Emergency contact handler
Protective services
Level 3 -
Deal with emergency and non-emergency calls.
Reference: OCC0483
Status:
SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 7213/02 Emergency services call handlers
Technical Education Products
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Thames Valley Police, West Yorkshire Police, Merseyside Police, Hampshire Police, Devon and Cornwall Police, North West Ambulance, London Ambulance, Integrated Care 24 (IC24), Merseyside Fire and Rescue, National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue, Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue, National Highways
Summary
This occupation is found in organisations which receive contacts from members of the public who are in emergency and non-emergency situations. Typical organisations are Ambulance, Fire, Police, the NHS, National Highways, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to be the first point of contact for requests for assistance from members of the public and other organisations.
The employee receives emergency and non-emergency contacts from the public and other organisations. Contacts could be received via a variety of communication methods, including telephone for example 999, 101 or 111 urgent care calls, online submissions, and social media. Some contacts will be directly or indirectly involved in difficult and/or traumatic situations for example, they may be in danger or unwell, and may display a variety of behaviours for example, anxiousness, hostility, vulnerability.
The employee obtains information in relation to the circumstances being reported, identifies risks, and decides and takes the appropriate action. They use a variety of sector specific technology, often simultaneously, to record and update information.
The employee effectively communicates information. This could be giving advice, including in life endangering situations, and managing expectations around the service that can be provided.
The employee will typically work shifts, which could include working some nights, weekends and bank holidays, to enable the employer to provide a 24-hour service, 365 days a year.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with colleagues at all levels, including team members, managers and other departments. They may also interact with other local or national agencies such as other emergency services, local authority departments, care providers, and other support services.
An employee will report to a line/team/shift or duty manager and will generally not have any formal line management responsibility.
An employee in this occupation is responsible for adhering to organisational, legislative and national policy and procedures when dealing with contacts. They must uphold organisational values and ethical standards and frameworks. They are expected to participate in Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
The employee will work independently, adhering to their organisation's working practices, with support/supervision when appropriate.
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Thames Valley Police, West Yorkshire Police, Merseyside Police, Hampshire Police, Devon and Cornwall Police, North West Ambulance, London Ambulance, Integrated Care 24 (IC24), Merseyside Fire and Rescue, National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue, Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue, National Highways
Typical job titles include:
Keywords:
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
Duties
Duty D1
Receive emergency and non-emergency contacts from the public and other agencies using a range of communication tools, for example, telephone or online.
Duty D2
Obtain relevant information in relation to the circumstances being reported.
Duty D3
Analyse and assess information to identify risks to the public colleagues and, where relevant, other agencies.
Duty D4
Decide and take appropriate course of action, using sector specific grading guidelines or mobilising procedures.
Duty D5
Adhere to organisational, legislative and national policy and procedures when dealing with contacts.
Duty D6
Use a variety of sector specific technology to identify, record and update information relevant to the incident.
Duty D7
Apply appropriate and effective communication techniques in a variety of situations, which could be in routine or life endangering circumstances. This includes questioning, listening, giving instructions or advice, and managing expectations.
Duty D8
Work with internal and external partner agencies to ensure an effective response to incidents.
Duty D9
Participate in continuing professional development.
Duty D10
Uphold organisational values and ethical standards and frameworks.
Occupational Progression
This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.
In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.
It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.
Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.
Business and administration
Protective services