Thursday’s Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners meeting should see the signing of an agreement between Pensacola State College and Santa Rosa County’s Emergency Management allowing students in their EMT/EMS program to observe the operation of the dispatch center as part of their curriculum. Scott Markel, Santa Rosa County Emergency Operations Center supervisor, said the emergency operations center has always had an agreement with Pensacola State College to allow students to observe the real world application of what they learn in class when handling all manner of crisis situations as a 911 dispatch operator.
The 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator Program at PSC prepares students for employment as a 911 emergency dispatcher. Class content includes ethics, relationship to field personnel, and emergency medical dispatch procedures, among other items. However, not everything can be learned in class alone.
Listening in on real 911 calls is a chance, Markel said, for students to see what’s behind the scenes and get a better idea what the requirements are, and the emotional aspects of the job. Due to the high level of training dispatch operators have, students are strictly limited to observation, Markel said.
Much like students observing dispatchers taking calls, Markel said he requires new hires to dispatching do field training with working EMTs. Markel said the training breeds a better understanding of what’s happening on the other end of the phone when a dispatcher receives an emergency call.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: PSC students may observe 911 dispatchers