Behind the Headset: Training the Voice Before Help Arrives
When someone calls 911, help doesn't begin when the first responder arrives at the door. It begins with the person on the other end of the phone.
Public safety telecommunicators are often the first point of contact during someone's worst moments. They must gather critical information, make decisions under pressure, communicate with people in crisis, coordinate resources and, in some situations, provide lifesaving instructions while remaining calm and focused.
In this episode of Bluegrass Beat, host Critley King-Smith and Andrea Hale, Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training Public Safety Dispatch Supervisor, discuss what it takes to be an effective public safety telecommunicator and how the Public Safety Dispatch Academy's new curriculum is preparing dispatchers for the realities of the job.
Andrea explains the many roles a dispatcher must fill: detective, crisis communicator, multitasker, decision-maker, lifeline and more. They take a look at PSDA’s updated curriculum, what's changed and how the new training is designed to develop the skills dispatchers need in today's public safety environment.
The Bluegrass Beat is recorded and produced by the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training’s Public Information Office, a proud member of Team Kentucky.
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Music by Digital Juice and StackTraxx.
Sound Effects
• Phone ring by EdR from Pixabay
• Phone answer by freesound_community from Pixabay
All episodes are edited for clarity and content.
