United magazine Winter 2016

No Excuse for Triple (000) Zero
Call taker Abuse Campaign
THE NO EXCUSE FOR TRIPLE (000) ZERO CALL TAKER ABUSE
CAMPAIGN, WAS LAUNCHED ON 3RD MAY BY COMMISSIONER
DOMINIC MORGAN.
The campaign is a Zero tolerance crackdown on abuse suffered by
Control Centre Staff, who are USU members, while they are trying
to go about their job. The Control Centre Staff routinely face an
unacceptable level of abuse and threatening behaviour from members of
the public when they are taking calls and trying to assist the community.
Some of the offensive behaviour Call Centre Staff are faced with
includes;
Offensive language, threatening behaviour, screaming down the phone,
yelling, arguing, name calling, belittling, rudeness, sexually suggestive,
being uncooperative, and abusive.
The Call Centre Staff are not only trained to take calls, they are also
qualified to assist during a medical emergency by asking questions and
providing medical instructions until a paramedic arrives. The Call Centre
Staff do an extraordinary job often in intense and unrelenting pressure.
They work long hours often at times when we are home with our families or
in bed sleeping.
NSW Ambulance measured the abuse in one shift. The statistics showed
8.32 per cent of Triple (000) Zero calls answered by one call taker in that
shift contained a level of verbal abuse.
NSW Ambulance provide a range of support measures for Call takers if
they have been verbally abused which include;
Formal debriefings, taking them off call taking duties, providing them
with time out and counselling from Senior Managers, Counsellors, peer
support officers or Chaplaincy Support as needed. However when a Call
Centre Operator is taken off a roster, it places additional pressure on other
staff to respond to calls in a time of crisis.
NSW Ambulance will continue to stand by the Call Centre Staff
and pursue abusive callers to the full extent of the law under the
Telecommunications Act. Call Centre
Operators are encouraged to report any
incidents for further review and assessment.
NSW Ambulance is currently rolling out the
Campaign in the media. It aims to shine a light
on the issue and impact it has on Call Centre
Staff wellbeing and resilience long after the call
ends.
To see the NO Excuse for Triple (000)
Zero Call Taker Abuse Campaign, visit the
USU Facebook Page or NSW Ambulance
Facebook page or visit The NSW
Ambulance Website.
HILTON BOMBING:
We will never forget
On Saturday 13 February the USU led the Memorial for
the victims of Hilton Bombing. USU General Secretary
paid tribute to the three workers - Council workers Alec
Carter and William Favell and NSW Police Constable Paul
Burmistriw - who lost their lives 38 years ago just doing
their jobs when a bomb went off outside the Hilton Hotel
in Sydney on 13 February 1978, after being loaded into the
compactor of a garbage truck.
United Winter 2016 • 19