Standardize 9-1-1 Telecommunicator Training & Build a High-Level Team

Article Highlights

• The problem: Inconsistent telecommunicator performance
• The solution: PowerReady, a training management software by PowerDMS
• The benefits: Standardize onboarding and performance evaluations and identify training gaps

The problem: Undertrained ECC staff

Emergencies are nothing short of chaotic, so 911 public safety telecommunicators rely on a unique set of skills when communicating with citizens and first responders. To ensure this expertise, emergency communications centers must provide consistent training and evaluations. Unfortunately, many Communications Training Officers (CTOs) struggle to find the time and resources required to guarantee every telecommunicator receives the appropriate level of training and support.

Many agencies use slow and disorganized manual processes to manage their emergency telecommunicator training programs. Not only does this approach waste limited time and staffing resources, but it also results in employees learning different approaches to public safety services. That’s because there’s no straightforward way for CTOs to track, analyze, and improve ECC training to ensure consistency and fill skill gaps – meaning 911 call centers also don’t know which telecommunicators need additional support. This inability to evaluate training is exacerbated in agencies that struggle with their performance evaluation process since there is no straightforward way to assess each telecommunicator’s performance.

All of this results in accountability gaps and increased compliance risk since your agency can’t guarantee a uniform approach on the job. Put simply, manual processes lead to under-trained staff and impede your ability to ensure high-quality public safety services to first responders and citizens.

The solution: Training management software

PowerReady, by PowerDMS can help your agency overcome these challenges. This training management software centralizes and standardizes ECC training in a single, cloud-based location that you can access at any time and from any device. You can fully customize PowerReady to suit your agency’s probationary training models, goals, and challenges.

As new employees move through their probationary period, CTOs can use PowerReady to track telecommunicator performance and streamline communication. It’s easy to ensure staff complete each onboarding or training program because you can automate task assignments for individuals, groups, or departments, then set notification reminders so nothing falls through the cracks. With PowerReady, you also don’t need to restrict training to recruits. This software helps you develop advancement training programs for individuals at all levels of your organization, including new supervisors.

Additionally, PowerDMS’s public safety training software enables you to set measures for success according to agency goals, ECC requirements, and SLAs. CTOs can track progress towards these training goals with real-time reports showing field training performance, training results, and other employee data useful in performance evaluations. Some of the specific tools that facilitate this are outlined below.

The benefits of telecommunicator training management

Training management software provides key onboarding and performance evaluation tools that enable CTOs to build a team of high performers, uphold accountability, and mitigate risk. PowerReady not only makes emergency dispatcher training as accessible as possible, but also allows you to check telecommunicators for comprehension. In doing so, not only can you be certain telecommunicators have the skills they need to consistently perform at the highest level possible – you also support improved well-being, motivation, and morale among your staff.

Additionally, rather than wondering what telecommunicator training is needed to fill skill gaps, PowerReady allows ECC Directors to make informed decisions based on data insights that enforce continued ECC workforce advancement. This centralized training management saves your agency time and resources so staff can focus on providing essential emergency services to your community.

Get started

PowerDMS’s training management software helps agencies centralize and standardize 911 telecommunicator training and uphold your performance goals. Schedule a demo today to learn how PowerReady can improve your ECC training.