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Exemplary Project: KENTUCKY’S TELECOMMUNICATIONS BASIC ACADEMY
A critical activity, which provides federal, state, and local law enforcement valuable information on a continual basis, is the telecommunications center. Often this slice of the infrastructure is given the least amount of attention in training and respect. This is not the case for telecommunications in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A project, which began as a volunteer telecommunications academy, is now required by statute.
The catalyst to expand Kentucky’s two-week telecommunications training program offered by the Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT), began when Telecommunications Supervisor, Pat Carter, and instructors in the telecommunications section began to analyze training needs that would enable telecommunicators to provide optimum service to their clients, both internal and external. A job task analysis was performed and information from it, along with critiques completed by each student attending a class, was used to help identify additional training needs. It became apparent that the mandated two-week training telecommunicators were receiving, while very good, did not include coverage in some critical areas due to time constraints.
After the determination was made to develop and implement a four-week training program, the telecommunications instructor staff reviewed the curricula and began to develop new classes and make changes in current ones. The end product was the Basic Telecommunications Academy. Under the new program, telecommunicators would receive the desired training classes during a four-week academy program, which previously could take students up to three years to obtain, with just the two-week training and subsequent in-service courses.
The main goal of the Academy is to provide training that will equip telecommunicators to become professionals who are able to meet the needs of their clients in their respective communities. To meet this goal, telecommunications personnel at DOCJT realized an emphasis on teamwork and discipline should be placed on telecommunicators, and attending training in an academy setting would best accomplish this. Currently, Kentucky is one of the few states that provide telecommunications training in an academy environment.
The additional classes a telecommunicator receives during the new academy program are: Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD), Family Violence, Crisis Negotiations, and, beginning in January 2003, Spanish.
The first Academy course, which was voluntary, began in January 1999, and on January 31, 2003, the 17th Academy graduated. The success of the Academy is evident in the number of agencies that have voluntarily sent their telecommunicators to the four-week Telecommunications Basic Academy – so far 68 agencies have participated. Another indication of success is the high grade point average of each academy. To date 381 students have graduated from 16 academies with an overall grade point average of 92.6. The increase in the number of student applications created the need to raise the cap on the number of students admitted per academy from 20 to 32.
However, the best measure of success was the overwhelming number of agency leaders in the state who supported the legislation to mandate the four-week Telecommunications Basic Academy. The Kentucky legislature recognized the importance of training that can only be acquired through graduating from the Telecommunications Basic Academy. On March 12, 2003, Governor Paul Patton signed House Bill 406, which mandates the academy, effective July 1, 2003. With the passage of this legislation, Kentucky telecommunicators will now be choosing a professional career, not just “taking a job.”
One element of the academy, which sets it apart from stand-alone training, is the additional number of practical exercises that the students must successfully perform. These practical exercises are designed to simulate real life situations a telecommunicator may encounter. The students participate in a greater number of practical exercises that accelerates to a higher level of difficulty. These practical exercises are a true measure of the telecommunicator’s ability to perform required tasks and responsibilities.
The Four-Week Telecommunications Basic Academy Program**
Week One: Trainees learn the role of a Telecomunicator, problem solving, proper telephone and radio techniques, handling fire, Hazmat and critical incidents. Each trainee is taught the importance of obtaining information on location, nature of the incident, injuries, weapons, chemicals and other information that responders may need to adequately respond to requests for service. There are 25 hours of classroom training and 15 hours of practical exercises and tests during the first week. Each trainee works through two rounds of practice scenarios. During the practice as well as the test, trainees receive and dispatch units to non-emergency and emergency police and fire incidents. Each trainee receives a TDD call and responds to a traffic stop. Instructors monitor and provide feedback to the trainee after each practice scenario. Almost anyone can memorize classroom materials and pass a written test. However, requiring each trainee to pass a practical exam gives better insight into their ability to actually perform the job in real life situations at their agency.
Week Two: During this week, trainees learn the basics of Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS). Each trainee performs inquiry, entry, modification and cancellation transactions into the CJIS files. This hands on training may be one of the reasons Kentucky always receives such high audit ratings from the FBI.
Week Three: Trainees receive training in CPR, Emergency Medical Dispatch and Family Violence. Again, emphasis is placed on practical hands-on training during the Emergency Medical Dispatch portion of this week.
Week Four: Trainees are trained in “Spanish for the Telecommunicator”, family violence, and crisis incidents, and participate in a practical exercises. It is during this last 20 hours that trainees actually demonstrate that the classroom training, study, teamwork and practice has provided them with the necessary skills to perform their duties in the communications center at their agency. These exercises are specifically designed to depict what a shift might actually be like in their communication center. Trainees will respond to numerous police emergency and non-emergency incidents, hostage and critical incidents, fire and/or Hazmat incidents and give pre-arrival instructions for a medical emergency. Trainees will perform CJIS transactions and will answer numerous calls for information. It is during this time the trainee actually puts into practical application everything that they have learned over the past four weeks.
On Friday of the last week, family members and co-workers attend a reception to honor the trainees. During the reception, awards are presented to the trainee(s) who excelled academically during each week of training. Additional awards are presented to the class leader, honor code representative, and the trainee who exhibited the highest degree of integrity, teamwork, and determination during the academy. Finally, trainees participate in a graduation ceremony and receive certification for satisfactory completion of the Telecommunications Basic Academy.
Choosing to be telecommunicators, or “the first responder” is a profession that any man or woman can be proud to choose. The emphasis, which DOCJT places on teamwork, discipline, integrity, and high academics, has assisted Kentucky telecommunicators in being recognized as well trained professionals who are important players on the Emergency Responder Team. They are being recognized for the important role they play in containing and resolving emergencies in order to save lives and protect property. The telecommunicators who graduate from Kentucky’s Telecommunication Basic Academy, return to their agency more confident and willing to assume more responsibilities, and are fully equipped to be professional members of the public safety team.
**DOCJT also offers a Three-Week Telecommunications Basic Academy for agencies that do not have access to CJIS. This academy is identical to the four-week academy, except Week Two of CJIS training is omitted. However, trainees are given a basic overview of the CJIS system and the information that they can provide for their police officers.
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