Lighting board operators would have to set each light level by hand; a good operator handled about 12 dimmers if his fingers were long.

The operators handle more calls than any other 911 system in the country, and the number is growing.

Each operator handles 650 to 700 calls a day, and most of them are problem calls.

They often have no choice about what local operator handles these calls and no way of knowing how much each call costs.

It saves a few seconds per call, and since the average 411 operator handles 950 calls a day, that can add up to big savings.

For other trains the operators handle tickets and marketing themselves.

The operators handle calls for more than 100 office clients.

Most agencies have a service or an operator to handle emergency issues after hours.

A central operator handles marketing, administration and perhaps some central purchasing while the actual care occurs in individual homes.

Using the back-up system, he said, operators handled 550 to 600 calls during that period on Wednesday night and early yesterday morning.