When the Power Goes Out: What Dispatchers Can Expect — and How the Work Changes
For many dispatchers, the first citywide power outage they work does not feel dramatic at the start.
It begins with something small. A call that does not route the way it usually does. A delay in location data. A supervisor confirming that, yes, the lights really are out across multiple neighborhoods. Then the pattern starts to take shape, and the work begins to feel different in a way that is hard to explain until you experience it.
Outages change the environment dispatchers are working in, both inside the center and across the city itself. Understanding what tends to shift can make those moments easier to navigate when they happen.
What Changes First: The Nature of the Calls
During a widespread power outage, dispatchers will notice that the types of calls begin to shift before the volume necessarily spikes.
Traffic collisions increase as signals go dark. Medical calls come in from people who rely on powered equipment. Elevators stop. Fire alarms activate without fires. Businesses and residents call because systems they normally trust no longer feel reliable.
Many of these callers are not reporting clear emergencies—they are reporting uncertainty.
For dispatchers, this means calls often require more clarification and reassurance than usual. The job becomes less about moving quickly from call to call and more about sorting out what actually requires a response versus what feels urgent because the city itself feels unstable.
How the Dispatcher’s Focus Has to Adjust
Power outages remove many of the cues dispatchers rely on without realizing it.
Location information may be slower or incomplete. Callbacks may not work. Systems that normally confirm details automatically may lag or fail entirely. Dispatchers often find themselves listening more closely, asking an extra follow-up question, or confirming information they would normally trust the system to handle.
This is not a sign that something is going wrong. It is a natural adjustment to working without the usual safety net.
Many dispatchers describe this phase as needing to “tighten up” their call handling.
Not rushing or second-guessing every decision—just being more deliberate.
Working Calls When the City Is Also Affected
One of the more challenging parts of a citywide outage is that it changes the context for nearly every response.
An intersection crash means something different when traffic lights are out across multiple blocks. A medical response may be slower when elevators are down or streets are congested. A fire alarm requires different questioning when power instability is known to trigger false activations.
Dispatchers begin to factor this into their thinking automatically. They ask questions that help responders anticipate what they are walking into. They relay context that may not appear in CAD but matters on scene.
This kind of situational awareness develops over time, but simply knowing that everything is connected during an outage helps newer dispatchers make sense of why calls suddenly feel more complex.
Inside the Center: Why the Job Feels Heavier
Even when operations continue smoothly, dispatchers often feel more mental fatigue during outages.
There is less reassurance that systems are capturing everything. More awareness that details may need to be remembered or reconstructed later. More concern about what might be questioned after the fact.
This is normal.
Outages demand more cognitive effort, even when the calls themselves are routine.
Recognizing that extra strain helps dispatchers pace themselves, ask for clarification when needed, and rely on supervisors and peers rather than trying to carry everything alone.
Steadying Yourself During the Shift
Dispatchers who have worked through multiple outages often describe the same grounding strategies, even if they do not label them as such.
They slow their pace just enough to stay accurate.
They confirm critical details out loud.
They rely on structure when systems feel unreliable.
They communicate early when something feels unclear.
Most importantly, they trust their training and experience, even when the tools they usually depend on are unavailable.
Outages reward steadiness more than speed.
What to Remember After the Power Comes Back
When systems are restored, the work is not instantly finished. Calls continue as neighborhoods regain power unevenly. Follow-ups may be needed. Questions may come later.
Dispatchers sometimes replay outage shifts in their heads, wondering if anything was missed. That reflection is part of the job, but it should not turn into self-blame. Outages are not moments of perfection. They are moments of adaptation.
What matters is that the work continued.
Preparing for Outages Is Part of the Job
Citywide outages are not the moments dispatchers train for most often, but they are moments that reveal how adaptable the work truly is.
When power is lost and systems behave unpredictably, the fundamentals matter more. Clear listening. Thoughtful questioning. Steady pacing. Awareness of what is happening beyond a single call. These are not special skills reserved for outages. They are the same skills dispatchers use every day, simply under different conditions.
Outages do not require dispatchers to become someone else or do something entirely new. They require doing familiar work with fewer supports and more intention.
Knowing that ahead of time does not eliminate the challenge. It reduces the uncertainty when it arrives.
And in emergency communications, reducing uncertainty is often the most valuable preparation there is.