This article is part of the Beyond the Headset series
A multi-part deep dive into the internal culture of 911 dispatch—from burnout and invisibility to professionalism, pride, and leadership from within.
Most of us have worked with that Dispatcher—the one who rolls in late, shrugs off the rules, treats trainees poorly, or refuses to adapt to change. And most of us have also felt the tension of saying nothing. Because in many ECCs, holding a peer accountable feels… risky.
What if they get defensive?
What if it’s not your place?
What if leadership won’t back you up?
But here’s the truth: peer-led accountability is one of the most powerful tools we have to maintain professionalism, trust, and culture—especially in the moments where formal leadership isn’t present.
Leadership Isn’t Always Top-Down
Not every culture problem requires a supervisor to fix it. Some of the most lasting, effective changes come from Dispatchers who:
Speak up in the moment
Set quiet examples
Ask questions that make others reflect
Model humility, not ego
Hold the line—not with aggression, but with steadiness
In What Makes a Good CTO? we explored how trainers lead without formal authority. But even if you’re not a CTO, your influence still matters. And how you use it shapes the people around you.
What Peer Accountability Isn’t
Let’s clear something up: peer accountability is not…
Policing others
Calling people out in front of the team
Gossiping behind someone’s back
Acting as judge, jury, and enforcer
Speaking with condescension or superiority
It’s not about proving you’re right. It’s about preserving the standard—for everyone’s benefit.
And it works best when it’s consistent, respectful, and rooted in shared purpose, not personal frustration.
How to Hold Peers Accountable Without Creating Conflict
Want to be a culture-shaper on your shift? Try this approach:
Start with a question.
“Hey, did you mean to do that?” or “Have you heard we’re doing that differently now?”Use facts, not feelings.
“The policy changed last week” works better than “You’re doing it wrong.”Model first, speak second.
If your own behavior is solid, your feedback carries more weight.Make it safe to course-correct.
“I had to adjust to that too—it took a few shifts to get used to.”Follow up in private.
Public embarrassment rarely inspires professionalism.
This kind of accountability reinforces the message that standards aren’t personal—they’re professional.
In From Peer to Supervisor, we cover the delicate shift from peer to leader. Many of the same skills apply here—especially when you want to lead without alienating your team.
What Happens When No One Speaks Up
When peer accountability disappears, here’s what fills the void:
Quiet resentment
Standards that slowly erode
“That’s just how they are” thinking
New hires learning the wrong things
High-performers becoming disengaged
Leaders burning out trying to correct everything themselves
Silence becomes complicity.
Frustration becomes the norm.
And culture slowly collapses under the weight of tolerated behavior.
We touched on this erosion in Culture by Shift: The Rise of Defiant Autonomy, where some Dispatchers retreat from responsibility. Peer accountability is a way to bring the team back to center.
Final Thought
In a profession where so much is invisible—our stress, our wins, our effort—how we hold each other accountable is one of the clearest ways we define our culture.
It’s not about catching people.
It’s about lifting the standard.
It’s about saying: “We care about this. We care about each other. We’re not going to let it slide.”
You don’t need stripes or a title to do that.
You just need courage.
And a belief that this job is worth doing well—even when it’s hard.
Because behind the headset, leadership doesn’t need permission.
It needs presence.
Continue exploring the series: View all parts ➝
