Verbal attacks on the rise for North East emergency control room staff
It's part of our look into attacks on emergency workers both physically and verbally
Control room staff in the North East are urging people to be nicer towards them during emergencies.
We're highlighting the abuse that they regularly have to deal with on the other end of the phone.
It's part of our look into attacks on emergency workers both physically and verbally.
Audrey Elliot works in the control room at County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service and she said: "Yes, we do get them several times and sometimes you just have to remain professional and calm at all times, hear what they've got to say, see if you can get an address out of them to dispatch an appliance.
"Sometimes it's a vulnerable person who just needs to vent. Sometimes it's foul language, and sometimes it's verbal abuse towards yourself. Obviously they don't know who you are from Adam, but they just sort of verbally abuse you.
"Sometimes it's someone who is suffering from an illness and they just want to vent and they need somebody to say it to, sometimes it's very sad. Some of them you get angry, but you can't show that anger on the other side of the phone. We've got to remain calm and professional and it's part of the job."
After receiving an abusive call and dealing with it, Audrey added: "We do have ways and means. As a team ourselves, we usually discuss it. We do have reporting systems that we can report it and we can get trauma support if it's required.
"I would say just think before you ring what you're going to say if you don't have a fire or you don't need the emergency service, don't contact them."
Chris Williams, head of emergency response and resilience planning at County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue, said: "The number of verbal attacks are increasing. We're getting more and more calls from frustrated people who perhaps are unable to solve some problems themselves. So they come through the 999 system and our control operators do pick those up.
"It is unfortunately an increasing trend, which all public services are seeing, the police, ambulance partners as well. People are struggling to find an outlet to solve some issues and it's the last line of defence, so to speak, people are coming through the 999 system and their frustrations boil over.
"If you could imagine a frustrated individual who used the breadth of their four-letter vocabulary, you'd be pretty much there.
"I know when you're facing some troubles it's very, very easy just to see the person on the end of the phone is quite mechanical, but just walking into the control room, speaking to individuals, if you just imagine if you walk into your own workplace or your own house or friends and family's houses, people that are sitting there could quite easily be a control operator and that's exactly who you're speaking to.
"Knowing the staff in there and the commitment that they have to helping people, it is disappointing and frustrating when you hear that kind of approach being taken to somebody that they don't know who's picked the phone up to help them."
After staff receive an abusive call, Chris added: "This is covered in their initial training. The staff are told that it's not directed at them as an individual. They are given training in de-escalation and communication skills. And then following that, the service has got quite a comprehensive approach to mental health and wellbeing. There are lots of support mechanisms that can be accessed."