Occupational Experiences of Public Safety Communicators During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented global crisis as the virus affected many, and lives were restricted by public health measures. Public Safety Communicators (PSCs; e.g., 9-1-1 operators, call-takers, dispatchers) faced unique challenges in their work as the pandemic progressed with shifting workloads as well as requirements to continue to work and to work in-person. Moreover, PSCs were the person to call when there was a medical or public safety emergency during the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given extant literature already suggesting PSCs have a high prevalence of mental health disorders, we conducted an online survey of PSCs ( n = 333) in Canada striving to interpret the nuance in PSCs experiences, with a focus on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses to open-ended items were coded into four areas impacted: self-reported increase in stress, specific operational stresses and organizational stresses experienced by PSC during COVID-19, and the COVID-19 precautions implemented in communicator workplaces. Lessons learned from PSC experiences can be harnessed to better support essential crisis responses while maintaining and supporting employee wellness.