"A Basic Guide to Successful Dispatching"
A Practical Guide to Handling 9-1-1 Emergency Situations

What I hope to accomplish by developing this training manual is to generate thought, to challenge you, and to help you to improve professionally. I would like to demonstrate to you the importance of your position and just how much of a difference you can make to others, especially those that turn to you for help during a crisis.

The training of telecommunicators in the past has been learning through watching, "on-the-job", or just watch and do what the others do. No longer can the new telecommunicator "learn as they go". You must have structured and relevant training that prepares you for the demands and responsibilities of the job. This manual is meant to be used as a self-pace guide or in conjunction with your department’s training program. The primary objective to any training of a telecommunicator is to produce competent, self-sufficient, professional employees that have confidence to handle the variety of calls you will receive.

To illustrate and emphasize what I feel are important concepts, I have stressed them in several ways. There is written text for you to read, a compact disk of actual critical situations to listen to, and written critiques of the calls for you to do. All of the calls have been edited by removing the names and addresses. These tapes show the proper way that these situations should be handled. I believe people learn and retain information better if they learn "how to" instead of "how not to" do things. The manual includes quick reference guides (Part 2) and basic information on a variety of responsibilities and duties you will encounter. There is also a breakdown on handling some of the more critical incidents you will handle (Part 7).

This manual is by no means all you will ever need to know to learn the job. Learning is constant. Even though I have been a telecommunicator for almost thirty years, I am still learning about people and the situations they find themselves in. I hope you experience the same feelings of satisfaction when you help others, the humor of some of the situations, and the challenges of this job that I have enjoyed! Please contact me with any questions or needs on training you might have.