City of Plano

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How 9-1-1 Works in Plano

Outdoor Warning System

C.A.R.E. Program

C.A.L.E.A. Accreditation

Police/Fire/Medical Emergency dial 9-1-1

Non-Emergency reports, assistance, or questions call (972) 424-5678

Cell phones without service can dial 9-1-1

The Outdoor Warning System audible test is run on the first Wednesday of each month at 12:00 Noon

Make sure to lock your cell phone! If you accidentally dial 9-1-1 just stay on the line

Be aware of your location: get to know your streets and addresses

If safe to do so write down license plates of suspects in crimes

Training Schedule

Training: Program Overview – In-Service

Below is an overview of the comprehensive training the Plano’s Training Coordinators provide to each and every member who comes on to our team.

Wk	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
1	Orientation: Paperwork, tour,key policy	Observation on all channels & shifts to make sure they understand what job they signed on for. They fill out worksheets to learn initial concepts and read through all of the administrative policies.
2	NAED Emergency Telecommunicator (ETC) 40 hr Course required by the state. Introduces general concepts such as: Roles/responsibilities, technology, communication & customer service, calming callers, intro to PD/FD problem natures & EMS, radio use, liability, quality assurance, & stress management. Must pass a test to continue training.
3	Responder Basics: Divisions of PD/FD, basic terminology & acronyms	Geography: Major streets & street name changes, & focus on jurisdictional lines.	Geography: Block ranges, PD/FD beats & stations, malls, hospitals, schools, & more!	Geography Tour: 8 hrs in a van driving past all places taught & jurisdictional lines.	Scavenger Hunt: They drive to key locs taught & find answers, w/only maps as guides.
4	Non-Emergency Calls: Answers to FAQ & what calls we transfer where.	Low Priority PD Calls: Problem natures & questioning. How to write good notes.	Computer. Aided. Dispatch.: Hands on practice of CAD. 1-2 hrs on maps.	Phones System & Maps: Practice on a simulator and all mapping software.	Drilling: Hands on practice w/CAD of all calls taught.
5	New Employee Orientation: City course on policy, insurance, etc.	NCIC: Required 16 Hr course by TCIC for all PSC employees.	NCIC: Required 16 Hr course by TCIC for all PSC employees.	FD Rideout: At a busy station during busier evening hours.	PD Rideout: Evening rideout in a busy beat w/ experienced officer.
6	Drilling: Practice each call at least once. All students create a call, but they take turns talking. Includes Animal Control & manual practice. Speed & accuracy is emphasized.			FEMA NIMS: All required courses online. 1-2 days.	CPR: We also watch several training videos.
7	Final Exam: Must make 80% to continue.	On the Job Training: Trainer matched based on personalities & availability. Trainees get daily feedback. In all floor training, a Training Coordinator & Supervisor will meet weekly with the student & trainer to monitor progress.
8-9	On the Job Training: They see their trainer take the high priority calls right to set the example, and the trainee takes only non-emergency calls. It’s only after applying all their newfound knowledge in live operations they understand advanced concepts/calls later.
10	NAED EMD Course: Emergency Medical Dispatch course that teaches how to utilize our medical protocols to deliver life-saving instructions.			ProQA: Quality Assurance coordinators teach medical software use, tough calls, & common errors.
11	ProQA: Tests on protocol titles. Hands on practice of hard & easy calls, common calls, diagnostic tools .	Advanced CT: Major incidents, severe weather, new technology & software. Missing persons training by NCMEC.	Advanced CT & Telestaff: Active shooter, avoiding errors, and various advanced topics.	Policy & Advanced Drills: Read all sections of policy related to calltaking. Just like our basic drills except on higher priority & FD calls. This is when you hear the Training Coordinator acting like they are crying and screaming as a pretend caller. We play real tapes & keep it as real as possible.
12	Advanced Drills: The drills get tougher and tougher, & we critique everything from the clarity of the notes to the speed of entry to the quality of the questions asked. Because you may never get a real Kidnapping or Explosion call in your career, we make sure to practice it at least once in classroom to help prepare you for those rare but very tough calls.			Suicide Intervention & Hostage Negotiation: Talking people down, calming, & customer service. Tapes, practice, & a test at the end.	Final Exams: 2 comprehensive exams, 1 on all geography. 80% to continue. After, we listen to toughest tapes & discuss in depth.
13	Diversity/Intro to Local Gov’t: Required city courses. Includes harassment & city organization.	Ethics/ Performance Essentials: Required city classes.	EMD Live Feedback: Students will spend about 3 days sitting with Quality Assurance Coordinators with all medical calls forwarded to them. This is a chance to receive coaching from the experts in real situations, and get the personal attention you need to answer all your questions.
14-?	Advanced OJT: They take all calls until achieving releasable levels. We try various techniques to help them succeed, & meet weekly. We try to give them some time on busier shifts & firsthand knowledge from a police Dispatcher. On the job training typically 224 hours and occasionally extends if student is showing significant progress in goal areas.

If the employee continues to grow in their skills and meet all performance standards, after at least 6 months from release of calltaker training they may be selected for radio channel training. Fire and Police dispatch each have a week long classroom course with lots of hands on practice and simulation. NCIC (National Crime Information Center) Operators have a two week course as well as both exams. All radio channel courses include a final exam on policy as well as a practical exam that students must pass to proceed into on the job training. For Fire and NCIC this lasts around 4-6 weeks. Police Dispatchers train for an average 10-12 weeks on all 3 shifts to experience the various activity and differences at all times of day.

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