Cal Fire Communications Center in Perris Is Busiest 911 Dispatch Center in California

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The Cal Fire Communications Center housed at the Riverside County Fire Department's station in Perris, California is the largest emergency dispatch center operated by Cal Fire in the state of California. Approximately 35 dispatchers handle an average of 300 incoming 911 calls per day, and in the third week of November, this communications center set a record number of 100,000 calls for 2008, making it the busiest in California.

According to Captain Dave Parks of Cal Fire and the Riverside County Fire Department, approximately 85% to 90% of the calls that his staff handles are medical emergency calls. The other 10% are a mixture of medical aid and other types of assistance.

Cal Fire's dispatchers undergo rigorous training prior to operating the phone bank and receive ongoing training throughout their careers. According to Captain Parks, "When we hire new dispatchers, they go through approximately 3 to 6 months of training classes, which cover not only how to receive a 911 call, but how to put it in the computer and how to dispatch it."

One of the key elements that dispatchers are trained on is how to interact with callers who have emergencies. It is important that the call takers remain calm because this will help to keep the callers calm; however, Captain Parks says it is also important to take command of the situation and be firm if necessary. "A lot of times they're really excited and talking a lot. We just have to take control of the call. Sometimes we'll have to have that commanding type of voice and just interrupt whatever they're saying just to get the information we need."

With the volume of calls that they handle and the size of the staff, this communications center has out outgrown its facility, and Captain Parks says that Cal Fire is considering plans to expand it in the near future.