The 911 operator kept asking him whether his dad needed an ambulance or the police. The toddler repeatedly responded, “Okay.” Meanwhile, you could hear his father hollering for help in the background.
Listening to that call, I kept thinking about how frightening and confusing this must have been for AJ. He knew his daddy was hurt, and he did what he could to get help. But he was being asked questions using words and concepts he might not have understood.
An emergency dispatcher cannot expect a toddler to communicate like an adult.
Words like “ambulance” and “police” may be familiar to older children, but they can be difficult concepts for a very young child to understand, especially when that child is terrified. Asking a toddler to choose between emergency services may not get the dispatcher any closer to understanding what is happening.
Instead, dispatchers need training in age appropriate communication. They need to know how to use simple words, ask short questions, and give a young child enough time to respond. Sometimes, that might mean asking something as simple as, “Does Daddy have a bad owwie?” or “Is Daddy being really mean?”
Of course, dispatchers still need to gather critical information and follow emergency protocols. But how they communicate with a child can make a significant difference in how much information they are able to obtain.
A toddler in an emergency isn't being difficult when he cannot answer a question. He may not understand the question in the first place. He is scared, overwhelmed, and trying to make sense of something frightening that is happening to someone he loves.
AJ did what he knew how to do. He called 911 and asked for help for his daddy.
We need to make sure our emergency dispatchers are trained to recognize when they're speaking to a very young child and know how to adapt their communication accordingly. Because sometimes, getting the information needed to save a life starts with knowing how to talk to a frightened little one.
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