Set urgency
Emergency means active danger, immediate life safety, fire, serious medical need, or a moving roadway hazard. Completed events without immediate danger are non-emergency.
Free dispatcher skill builder
Free 911 dispatcher training simulator
Practice emergency dispatch decisions, map reading, and unit assignment in one free training tool. Listen to fictional calls, apply the visible response guide, and choose available police, fire, and EMS units. No account required.
A focused phone workspace. Rotate for map and call side by side, or keep using portrait.
Interactive map and radio simulator
Work the call. Read the board. Send the response.
Listen to a fictional call, take notes, classify it, locate it, and choose from the units currently available in Cypress Junction.
Shift length
Call 1 of 5New shift
Fictional shift policyUse these rules to score every call
Choose a service
Choose police, fire, medical, or multi-service based on the main hazards described—not on assumptions.
Apply disposition
Active events and routine field complaints receive units. Cold fraud, safe lost/found property, and cold vandalism use remote reporting in this fictional town.
Assign resources
Use available units only. Fill the required unit types, prefer the incident district, then use the closest neighboring district. Do not over-dispatch.
These rules are invented for this exercise. They are not instructions for a real agency or emergency.
Transparent scoring
Quick response guide
Choose the call type, then scan the exact classification and units. Tap a row only when you need its trigger details.
Active domestic disturbanceEmergency · Police · Field response2 patrol units
Use when: Active conflict; no weapon displayed and no injury needing medical response
Domestic assault with injuryEmergency · Multi-service · Field response2 patrol units · 1 medic unit
Use when: Active or just-occurred domestic assault; injury needs evaluation; no weapon displayed
Domestic incident with weaponEmergency · Police · Field response2 patrol units · 1 police supervisor
Use when: A firearm, knife, or other weapon is displayed or directly threatened; no injury reported
Domestic weapon incident with injuryEmergency · Multi-service · Field response2 patrol units · 1 police supervisor · 1 medic unit
Use when: Weapon displayed or directly threatened and an injury needs evaluation
Send every unit listed. A police or fire supervisor appears in the unit list only when required. Training policy only—real agencies set their own response plans.
Live resource mapCypress Junction · fictional town
AvailableBusyOut
Street indexEvery call road appears here and inside its district
- D1 · North DistrictSummit Avenue · Pine Ridge Road · Northgate Boulevard · Cedar Lane
- D2 · West DistrictHarbor Street · Westbrook Drive · Willow Avenue · Mesa Court
- D3 · Central DistrictMarket Street · Main Street · Civic Plaza · Third Avenue
- D4 · East DistrictOrchard Avenue · Lakeview Drive · Sunrise Boulevard · Parkside Lane
- D5 · South DistrictValley Road · Southline Avenue · Juniper Street · Depot Way
Unit status boardSelect units here or on the map
0 selectedBusy and out-of-service units cannot be selected. This board stays fixed while you decide; availability changes only on the next call.
Incoming practice call
Transcript hidden until gradingCallerFemale voice
DispatcherMale voice
Voice setup · one-voice fallback
Novelty voices are excluded. Natural, Premium, and Enhanced variants are preferred when your browser offers them. Whisper is an optional caller voice for quiet-caller practice, never an automatic choice. Voice names are hints; use Test both voices to check the sound on your device.
Enter your dispatch decisionMake each choice from the call and fictional policy
Current entry
Urgency not set · service not set · district not set · disposition not set
Units: none selected
Play the call first.
Read status before distance
Why an available unit beats a closer busy unit
Separate demonstration: the supplied rule for “Reckless moving vehicle” requires one available patrol unit. The call is at 218 Market Street in Central. In this example board, 3A31 is busy in Central; 1A12 in North and 2A21 in West are available. All other units are out of service.
Recommended unit: 1A12. The actual recommendation function first filters by required unit type and available status. It then compares straight-line distances between district centers and breaks an exact tie by unit ID. North is closer to Central's center than West is. Busy 3A31 cannot be selected just because it is nearby.
Read the category breakdown after a call: urgency, service, district and disposition check your understanding of the supplied rule and location; unit points check roles, status and distance. Review the lowest percentage rather than comparing point totals from categories with different maximums. Try a one-call shift to repeat that decision sequence. This exercise does not calculate street routes, traffic, one-way streets or real response times.
Start with one call
How to practice 911 dispatch decisions
Choose a 1, 5, 10, or 20-call shift. Read the fictional response guide before playing the caller and dispatcher audio. Note the street, cross street, current danger, and injuries. Select the map district, urgency, service, and field or remote disposition, then assign the required resources.
Check availability before distance
A nearby busy unit is not an available response. Busy and out-of-service units are disabled on both the map and status board. Choose available units of the required type, prefer the incident district, and use the closest remaining districts when needed. Equally close alternatives receive equal credit.
Turn feedback into a study habit
Submit your decision, compare each category, and check your units' status at submission. Review the explanation and transcript before continuing. Start with one careful call, then try a longer shift to practice changing resource availability.
Understand your result
How the dispatcher practice score works
Each call awards up to 100 points: urgency 20, service 15, map district 15, disposition 15, and unit assignment 35. Unit points consider required roles, availability, proximity, and extra resources. Busy or out-of-service units never satisfy a required role. Missing or unnecessary resources reduce credit.
This is an untimed training score. The response guide stays visible so you can learn the reasoning; 100% means you matched this exercise's rules, not that you passed a hiring test. Shift results show your average and category performance.
What this trains
One call, several decisions
California POST says dispatcher selection testing measures verbal, reasoning, memory, and perceptual abilities. This independent tool combines similar general abilities in an original, untimed working exercise.
Capture an address, current situation, hazards, and other call details while two voices alternate.
Separate active life-safety events from completed or routine reports using the supplied rules.
Match a spoken street and cross street to one of five fictional response districts.
Check status, fill required roles, prefer the incident district, and avoid over-dispatching.
Original and unofficial
100 fictional scenario paths
Every caller, address, town, event, response policy, unit, and explanation in this simulator was created for practice. It does not reproduce a secure exam, represent a real dispatch center, teach agency protocol, or predict a POST score. In a real emergency, call 911 and follow the responding agency's instructions.
Build the supporting skills
Dispatch decision study guides
Common questions
911 dispatcher simulator FAQ
Is this a dispatcher game or a training tool?
It is a training tool with an interactive dispatch board. If you are looking for a 911 dispatcher game, this offers a different goal: practice careful decisions with a visible rule sheet and explanations, rather than earn points for speed or manage a real agency.
Who can use this dispatch practice?
Dispatcher applicants and people exploring public safety communications can rehearse listening, map reading, call prioritization, and assigning field units. You can use the fictional exercises outside California too; local hiring tests and agency procedures vary.
Does it prepare me for California POST or CritiCall?
It practices general listening and reasoning skills that may be useful during preparation. It is an original exercise, not a replica of either test, an official practice exam, or a predictor of your score. Check your hiring agency's instructions and read what to expect on the California POST dispatcher test.
Can I dispatch a busy unit?
No. Only available units can be selected. The score uses the board shown for that call; busy or out-of-service units cannot earn required-resource credit. Your feedback lists selected units and their statuses at submission.
Why do units become busy between calls?
After you continue, the simulator applies the recommended response and advances its fictional call-based availability clock. It can release resources to keep the next exercise solvable. A busy status describes the new call, not the previous submission. These simplified transitions are not real travel or incident durations.
Is it free, and does it save my practice?
Yes, all simulator shifts are free and require no account. Completed shift history stays in this browser when local storage is available. Notes and selected units are not uploaded. A limited anonymous completion summary contributes to community statistics.
Created by Jake McAnally, a dispatcher applicant, using original fictional exercises and public applicant resources. For focused listening work, try 911 call-taking audio and accuracy practice.