shown that there are a number of factors that affect how resilient we are. Childhood trauma and even gender can impact our ability to be resilient to stress.
Coping skills, adaptability to change and unexpected events and our support systems all affect our perception as well. Also, the intensity and duration of the event are factors. These can be fixed, such as the length of an incident, but also flexible such as an operator who refused to go on break or home when calls are still coming in increasing the duration of their exposure to the stressor. This can also be something like an active shooter and intense natural disasters.
Because of the flexibility of our perceptions of an event, what might be an event causing simple stress to one individual may result in a trauma reaction for someone else. This can lead to denial and underestimation of stress and related conditions and a build-up of multiple stressors without the person being able to effectively adapt and cope. Acute/traumatic events are pretty easy to identify, such as someone completing suicide while on the phone with you, unsuccessfully talking a loved one through CPR, or listening to a mother scream as her child dies after being run over by a car. Of course, this doesn’t mean we seek the help we need to resolve the stress reactions we have, but the event can be easily pin-pointed, therefore making our “normal” response more legitimate and acceptable, both to others and ourselves. As 911 Dispatchers, we need to change this and realize that stressor events and individual perception are not cut and dried. We need to give ourselves and others permission to be realistic about events and our perceptions. My best friend cared for her father for ten years after he had a stroke. She tended him at home until he died. When she receives a call about stroke or from a family member who just experienced a death, it affects her differently than it would someone without her particular experiences.
Reaction
There’s been the event and our perception of an event, but there is one more piece needed to create stress: our reaction. Again, stress begins in the brain. Our reaction begins with a neurochemical message that triggers a complex chain of biochemical reactions that have the potential to impact all major organ systems. First is the alarm reaction which is where the body stirs up its defense mechanisms. Glands release neurochemical such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Specifically, the adrenal gland releases adrenaline and cortisol which is a steroidal hormone. Our nervous system is fully firing and we can feel it. That’s when the second phase of our reaction process happens. Adaptation is when the body fights back - fight, flight or freeze. Our heart rate goes up, the arteries harden because the heart is under pressure, our blood pressure goes up, our pupils dilate and we have a heightened sense of alertness. I remember this as a feeling of being “on it.” I experienced a shooting call where I could tell from the beginning it was legitimate. It was a family fight at a child’s birthday party. As soon as I started asking questions, I sat up a bit straighter, my shoulders pushed back. I was fully in-tune with what I was hearing and the information I was typing to the dispatcher. I would have the same reaction when an officer would clear he was in pursuit.
As 911 Dispatchers, we face events, perception and reactions that create stress every day. What the pieces look like might be unique but stress is a reality in our field. By not accepting this as a fact and addressing it from the beginning both with ourselves and those we are training to take over in the future, we are handicapping our ability to be healthy. Stress kills. It shortens our life-spans and makes the quality of our lives less. It is up to each and every one of us to understand how stress works and combat it just like we would any enemy who walked into our center.
