Training Department
The 911 Operations Center (911 OC) is committed
to providing training that enables employees to efficiently
and accurately perform their duties. The 911 OC also
encourages employees to attend additional training to
maintain or improve the level of service provided to the
City, citizens and fellow employees. If an employee has
experience with another agency, their training will be
consistent with that of a new recruit. An exception to this
may be to allow accelerated training to those personnel who
have experience with our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)
and/or radio system and those who were previously employed
with this agency.
Training for 911 Call Takers and/or Dispatchers
Call
Taker
All Call Taker Trainees must complete a one (1) week
Orientation period in a classroom setting. The Trainee will
learn some of the basics: Center structure, general
communication duties, geography of the city and computer
operations.
Call Takers Trainees must then complete eight (8) weeks of
training dedicated to learning the basics, such as,
communications equipment, Center structure, forms,
manuals/books, call types and the appropriate line of
questioning of callers, and the duties of the Call Taker
position.
Once the initial eight (8) weeks have been completed, the
Trainee will complete a “Shadow Phase” in which they will
perform all of the duties of a Call Taker with little to no
assistance from their Trainer.
Dispatchers
All Dispatcher Trainees must complete a one (1) week
Orientation period in a classroom setting. The Trainee will
learn some of the basics: Center structure, general
communication duties, geography of the city and computer
operations.
Dispatcher Trainees must then complete three (3) structured
on-the-job phases. During each phase, the trainee will be
supervised by a 911 Center Trainer.
During the nine (9) weeks of Phase One, the Trainee
will learn more of the basics: Communication equipment,
Center forms, manuals/books, call types and the appropriate
line of questioning of a caller. The Trainee will begin
taking actual calls and “working the radio” in the phase.
During the nine (9) weeks of Phase Two, the Trainee
will complete tasks that are progressively more difficult
and advanced. The Trainee will learn dispatching
fundamentals, as well as performing the duties of the Call
Taker.
Phase Three sees the Trainee learning the State “teletype”
system as well as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
system. The Trainee will perform the duties of Dispatcher
and Call Taker during this final phase.
Then the Trainee must complete the Shadow Phase which is two
(2) weeks of training consisting of performing the duties of
Dispatcher and Call Taker learned in the three (3) training
phases with little to no assistance from their Trainer.
All new hires, successfully completing phased
training, will serve in a probationary status until their
one (1) year anniversary.
911
Operations
Center Trainer
The 911 Trainer has many different roles he or she fills:
Teacher, coach, mentor, role model, evaluator, motivator and
counselor.
Through daily evaluations of performance and behavior, the
Trainer provides a base of information on the progress of a
Trainee over a given periods of time. The Daily Observation
Report (DOR) provides evaluations based on standardized
guideline for evaluation, giving both the Trainer and
Trainee a common ground in which to work on performance
improvements.
