Dispatch and the Call Cycle Practice Questions

35 multiple-choice questions on Dispatch and the call cycle for paramedic and EMT students, from Chapter 5 (Communications). Read each question, pick your answer, then tap Show answer to check it and read the explanation.

35 practice questions

1. The emergency medical dispatcher's roles include:

   1. A. Take the address and dispatch the nearest unit
   2. B. Set treatment protocols for responding crews
   3. C. Gather info, prioritize, dispatch, and coach callers
   4. D. Write the patient care report for each call
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Gather info, prioritize, dispatch, and coach callers

   Roles include gathering information, prioritizing, dispatching resources, and giving pre-arrival instructions. Care begins with the dispatcher.

2. Priority dispatch systems use structured questions to:

   1. A. Determine the level and urgency of response
   2. B. Delay response until a diagnosis is made
   3. C. Collect insurance and billing information
   4. D. Screen out callers who do not qualify for EMS
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Determine the level and urgency of response

   That allows a tiered response to match resources to need.

3. Standard information a dispatcher collects includes:

   1. A. Insurance information and preferred hospital
   2. B. The caller's name and relationship to the patient
   3. C. A detailed past medical and medication history
   4. D. Location, callback number, problem, and hazards
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Location, callback number, problem, and hazards

   Patient age and condition are also gathered. Location and callback number come first, because calls drop.

4. Times commonly recorded for each call include:

   1. A. Only the dispatch time and scene arrival time
   2. B. Each phase, from call receipt to back in service
   3. C. Only time on scene and at the patient
   4. D. Only transport time to the hospital
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Each phase, from call receipt to back in service

   Times include call received, dispatched, en route, on scene, at patient, leaving scene, at hospital, and back in service. These appear on the report and in system performance data.

5. You leave the scene with a patient but forget to update your status to 'transporting.' What is the most likely consequence?

   1. A. Nothing, since GPS already shows the unit's location
   2. B. The response-time clock keeps running
   3. C. The patient care report will correct the times automatically
   4. D. Dispatch's unit status and call time stamps will be wrong
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Dispatch's unit status and call time stamps will be wrong

   Status updates drive CAD's picture of which units are available and create the time stamps for the call record. A missed update can cause wrong unit recommendations and inaccurate scene and transport times. AVL shows location, not status. The PCR does not fix CAD data. Response time ends at arrival on scene, so a missed transport update corrupts scene and transport times instead.

6. When additional resources are needed, the request should be made:

   1. A. As soon as the need is recognized
   2. B. By phone, to keep the radio clear
   3. C. After the patient is packaged for transport
   4. D. Once the patient is loaded in the ambulance
   Show answer

   Answer: A. As soon as the need is recognized

   Be specific about what is needed and where. Tell dispatch the access point and staging location too.

7. Interoperability refers to:

   1. A. Using a single brand of radio in every agency
   2. B. Standardizing protocols across a region
   3. C. Agencies being able to talk to each other
   4. D. Sharing patient records between hospitals
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Agencies being able to talk to each other

   It means different agencies and systems can communicate. It becomes critical at large-scale incidents with multiple agencies.

8. If dispatch information turns out to be inaccurate on arrival, the paramedic should:

   1. A. Adapt to what is found and update dispatch
   2. B. Treat according to the dispatch information
   3. C. Document only the dispatch version of events
   4. D. Leave the scene and request a new dispatch
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Adapt to what is found and update dispatch

   Updating dispatch protects the next crew and the system's data.

9. A paramedic who cannot reach dispatch by radio should:

   1. A. Continue the call without notifying anyone
   2. B. Keep calling on the same channel
   3. C. Wait until arriving at the hospital to call them
   4. D. Try another channel, a cell phone, or a relay
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Try another channel, a cell phone, or a relay

   Relay through another unit if needed. Always have a backup plan for communications failure. Repeating calls on a channel that is not working wastes time; switch to an alternate path.

10. Recording of radio and telephone traffic in dispatch centers means:

    1. A. Recordings are erased at the end of each day
    2. B. Anything said may be reviewed, even in court
    3. C. Only emergency traffic is ever recorded
    4. D. Conversations on agency channels stay private
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Anything said may be reviewed, even in court

    Speak as though the recording will be played back, because it may be.

11. The emergency medical dispatcher is often described as:

    1. A. The first first responder
    2. B. The scene supervisor
    3. C. A communications aide
    4. D. A clerical call-taker
    Show answer

    Answer: A. The first first responder

    Care begins with their instructions.

12. Dispatcher training typically includes:

    1. A. Radio operation and FCC regulations only
    2. B. Call protocols, CPR coaching, and stress management
    3. C. Typing, data entry, and mapping software only
    4. D. No standardized content in most systems
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Call protocols, CPR coaching, and stress management

    Certification exists.

13. The first question a dispatcher asks is usually:

    1. A. What is your name and phone number?
    2. B. Where is the emergency located?
    3. C. Is the patient awake and breathing?
    4. D. What is the nature of the emergency?
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Where is the emergency located?

    Help cannot be sent without location.

14. Callback number is obtained early because:

    1. A. It verifies that the call is not a prank
    2. B. The call may drop before details are obtained
    3. C. Law enforcement requires it for all 911 calls
    4. D. It replaces the need to confirm the address
    Show answer

    Answer: B. The call may drop before details are obtained

    The dispatcher may need more information. Cell calls drop. Automatic number and location data can be wrong, so the address is still confirmed verbally.

15. The chief complaint obtained by dispatch:

    1. A. Guides priority but may differ from what crews find
    2. B. Serves as the working diagnosis for the crew
    3. C. Has little value once the crew is on scene
    4. D. Is accurate because protocols are scripted
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Guides priority but may differ from what crews find

    Callers are frightened and untrained.

16. Determinant codes in priority dispatch:

    1. A. Are confidential and not shared with crews
    2. B. Classify calls by urgency to guide response
    3. C. Assign units in rotation regardless of need
    4. D. Set the crew's treatment protocol
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Classify calls by urgency to guide response

    They guide response mode and resources. Alpha through Echo in one common system. Determinant codes guide the response, while treatment follows field assessment and protocols.

17. Pre-arrival instructions may include:

    1. A. CPR, bleeding control, and childbirth help
    2. B. CPR coaching only, and only for cardiac arrest
    3. C. Reassurance only, without medical direction
    4. D. Advice on which hospital to go to
    Show answer

    Answer: A. CPR, bleeding control, and childbirth help

    Positioning is also included. They are scripted and proven. Destination choice is a field decision made after assessment, not a pre-arrival instruction.

18. Dispatchers should remain on the line with callers:

    1. A. Briefly, to free the line for other calls
    2. B. Only while giving CPR instructions to the caller
    3. C. Never, once units have been dispatched
    4. D. Until help arrives when the situation warrants
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Until help arrives when the situation warrants

    They monitor changes.

19. Dispatch should relay scene safety information to crews:

    1. A. Never, to avoid biasing crews' scene assessment
    2. B. After arrival, once crews have assessed it
    3. C. Before arrival, so crews can stage if needed
    4. D. Only to law enforcement units responding
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Before arrival, so crews can stage if needed

    Weapons, violence, and hazards.

20. Updates from dispatch during response:

    1. A. Are unnecessary once units are en route
    2. B. Should be held until the unit has arrived on scene
    3. C. Report changed conditions, patients, or hazards
    4. D. Are rare and usually not worth acknowledging
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Report changed conditions, patients, or hazards

    Updates may include additional patients or safety concerns. Acknowledge them. Holding updates until arrival defeats their purpose, which is to let crews prepare en route.

21. Crews should give dispatch a scene size-up when:

    1. A. Only when fire apparatus is also responding
    2. B. Help is needed or the scene differs from dispatch
    3. C. Only for declared mass-casualty incidents
    4. D. Never; dispatch already has the information
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Help is needed or the scene differs from dispatch

    Dispatch adjusts the system.

22. When requesting additional units, the crew should specify:

    1. A. Only the type of unit needed, such as ALS
    2. B. Only the number of additional units that are needed
    3. C. Type and number of units and where to stage
    4. D. Just 'send help' so dispatch can decide
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Type and number of units and where to stage

    Specificity speeds the right response.

23. Dispatch records are valuable because they:

    1. A. Give an independent time line of the call
    2. B. Are informal and not admissible in court
    3. C. Can substitute for the patient care report
    4. D. Are brief and easy to summarize for reports
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Give an independent time line of the call

    They are used in litigation.

24. Your unit is dispatched at 1402, goes en route at 1404, and arrives on scene at 1411. What was the chute time?

    1. A. 7 minutes
    2. B. 2 minutes
    3. C. 9 minutes
    4. D. 11 minutes
    Show answer

    Answer: B. 2 minutes

    Chute (turnout) time runs from dispatch to en route: 1402 to 1404, or 2 minutes. Seven minutes is travel time, from en route to on scene. Nine minutes is the response time from dispatch to arrival. Eleven minutes doesn't match any interval here. Each phase is time-stamped so agencies can see which part of a response is slow.

25. Response time is typically measured from:

    1. A. Departure from the station to arrival
    2. B. Onset of the emergency to arrival on the scene
    3. C. Dispatch to patient contact at the bedside
    4. D. Call receipt or dispatch to arrival on scene
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Call receipt or dispatch to arrival on scene

    Definitions vary by system.

26. Chute time refers to:

    1. A. Dispatch until the unit goes en route
    2. B. Transport time from scene to hospital
    3. C. Time spent on scene before departure
    4. D. Driving time from the station to the scene
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Dispatch until the unit goes en route

    It reflects crew readiness.

27. Scene time refers to:

    1. A. Arrival on scene to departure
    2. B. Dispatch to arrival on scene
    3. C. Departure from scene to hospital arrival
    4. D. Call receipt to return to service
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Arrival on scene to departure

    It is tracked for critical patients.

28. Unit hour utilization measures:

    1. A. Share of staffed hours spent on calls
    2. B. Crew fatigue reported per shift
    3. C. Share of calls meeting response targets
    4. D. Average response time per unit hour
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Share of staffed hours spent on calls

    High utilization predicts fatigue. The share of calls meeting a time target is a response-time measure, not utilization.

29. A dispatcher who gives incorrect directions:

    1. A. Is too rare to plan for in daily operations
    2. B. Makes the dispatcher liable for all outcomes
    3. C. Can delay care, so crews should verify addresses
    4. D. Has no real effect when crews use GPS navigation
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Can delay care, so crews should verify addresses

    Mapping errors occur.

30. Dispatch centers may be:

    1. A. Combined police, fire, and EMS, or separate
    2. B. Only hospital-based, under physician medical control
    3. C. Only EMS-specific, by federal requirement
    4. D. Only privately operated under contract
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Combined police, fire, and EMS, or separate

    Public safety answering points vary.

31. Reverse 911 or emergency alerting is used to:

    1. A. Page volunteer members to respond to calls
    2. B. Notify the public of hazards or evacuations
    3. C. Call off-duty crews in during staffing shortages
    4. D. Dispatch units automatically to 911 callers
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Notify the public of hazards or evacuations

    It supports disaster response.

32. Text-to-911 is important for:

    1. A. Callers who cannot hear, speak, or safely talk
    2. B. Callers in areas with no cell signal
    3. C. Every caller, as the preferred way to reach 911
    4. D. Younger callers who prefer texting to talking
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Callers who cannot hear, speak, or safely talk

    It serves deaf, hard of hearing, and speech-impaired callers and situations where speaking is unsafe. Availability varies. A text still needs a cellular connection, so it does not help where there is no signal.

33. Dispatch and EMS crews should communicate about:

    1. A. Transport decisions only, once care is done
    2. B. Hazards, patient changes, resources, and status
    3. C. Addresses only, to keep radio traffic to a minimum
    4. D. Status times only, for the dispatch record
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Hazards, patient changes, resources, and status

    Two-way communication is the goal.

34. When a crew arrives and finds no patient:

    1. A. Search, verify the address, and seek a callback
    2. B. Cancel immediately and return to service
    3. C. Leave at once, since no patient means there is no call
    4. D. Wait on scene until the caller reappears
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Search, verify the address, and seek a callback

    Search the area, confirm the address, contact dispatch for a callback, and document. Callers sometimes give wrong addresses.

35. You arrive at a dark house where no one answers. Dispatch says the caller's phone now goes to voicemail. What is the best next step?

    1. A. Clear the call as unfounded and return to service right away
    2. B. Force entry into the house right away by yourselves to check
    3. C. Search, have dispatch verify the location, and request police for entry
    4. D. Wait in the ambulance until the caller comes outside to meet you
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Search, have dispatch verify the location, and request police for entry

    A caller who stops answering may be the patient. Search around the house, have dispatch re-check the location data and try to call back, and request law enforcement for forced entry when it is justified. Document everything you did. Clearing the call may abandon a patient. Forcing entry yourselves is unsafe. Waiting passively wastes time.