PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATOR 1 MODULES
1-3
Summarize the attributes of a professional public telecommunicator. - Answers-
Dedicated
Determined
Hardworking
Professional
Calm
Responsible
Honest
Define Duty to Serve - Answers- To provide the highest level of service for the public in
their time of need; serving as the critical communications link between the citizen and
public safety personnel.
Explain the telecommunicator's responsibilities regarding confidentiality. - Answers-
Specific information about your work must not be revealed to people outside the public
safety arena.
Describe the relationship between a telecommunicator's code of ethics and that of
PSAP. - Answers- Responsibility for meeting these codes transfers to the individual
employee.
Explain the purpose of a formal organizational structure. - Answers- Personnel and job
responsibilities, typically referred to as the chain of command.
List the common elements of basic telecommunications. - Answers- Information
gathering
Radio and telephone communications
Resource allocation
Records Management
Function under FCC rules
Handling requests and being responsive to calls from the public
Describe what is involved in fire service communications. - Answers- Dispatching,
communicating, and resource managing with Fire Service.
(Response personnel, fire marshals, arson investigations unit, HAZMAT units, explosive
ordinance disposal units, etc.)
Describe what is involved in law enforcement communications. - Answers- Dispatching,
communicating, and resource managing with Law Enforcement. (Police/sheriff/highway
patrol response personnel, detective bureaus, SWAT/hostage rescue teams, crime
scene investigations units, etc.)
, Describe what is involved in emergency medical service communications. - Answers-
Dispatching, communicating, and resource managing with Emergency Medical Service
Communications.
(Emergency Medical Technicians [EMTs], paramedics, air ambulances [fixed wing and
rotor], ground ambulances, medical examiners, etc.)
List and describe the vital services provided by PSAPs. - Answers- Facilitate
communication with the public, between members of the same agency, between public
safety agencies, and support service entities.
List and describe the informational resources available in a PSAP. - Answers-
Response units may ask telecommunicators to contact people about incidents occurring
in the field. These calls may notify people about incidents, or request information.
Examples include calls concerning the recovery of stolen property, or the arrest of a
relative.
Explain the term service area in the context of law enforcement. - Answers- Certain
geographical areas defined by city, county, or state limits.
Explain the term service area in the context of the fire service. - Answers- Simple
political jurisdictional lines of cities or counties.
Explain the term service area in the context of EMS. - Answers- EMS providers have
boundaries that may or may not conform to law enforcement or fire boundaries.
Explain the difference between a policy and a procedure. - Answers- A policy is a
guiding principle used to set direction in an organization. A procedure is a series of
steps to be followed as a consistent and repetitive approach to accomplish an end
result.
Name three actions agencies might take as part of their disaster preparedness. -
Answers- Hurricanes, evacuation plans, and snow emergencies.
What do TERT teams do? - Answers- A public safety telecommunications supervisor,
as described above, who is also knowledgeable in the administrative aspects of a TERT
deployment and is capable of managing human resources, work task distribution, liaison
and documentation needs of the TERT. The TERT Team Leader is assigned by the
TERT State Coordinator.
What do telecommunicators need to know about agency emergency plans? - Answers-
They need to know how they are activated and what they are.
List the combined verbal and nonverbal elements that communicate to the
telecommunicator the situation being reported. - Answers- How you say something can
be as important as what you say. When we talk about how we feel, most of our
messages are conveyed by tone and body language.
1-3
Summarize the attributes of a professional public telecommunicator. - Answers-
Dedicated
Determined
Hardworking
Professional
Calm
Responsible
Honest
Define Duty to Serve - Answers- To provide the highest level of service for the public in
their time of need; serving as the critical communications link between the citizen and
public safety personnel.
Explain the telecommunicator's responsibilities regarding confidentiality. - Answers-
Specific information about your work must not be revealed to people outside the public
safety arena.
Describe the relationship between a telecommunicator's code of ethics and that of
PSAP. - Answers- Responsibility for meeting these codes transfers to the individual
employee.
Explain the purpose of a formal organizational structure. - Answers- Personnel and job
responsibilities, typically referred to as the chain of command.
List the common elements of basic telecommunications. - Answers- Information
gathering
Radio and telephone communications
Resource allocation
Records Management
Function under FCC rules
Handling requests and being responsive to calls from the public
Describe what is involved in fire service communications. - Answers- Dispatching,
communicating, and resource managing with Fire Service.
(Response personnel, fire marshals, arson investigations unit, HAZMAT units, explosive
ordinance disposal units, etc.)
Describe what is involved in law enforcement communications. - Answers- Dispatching,
communicating, and resource managing with Law Enforcement. (Police/sheriff/highway
patrol response personnel, detective bureaus, SWAT/hostage rescue teams, crime
scene investigations units, etc.)
, Describe what is involved in emergency medical service communications. - Answers-
Dispatching, communicating, and resource managing with Emergency Medical Service
Communications.
(Emergency Medical Technicians [EMTs], paramedics, air ambulances [fixed wing and
rotor], ground ambulances, medical examiners, etc.)
List and describe the vital services provided by PSAPs. - Answers- Facilitate
communication with the public, between members of the same agency, between public
safety agencies, and support service entities.
List and describe the informational resources available in a PSAP. - Answers-
Response units may ask telecommunicators to contact people about incidents occurring
in the field. These calls may notify people about incidents, or request information.
Examples include calls concerning the recovery of stolen property, or the arrest of a
relative.
Explain the term service area in the context of law enforcement. - Answers- Certain
geographical areas defined by city, county, or state limits.
Explain the term service area in the context of the fire service. - Answers- Simple
political jurisdictional lines of cities or counties.
Explain the term service area in the context of EMS. - Answers- EMS providers have
boundaries that may or may not conform to law enforcement or fire boundaries.
Explain the difference between a policy and a procedure. - Answers- A policy is a
guiding principle used to set direction in an organization. A procedure is a series of
steps to be followed as a consistent and repetitive approach to accomplish an end
result.
Name three actions agencies might take as part of their disaster preparedness. -
Answers- Hurricanes, evacuation plans, and snow emergencies.
What do TERT teams do? - Answers- A public safety telecommunications supervisor,
as described above, who is also knowledgeable in the administrative aspects of a TERT
deployment and is capable of managing human resources, work task distribution, liaison
and documentation needs of the TERT. The TERT Team Leader is assigned by the
TERT State Coordinator.
What do telecommunicators need to know about agency emergency plans? - Answers-
They need to know how they are activated and what they are.
List the combined verbal and nonverbal elements that communicate to the
telecommunicator the situation being reported. - Answers- How you say something can
be as important as what you say. When we talk about how we feel, most of our
messages are conveyed by tone and body language.
