New First Responder Dispatcher Academy Begins in YC

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Emergency and first responder dispatchers play an essential role in public safety, acting as the vital first link between citizens in distress and the medical, fire and law enforcement resources that can assist them. This summer, Yavapai College will train the next generation of dispatchers at its inaugural Public Safety Dispatcher Academy, June 6-17 at the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy (NARTA) on Yavapai College’s Prescott campus.

“A good dispatcher can read, listen and speak in a first responder role,” explained Jim DeLung, Ph.D., director of the Prescott Regional Communications Center. “They need incredible communication skills to collect and relay information in a timely and often urgent manner.” Dispatchers are multitasking, ready to help at any time; assess emergency situations in real time, obtain actionable details, control the emotions of the person on the spot and transmit clear instructions to the competent authorities.

New First Responder Dispatcher Academy begins in YC reports az

Photo courtesy of Yavapai College

DeLung, a Prescott police administrator, will lead the two-week academy training, which combines interactive classroom lectures with guest speakers from police and fire departments with role-playing exercises and scenarios based on emergency dispatch.

“This training academy is not just for newly hired dispatchers,” said Jerald Monahan, former Prescott Police Chief and YC Justice Studies Instructor, “but also for people who want to apply for the academy and become dispatchers.”

The Public Safety Dispatcher Academy has been in development since last fall, created by local law enforcement professionals to address the shortage of trained dispatchers. “We currently have about 29 vacancies across our five agency dispatch centers,” Monahan says. “We need to make sure the community is aware of the opportunity [the academy] created for the current

employees and job seekers too. The College hopes to develop the academy into a six-credit certificate course within the Administration of Justice (AJS) curriculum.

The emergency dispatch program begins on Monday, June 6 and ends on Friday, June 17. Classes will be held in Building 29 on the Prescott Campus of Yavapai College, 1100 E. Sheldon Street. For more information, please contact Jerald Monahan of the Yavapai College Justice Administration Studies Program at (928) 776-2184 or email: [email protected]