TCOMM 911’s training program is nationally recognized under APCO International’s Agency Training Program Certification, also known as Project 33. This designation identifies our training curriculum as meeting the APCO minimum training standards for Public Safety Telecommunicators (APCO ANSI 3.103.2-2015).
All of TCOMM 911’s Public Safety Telecommunicators go through this extensive in-house training program, designed to give new employees the skills and confidence needed to work in a fast-paced, challenging work environment. They are cross-trained and ready to work at any position within the communications center. Telecommunicators are required to become CPR certified within the first thirty days of hire. They are also required to become certified in Criteria Based Medical Dispatch, National Incident Management System (NIMS) programs and the Telecommunicator 1/Telecommunicator 2 (T1/T2) programs sponsored by the Washington State 911 Program Office.
After successfully completing the in-house academy, employees begin learning call receiving functions, utilizing the techniques learned while working one-on-one with a Communications Training Officer (CTO). After meeting the requirements necessary to call receive on their own, they begin the next phase of training. This teaches them how to dispatch for fire/EMS and, upon meeting those training requirements, they begin the final phase of law enforcement dispatch. Once complete, Public Safety Telecommunicators are considered fully trained and released to work on their own at all positions. Overall, the process from date of hire to becoming fully trained takes between 18-24 months.
To keep skills current, Telecommunicators must attend a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education every year. TCOMM 911 offers both in-house training as well as hosting classes from experts in the fields of public safety, including: Domestic Violence, Stress Management, TTY, Handling Suicidal Calls, and Hostage Negotiations courses.
Training Supervisor
The Training Supervisor administers the training program for the agency, which is a critical component of reducing liability in a high-risk profession. Ongoing training is critical, and all Telecommunications staff are able to respond to any sudden change in workload or a large-scale event. The Training Supervisor ensures all training is up to date and maintains the Agency’s compliance with the Federal Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division.
Communications Training Officer
TCOMM 911’s training program utilizes the in-house talents of Public Safety Telecommunicators to assist with training efforts. The Communications Training Officer (CTO) program consists of certified trainers who provide classroom and hands-on based continuing education to not only TCOMM 911 employees, but to neighboring agencies as well. They are also instrumental in training and mentoring new employees during the active learning phase.