Arlington dispatch is a centralized dispatch center, which is home to over 110 civilian employees. We answer all 9-1-1, 10-digit emergency and non-emergency calls for police, fire and ambulance service at one central location. 

Our goal is to answer 90% of all emergency calls within ten seconds or less using state of the art equipment. Our center answers approximately 400,000 calls from citizens each year and dispatches over 300,000 of those to police; 45,000 to fire; and 55,000 to emergency medical services. 

Our call takers are trained to handle all calls for service involving police, fire or medical emergencies. During their initial training academy and subsequent on-the-job training, they learn how to handle all police and fire calls. However, additional training is required before they’re able to take medical emergency calls. This specialized training consists of CPR and Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certifications, enabling them to give lifesaving instructions until help arrives. 

We take pride in the diversification of our dispatch center. We currently have several bi-lingual call takers to whom calls may be transferred from other call takers to help with language translation. In cases where there are no bi-lingual call takers available, Arlington 9-1-1 subscribes to the Voiance Language services which can translate over 100 languages. Each call take station is equipped with TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) equipment and our call takers are trained on procedures for taking calls from hearing impaired callers.

If you are interested in a career with Arlington Dispatch Services, you can apply on the City Website. The position is listed Telecommunicator. Contact [email protected] if you have questions about the application process.