Florida 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator (PST) Practice Exam

A non-critical situation that requires a public safety response is defined as which type of incident?

1. Non-emergency incident

2. Non-priority incident

3. Emergency incident

4. Priority incident

The correct answer is: Non-emergency incident

The term “non-emergency incident” is used to classify situations that do not pose an immediate threat to life, property, or the environment. These incidents typically require some form of public safety response but do not need urgent or critical attention. Non-emergency incidents may include situations such as noise complaints, minor traffic accidents without injuries, or reports of lost property. The fact that they can be addressed without the immediacy of emergency resources allows public safety agencies to allocate their resources effectively and respond to true emergencies when necessary. In contrast, the other terms generally indicate higher priority responses. "Non-priority incident" could be seen as similar, but it does not clearly define the urgency as a non-emergency incident does. "Emergency incident" and "priority incident" both suggest situations that demand immediate response and attention, which does not align with the definition of a non-critical situation.