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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Emergency Calls

Dispatcher

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/dɪˈspætʃər/nounCore term

In emergency medicine & first aid, dispatcher means: A person in an emergency call centre who answers calls, decides what help is needed and sends ambulances or other services.

In Turkish: çağrı karşılayıcı, yönlendirme görevlisi, 112 görevlisi

How it is used

The usual US term; the UK more often says call handler or call taker, and some centres split answering and sending between two roles. Dispatchers often guide callers by phone, for example through CPR, until the crew arrives. The verb 'dispatch' means to send a unit.

Example sentences

  1. The dispatcher talked the caller through CPR until the crew arrived.

  2. The dispatcher sent two ambulances and a fire engine to the crash.

Common collocations

  • emergency dispatcher
  • 911 dispatcher
  • call handler
  • dispatch an ambulance
  • emergency callA phone call to an emergency number, such as 112, 911 or 999, to ask for an ambulance, the police or the fire service.
  • What's your emergency?A standard opening question asked by emergency call handlers, especially in North America, to find out quickly what kind of help the caller needs.
  • stay on the lineA request to a caller not to hang up, so that the call handler can ask more questions or give instructions until help arrives.
  • response timeThe time between an emergency call and the arrival of the first ambulance or responder at the scene.

More terms: Emergency Calls

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.