Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-06-02-.04 - MINIMUM COURSE OF STUDY REQUIREMENTS

(1) The minimum course of study requirements for each emergency call taker or public safety dispatcher who receives an initial or transferred 911 call from the public in Tennessee shall include course work of:

(a) No less than four (4) hours in the roles and responsibilities of 911 or public safety dispatchers, including but not limited to the following subjects:

1. The mission, ethics, and values of emergency communications providers;

2. Professionalism; telecommunicators as part of a public safety team;

3. Basic policies and procedures for telecommunicators and their organizations;

4. Overview of communities and agencies served;

5. Rules and regulations governing emergency communications;

6. Service area geography;

7. Emergency communications disaster plans;

8. Risk management;

9. CPR;

10. News/media relations;

11. Responder safety.

(b) No less than two (2) hours in legal concepts and principles, including but not limited to liability, applicable to the operation of:

1. Law enforcement agencies;

2. Fire/rescue agencies;

3. Emergency medical services ("EMS") agencies;

4. Public safety communications agencies.

(c) No less than five (5) hours in interpersonal communication skills, including but not limited to the following areas:

1. Communication techniques and information processing, such as listening, hearing, diction, empathy, perception, and intuitiveness;

2. Customer service, including but not limited to discrimination and harassment issues;

3. Diversity issues relating to effective emergency communications, including but not limited to race, nationality, age, speech/hearing impairment, non-English speaking callers, and demographics.

(d) No less than four (4) hours in emergency communications technology, including but not limited to the following areas:

1. Operation of telephones, including but not limited to wireline, portable, wireless (including cellular and personal communication service ("PCS")), and text telephones for the speech/hearing impaired;

2. Basic and Enhanced 911;

3. Automatic Location Identification ("ALI") and Automatic Number Identification ("ANI");

4. Call tracing and records retrieval procedures;

5. Computerized mapping;

6. Logging recorders;

7. Computer aided dispatch ("CAD") systems;

8. Wireless, Phase I and II;

9. Voice Over Internet Protocol.

(e) No less than eleven (11) hours in communication techniques and call processing, including but not limited to the following areas:

1. Public relations;

2. Call receipt;

3. Interviewing;

4. Controlling the call;

5. Managing high risk/difficult calls, including but not limited to domestic violence;

6. Managing differing call categories, including law enforcement, fire/rescue, EMS, HAZMAT, or acts of terrorism;

7. Managing differing call types and events, including in-progress, just-occurred, late, events requiring specific instructions, notifications;

8. The importance of obtaining proper information, including location, nature, injuries, weapons, chemicals, etc.;

9. Telematics;

10. Homeland Security issues, including but not limited to:

(i) Protocols and procedures (for example, call profiling, as in when to notify the FBI);

(ii) NIMS ("National Incident Management System"), if applicable; and

(iii) NORAD ("North American Aerospace Defense") call procedures and protocols (dealing with emergency calls from aircraft).

(f) No less than twelve (12) hours in radio communications and dispatch techniques, including but not limited to the following areas:

1. Procedures and protocols;

2. Radio discipline;

3. Rules of the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") related to radios;

4. Radio coverage;

5. Consoles;

6. Responder safety.

(g) No less than two (2) hours in stress management, including but not limited to the following areas:

1. Causes;

2. Strategies for dealing with stress;

3. Peer support;

4. Critical incident stress debriefing.

(h) No less than five (5) hours in 911 calls involving missing or exploited children.

(2) Course work shall include practical exercises duplicating communication center practices in which the student performs the subject matter being taught.

(3) Course work shall include testing.

Notes

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-06-02-.04

Original rule filed October 11, 2005; effective December 25, 2005. Repeal and new rule filed February 1, 2013; effective May 2, 2013. Amendments filed June 2, 2021; effective 8/31/2021.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 7-86-205 and 7-86-306(a)(1).