Oak Creek Police Share Dispatcher Training Info

OAK CREEK, WI — The Oak Creek Police Department is sharing information about the training 911 dispatchers go through in honor of National Telecommunicators Week.

While there's no degree for dispatching, some community colleges are building programs for it.

Training varies from area to area. However, Oak Creek police say, here's what they do in Oak Creek.

1) For the first (approximately) 20 weeks on the job, new Dispatchers attend a variety of trainings in a classroom setting and are paired with a Communications Training Officer (CTO) to work live at the dispatch console, building their skills while the CTO monitors every detail to ensure everything is handled in a safe and efficient manner. Trainees receive a lengthy (typically 2-3 page) report on their performance at the end of every single shift. During this period, the bulk of training is concentrated upon manning police radio, processing non-emergency calls, learning Department policies and procedures, and becoming familiar with the various software we use.

2) After the trainee completes what we refer to as “police training,” they are giving about a month on their own, without a CTO, to strengthen their newfound skills. Then “fire training” begins. “Fire training” consists of more classroom and on-the-job training to learn things like 911 calltaking, fire and EMS procedures, and how to provide callers with CPR and other emergency medical instructions. “Fire training” takes another couple of months to complete and the trainee is again paired with a CTO during that time.

3) Once a probationary dispatcher finishes their basic police and fire training, which takes 8-9 months total, they become full-fledged dispatchers, but training never really stops. Due to continuous changes in the industries we serve, as well as the critical nature of our profession, we are constantly reviewing and adapting. Oak Creek Dispatchers receive well over 60 hours of additional training away from the desk each year, participating in things like police and fire ride alongs, combined trainings with police and fire, dispatch specific training, wellness trainings, and more. We also have many Dispatchers in specialty units, such as Crisis Negotiations, and those dispatchers receive specialized training to bring back and share with the rest of the team