State of Kentucky
Public Safety Dispatcher Basic Training Curriculum
Here is the week-by-week curriculum for the four-week, Tennessee Basic Telecommunications Academy:
Week One
- Role of the Telecommunicator
- problem solving
- proper telephone and radio techniques
- handling fire, HAZMAT and critical incidents
- importance of obtaining proper information (location, nature, injuries, weapons, chemicals, etc.)
- 25 hours of classroom, 15 hours of practical exercises and test
- each student works through two rounds of practical exercises involving receiving a call and dispatching units
- exercises include TTY call
Week Two
- basics of CJIS, including inquiry, entry, modification and cancellation
- this week of the class is omitted for agencies who don't handle CJIS duties
Week Three
- CPR
- emergency medical dispatch (EMD)
- family violence
Week Four
- Spanish for the telecommunicator
- family violence & crisis incidents
- 20 hours of classroom and exercises demonstrating their cumulative skills
- exercises duplicate the actual routine of a shift in the comm center
On the Friday of the last week, family members and co-workers attend a reception to honor the Academy students. The class' outstanding students receive awards, as well as the class Team Leader, honor code representative and the student who exhibited the highest degree of integrity, teamwork and determination. A formal graduation ceremony follows the reception.
