Callers are frantic and they are depending on you. Can you stay calm, collect the information needed and direct the appropriate responses? Communications operators in 911, Fire, EMD and Police dispatch centres face this pressure every shift. They must work at a fast pace, make decisions and use good judgement – all requirements of this profession. Training provided is also suitable for non-emergency call centres. This program is unique in that it is the only program endorsed by an internationally recognized public safety communications regulatory body, the Association of Public Safety Telecommunications Officials (APCO). Students participate in extensive simulations using up-to-date industry computer-aided dispatch software (Versadex). Focus is also put on student wellness and wellbeing as ‘helpers’.
9-1-1 Emergency and Call Centre Communications will prepare you for a career in the dynamic fields of emergency and non-emergency call centre communications. This program exceeds the minimum standards for public safety communication programs as identified by the public safety telecommunications regulatory body, Association of Public Safety Communications Officials of Canada (APCO Canada).
THE CURRICULUM REFLECTS THE SIX REQUIRED ACADEMIC THEMES:
Call processing and radio communications
Legal and regulatory issues
Computers, keyboarding and technologies (computer aided design and radio systems)
Psychology, human behaviour and conflict
Interpersonal dynamics, stress and wellness
Police, fire and emergency medical communications including applied call taking and dispatching and curriculum that supports and encourages lifelong learning
Being able to communicate effectively, multi-task and provide excellent customer service are skills essential to emergency and non-emergency call centre communications. You will use up-to-date computer aided dispatch software to apply your skills and complete embedded professional designations in Public Safety Telecommunications (Basic, Fire and EMS). Students meeting provincial requirements will be given the opportunity to:
Attain certification in Basic Emergency Management.
Obtain a provincial security guard license.
Graduates are suited for employment in the fast-paced, customer service-oriented fields of emergency and non-emergency call centre communications.
Support services – client services/roadside assistance
Transportation/trucking industry
Field Placement
Your learning experience will be complemented by a minimum of 140 hours of field placement. The intention of experiential learning is to support the application and consolidation of theory and skills.
Project Lord Ridgeback
Project Lord Ridgeback (PLRB) is multi-disciplinary experiential learning exercise that simulates a local disaster. Interacting with actors who play victims, casualties, emotionally distressed persons and the elderly in a staged, choreographed event, students from a wide range of programs learn by acting and responding as they would in real emergencies. Subject matter experts design injects into disaster-related scenarios which simulate authentic workplace demands.
The day following the mock disaster, students participate in follow up exercises to apply learning in mock court testimony, critical incident stress debrief, crime-scene lab work, and form completion specific to their program areas.
Student participants are from a wide range of DC programs including: Practical Nursing, Primary Care Paramedic, Police Foundations, Protection Security & Investigation, Paralegal, 911 Call Centre Communications, Advanced Law Enforcement and Investigations, Journalism Mass Media Program, Social Service Worker, Activation Co-ordination – Gerontology, Court Support Services.
Program Transfer, Degree Completion and Additional Credentials
Qualified graduates can go on to take Durham College's:
Graduates may also be eligible to apply their academic credits toward further study through Durham College’s partnerships with many Canadian and international colleges and universities.