911 Lesson 1 Review

A Public Safety Telecommunicator (PST) is a public safety dispatcher or 911 operator whose duties and responsibilities include:

Answering, receiving, transferring, and dispatching functions related to 911 calls Dispatching law enforcement officers, fire rescue services, emergency medical services, and other public safety services to the scene of an emergency Providing real-time information from federal, state, and local crime databases Supervising or serving as the command officer to a person or persons having such duties and responsibilities.

Their primary role is to answer inbound 911 calls, non-emergency calls, and administrative lines. Other duties include, but are not limited to:

Maintaining professionalism Ensuring citizen and responder safety Efficiently gathering pertinent information Processing and classifying calls in a timely manner Establishing jurisdiction Making outbound calls

The Dispatcher's Other duties include, but are not limited to:

Maintaining professionalism Maintaining a heightened awareness of responder safety issues Receiving and transmitting pertinent information via radio Handling emergency radio traffic Speaking with a clear and concise voice Tracking responders and units Tracking responder initiated events Maintaining accuracy and brevity Determining the appropriate type and amount of resources needed.

It is important to make proper notifications to other PSTs and supervisors during significant incidents which may impact field units, citizens, or the communications center. Agency protocols will dictate the specific notifications which must be made. Failure to make notifications can jeopardize public and responder safety. Some of the reasons for notifications include:

Notifying the appropriate chain of command, per agency policy. Requesting additional resources in response to significant incidents. Reporting violent incidents in the workplace. Facilitating situational awareness among others. Passing on information to other shifts, supervisors, co-workers, etc

PSTs are held to a high standard of professionalism due to their role in both public and responder safety and in maintaining the public's trust in a department. PSTs must:

Protect confidentiality by adhering to laws and agency policy with regard to medical and personal information. Display teamwork. Be dependable. Be accountable for their actions, both on and off duty