Training
The training process for each dispatcher lasts about 6 months consisting of both classroom and on the job training. New hires begin the process with 2 weeks of General Academics in a classroom setting where they learn Customer Service, handling different types of callers, Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), Colorado Crime Information Center and National Crime Information Center (NCIC/CCIC), basic call taking skills, multitasking, policy and procedure, and how to use several other programs that are used in communications on a daily basis. After General Academics they attend a 2-week course and become certified in CPR and the Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocol and the Emergency Fire Dispatch Protocol. These protocols are used to give instructions to somebody with a Medical or Fire emergency. Upon completion of the course they return to the classroom where they can apply what they have learned in the training room that simulates the environment in which a dispatcher works. The dispatcher in training is then assigned a trainer and will answer 911 and non-emergent calls for 4 weeks with a trainer monitoring. While they are in on the job training they are given scenarios bi-weekly to see how they are progressing.
After a trainee completes the phone phase of training they are back in the classroom for 1 week and learn the fundamentals of fire dispatching. They are taught how to use the radio, and how to dispatch and prioritize fire and medical emergencies. The trainee is assigned a trainer and works the fire radio for 4 weeks with a trainer monitoring. The trainee is given bi-weekly scenarios and upon successful completion of the final scenario moves on to Police Dispatching.
Police dispatching consists of 2 weeks of classroom academics. The trainee is taught how to dispatch and prioritize calls for service that require a law enforcement response. The trainee is assigned a trainer that monitors their progress for 8 weeks. This is the final phase of a trainees training. Upon completion of the final scenario the trainee is released from training.