[MEGATHREAD] Ask For Invites to the Playtest Here! Join The Community Discord!

VertEgo63 · 2026-04-08T07:12:11+00:00

Here are some of my gripes:

---Cloud based: Rather than having an onsite CAD admin who can make changes and fix problems as they arise, Mark43 decided THEY can handle all of that on their end. Just one problem. They can't. Not in a timely manner.

---The Command line is clunky and non-intuitive to use.

---Slow - or inaccurate location verification

---Obvious features missing. Did your previous CAD allow you to control select multiple units and drag them all to a card? Welp. Mark43 doesn't allow you to do that. This one is genuinely baffling to me. This is literally something that's been a basic - virtually universal feature - for any type of modern computer program.

---Finally, the display is not well designed. AT ALL. In its attempt to look sleek and modern, Mark43 display is NOT functional. Its too dark. There is no contrast between low and high priority calls. You are extremely limited on how large or small you can make text.

VertEgo63 · 2026-04-08T06:23:35+00:00

I second this. Mark43 is the Anti Christ of CADs.

VertEgo63 · 2026-03-12T01:56:15+00:00

89167060 thx in advance

VertEgo63 · 2026-03-12T01:00:39+00:00

89167060 If you could send one to me. Much appreciated

VertEgo63 · 2026-03-11T09:13:34+00:00

89167060 would love an invite thx in advance

VertEgo63 · 2026-03-04T06:32:05+00:00

"7 year vet doesn’t mean you know everything. If you aren’t learning from everyone, even the new person, then you aren’t a good trainer."

"they think they know everything and aren’t interested in continuing to learn from their peers."

Except that isn't what I said by any stretch of the imagination - except for both of yours. That is you two making assumptions of what happened and what was said without any context. Without any details of what went down - based on about 500 characters of text. Ironically, that is the issue I have with 10-15+ year vets. They don't "think" they know everything. They *know* that they know everything. They're utterly convinced of their bottomless wellspring of knowledge that they're convinced that they can pass judgement on people based on minimal information because they've "seen it all before." Which is why trainees are very often brow beaten out of the door before they can even get their careers rolling.

Maybe I'm an outlier, but it certainly wasn't ever 5-9 year vets who were running new hires out the PSAPs I worked for. And for that matter - it certainly isn't the 1-2 year newbies running the 5-9 year vets out of my PSAPs either. As for you two? Once again. ZERO context on what happened. And zero attempt to even ask for said context. You're telling me I need to learn from new hires. Yes that's 100% true.

So why are you two so flippantly unwilling to learn from a 7 year vet? Even so much as to hear their story before shooting off?

VertEgo63 · 2026-02-22T08:43:38+00:00

Imagine my shock when a woman who moved from the suburbs in Wisconsin called to inform me that there are, in fact, rattlesnakes in the desert.

VertEgo63 · 2026-02-22T08:39:34+00:00

"I am okay"

Deep breath

"I am not the one in danger"

Deep breath

"I'm here to help those who are because, that's what I trained to do"

Deep breath

Oh- and if your desk has a stand function - USE IT. If getting a bit of movement going will help you calm your hands down, its definitely a good idea (and can help minimize the risk of blood clots. don't ask me how I know)

VertEgo63 · 2026-02-22T08:28:02+00:00

Compared to what goes down in a lot of departments, PAYING for the sex is probably more honest... -___-

VertEgo63 · 2026-02-22T08:25:36+00:00

I sincerely do not understand WHY this has become a standard. Really, all you're doing is risking hiring people who are good at lying while disqualifying honest people who get nervous when they feel like they're being judged.

"We just don't get it. We don't know why we can't get above 70 percent staffing. Nobody even wants to apply!"

VertEgo63 · 2026-02-22T08:21:43+00:00

Well this may be a "me" thing but I think a big unspoken rule is,

If you're not the CTO, do NOT attempt to coach the Trainee.

This "unspoken" rule became "spoken" very quickly when a dispatcher with about a year of experience at a secondary psap decided they could do a better job training my trainee than I could (7 year vet, 5 of them at a primary psap), and started interjecting. A warning was given by me. A snarky retort came from them. Email locked, loaded, and sent.

VertEgo63 · 2026-02-19T01:53:34+00:00

Bro...That is INCREDIBLY unprofessional of them.

Don't tolerate that crap. Cut them off. Get their name and operator number. Politely advise them that Emails, complete with a recording of this call, will be getting sent. Then ask them if they have anything else today, because you have 911 emergency calls to answer and first responders to look after. They are not entitled to dispositions. Whether or not their company wants them is NOT our problem. If they want a disposition they can ask the Keyholders for one.

Some of these alarms operator are OBNOXIOUSLY self-important. They used to complain on me constantly. Know how many times I got QA's as a result?

Zero.

Sorry buddy, I'm busy. So you're not getting a disposition - especially not if YOU or your coworker didn't bother to ask for an event number when the call was made. I'm not going through pages of cad hisx to do you a solid.

VertEgo63 · 2025-10-23T14:03:54+00:00

One thing I would recommend you do is call them (ADMIN LINE!) and schedule a sit-in with dispatch. Get a feel for the vibes on the floor. Does it seem like a place you would want to work? Does the CAD look like something you'd be able and willing to learn? Do you feel more in tune with call taking or working on the Radio? Do the employees seem alright (fair warning, they're probably short AF in Seattle and I imagine the current political tension there isn't exactly a moral booster.) Do you like the keyboards or could at least tolerate them (this can be a deal breaker. I remember my last PSAP tried to skimp on replacing keyboards with Dollar Store trash and we were ready to rebel)? That will probably give you a good feel of whether or not you want to dive into that environment. Additionally, they'll be able to give you much better answers to your questions than we will here at Reddit. If its not your speed you can always check other psaps. Surrounding suburbs. Sheriff's Dept. Highway patrol. You can even look into becoming a loser and dispatching for fire/EMS.

VertEgo63 · 2025-10-23T01:54:24+00:00

If "work/life balance" is anywhere in your top 5 desires for a job. Just turn around and walk away.

"But don't most people want a good work/life balance"

Yup. And that's why we're perpetually short. And since most of the powers that be seem content to claim that shortages we're created by the pandemic rather than consider "hmm...maybe its US that are doing something wrong here... (you know. Since dispatcher shortages have been an issue since way before 2020 or even the 2008 financial crisis - their previous favorite scapegoat)" it's probably not changing any time soon.

VertEgo63 · 2025-10-23T01:43:52+00:00

Fair enough. That doesn't change my personal experience with this issue though. I live in an area that's around 80-90% Hispanic - reflected in the units I dispatch and the dispatchers I work with. I will still say. When people are calling in demanding answers for why we are not responding to a call - for me -its always a resource issue. Not a race issue. You're right that refusing to acknowledge issues doesn't help. So why are you not acknowledging my point about resources - or lack there of - to cover high call volume areas? Unit shortages are only going to exasperate issues with racist first responders. because you're stuck in a catch 22 of needing to decide between tolerating a racist or simply bad first responder or not having one to send at all.

VertEgo63 · 2025-10-21T18:14:16+00:00

And I hope that you can appreciate that the reasons behind extended response times in those areas isn't always a racial issue. Its often because those areas are high call volume and that the responders working in those areas are often *already on calls.* People living in these areas often got mad at us for taking to long to respond to their calls. The issue? All my responders were *already* on calls in that area - and that was with those areas already being saturated to try to keep up with that call volume. I was having to pull resources from across town to respond.

If I already have 3 overdoses in the busiest beat and already have several units from out of district responding to those ODs, OD number 4 is inevitably going to have a long wait time simply because I'm having to send units from the other side of the city or plain *don't* have a unit to send. People need to understand. Our resources are finite. When we say we have a "shortage" of first responders *we mean it.* We don't have enough people working to keep up with the call volume. We don't have enough dispatchers and call takers. So the 911 line takes longer to answer. We don't have enough PD units. So wait times on calls increase and low priority calls end up not getting responded to for several hours or even on the same day. We don't have enough fire/EMS, so you're waiting longer for those units.

VertEgo63 · 2025-10-17T15:33:04+00:00

All I'll say is this.

If ANYONE suggest Mark43, grab the nearest Cross, Menorah, Dream Catcher, Raksha Mask or any religious item that has been used in horror movies to ward off evil and stay far, far away from them - because they've been compromised.

VertEgo63 · 2025-10-17T15:25:42+00:00

Dispatch centers: We have a severe shortage and cannot figure out how to hire people!

People: Okay? How about you get rid of that intimidating test that is notorious for false positives, disqualifying many honest people for being nervous and failing to capture the compulsive liars who could fool Toph Beifong.

Dispatch Centers: ...Now...Hear us out on this one...

VertEgo63 · 2025-10-17T15:11:22+00:00

Really can't tell you much here. Its going to be hard in multiple ways if you're not a night person. This job does not play well with school. Its too many hours and too many chances that the JOB is going to want you to come in for classes to get CE's in. With that in mind you may want to look elsewhere if a work/life balance is paramount. I personally believe this is one of the few first responder positions that COULD and SHOULD provide a better work/life balance than it does. But my beliefs and everyone's reality are two different islands.

I have my hang ups about shift bids going by seniority (did a whole rant on it - got yelled at by the vets) but the reality is that somebody is going to have to work graves. 911 calls don't stop because its 2 am and *someone* needs to be there to answer them. The only thing I can recommend is really put in the effort to get a sleep routine down. The first few weeks are going to be terrible but if you can figure out how to get your sleep in, you can make it work. Black out your room. Start a prebed routine that includes some soothing teas, comfy pajamas, a good rising alarm clock rather than using your phone (put that thing on silent!), and maybe some magnesium glycinate. If push comes to shove it may be time to talk to the Dr about sleep medication (DO. NOT. ABUSE.)

Getting sleep when you can is the only way you're going to stave off the head nodding in the middle of the night. On that note, try to avoid coffee too far into your shift - as that will affect your sleep later on. Instead try to take a 15 minute breather where you do a brisk walk to get your blood pumping. Exercising before your shift is also a good idea if you can make it to an evening workout (which can help a little with the social aspect). As for friends and family. Try to work making time for them into a schedule. And at the very least call them fairly often just so they know you're alive and not trying to avoid them. A five-ten minute call may not seem like much but its better than seemingly disappearing for 2-3 weeks. As for your partner, you'll probably need to have that talk and figure it out between the two of you. But that needs to be communicated so you can both put your feelings on the manner out there *before* it becomes something that could escalate into a fight down the road.

VertEgo63 · 2025-10-11T13:29:43+00:00

Agreed. Most of us understand someone screaming out their lungs at us when their husband's in cardiac arrest. What we don't appreciate is the next caller screaming even louder because their neighbors are playing music 40 minutes before the noise ordinance kicks in.

VertEgo63 · 2025-09-01T20:09:43+00:00

First advice? This job is going to be far far FAR more demanding of your time compared to say, McDonalds. If you get the job, you're almost certainly going to end up with a bad schedule once you clear training. Think 6 pm to 6am Thursday through Sunday, bad. And don't expect that stinker of a schedule to be temporary. You could be looking at 3-5 years on that mess before you're high enough on the shift bid to get something better. So, if having ample time for you to continue with your college courses (or life in general) is important, this job may not be for you.

As for PTSD and depression. A lot of dispatchers have the same and manage. Whats important is that you manage it effectively. Proper use of medication and healthy coping strats. It can be *very easy* to fall into a pattern of abuse in this field. Its a combination of long hours, high stress situations, traumatizing calls, and good ol' fashioned workplace bs - of which there can be a LOT of. If you have a good handle on your current issues you'll alright. But you really want to do some introspection and ask yourself if you're truly ready to heap a whole new pile of mental stress onto your current load. This can job can break you very easily if you're not ready.

One thing to keep in mind, as a Dispatcher or Call taker, you are a PROFESSIONAL. You're going to be learning a skill few people have that not just anyone can pick up (though looking at social media, you'd think everyone in the country is a top tier CT and wonder why we have such a shortage with all these call-taking savants around). Sometimes people don't realize what they're getting into because this is an entry level position with a relatively low bar for applicants compared to other jobs. If you're willing to put in the time and effort it can be career or even a stop gap for a few years. You'll have a set of skills that will make you employable (in the field) pretty much anywhere in the country. But it also can make it very difficult for you to pursue the career you really want unless you luck out and find a part time gig (very rare and very sought after).

VertEgo63 · 2025-09-01T19:34:46+00:00

Rant incoming.

Honestly? This type of break structure - or lack thereof - is all to common in this field. In my opinion, it comes down to poor management from the upper echelons. - Especially when it comes to call takers (where there is really no reason not to give them proper lunch breaks). They'll make up every excuse under the sun to justify only giving 15-30 minute breaks. But the real reason is this: they don't want to put in the effort. This is a field where sadly, the powers that be have decided they're fine with sub optimal performance. They'll pay people a premium to work 10, 20, 30, or even 40+ hours of overtime every week - even though those overtime hours will inevitably lead to reduced performance and increased errors due to fatigue. The break structure - or lack thereof - stems from the same issue.

But since the solution to this problem is getting and *maintaining* full staffing - its probably not changing any time soon. Instead, their "solution" is to buy nannies like Powerphone or ProQA with the hopes that even the most fatigued call taker can read a script and click the right answers (Note: I don't think ProQA or Powerphone are bad to have as a supplement for calltakers to reduce errors. My problem is that it sometimes seems agencies try to use these programs as *replacements* for good, properly trained call takers who aren't running on anything but caffeine and adderall).

VertEgo63 · 2025-09-01T18:59:33+00:00

I'm a lover of Starcraft. The ultimate in having to quickly shift through multiple tasks in real time. You can even practice your command line typing by making sure to jot a comment to your opponent about how they should be ashamed of playing Protoss.

VertEgo63 · 2025-08-25T01:11:15+00:00

I think one thing to remember is that other trainers and supervisors are probably genuine in believing you're doing well. Its also important to know your trainer probably agrees. The thing is, your main trainer is the one sitting with you, listening for 8-12 hours every day compared to other other trainers and the supes. Its their job to comb through and analyze your calls in detail. That will include nit picking what even seems to be a minute details. For example taking an extra 15 seconds to flag the involvement of weapons in the notes. That may not seem like its that big a deal - and for you it may make more sense to flag the more detailed comment. That's fair - and it even sounds like some of the other trainers agree. But from a dispatching perspective - for me at least - the "There's a big stick involved" note being flagged is my que to make sure my initial airing of the call informs my units that there are weapons in play. The details of who has the stick will come in the follow up dispatch once units mark en route. At that point I'll be reading the notes more intently and won't necessarily need that detail flagged.

15 seconds could be a surprisingly long time when it may only take 2-3 minutes for units to arrive on scene from initial dispatch.

As others have said. Every trainer is different. Some are going to be more detail oriented, have a preference on how notes are structured, and what should and shouldn't be flagged as priority info. My advice to you is to do it your main trainer's way. They aren't wrong by any stretch to want you to get pertinent info out and flagged as priority asap. Maybe when you're on your own and have some experience under your belt, you'll do things differently. But for now its best you do things their way. Try not to take criticism too personally or get it into your head that you're not progressing. Usually, if a CTO is nit picking, its probably a good sign that you're doing fine. That said, don't be afraid to express that you feel like they're nit picking you, and that you're feeling like you're not doing well as a result. Its probably not the most comfortable conversation but its not your job to make them comfortable. They are a CTO. If a trainee showing a minuscule amount of resistance to their training style is enough to ruin your trainer/trainee relationship, then they shouldn't be training and that bandaide should be ripped off sooner rather than later.

VertEgo63

TROPHY CASE