Implementing a “Citizen’s Academy for
9-1-1”
Implementing a “Citizen’s Academy for
9-1-1”A Strategic Means of Public Education
Why a “Citizen’s Academy for 9-1-1”
• Law Agencies recognize the
benefit
– Informed and educated public
• Time Limitations
– Each law segment typically limited
Intent of a “Citizen’s Academy for 9-1-1”
• Provide public education
• Develop better understanding
– First point of contact
– “Voice of the agency”
• Unanticipated benefit
– Recruiting tool
Target Group
• Adults with an interest
– Local media personnel
– Community organizations
– Referrals from User Agencies
– Applicants
Method of Implementation• Kemp Model of Instructional System
Design– Needs assessment– Goals and objectives– Curriculum analysis– Identification of resources– Formative and summative evaluations
This model served as theformat for the proposal
Goals and Objectives
• Goal– Provide a forum for informing and
educating
• Objectives– Solid understanding of organization– Understanding how a 9-1-1 call is
processed– See how our quality improvement
processes are used
Critical Issues
• Site
• Funding
• Curriculum development
• Identification of instructors
• Scheduling
• Marketing
• Time constraints
Curricula Topics
• Orientation – 1 hour
• Call Taking – 2 hours
• Law Dispatching – 2 hours
• Fire/Medical Dispatching – 2 hours
• Quality Improvement – 1 hour
• Sit Along Observation – 4 hours
Class Schedule
• Three day program + observation
– One evening a week for 3 weeks
– 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. + 4 hour sit along
• One day program + observation
– One Saturday
– 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. + 4 hour sit along
Required Sit Along Observation
• Puts class into perspective
– Establishes relevance
• Scheduled at participants’
convenience
– But within academy time restrictions
• Coordinated with Lead Dispatchers
–Minimize impact on Center
Marketing
• First class by invitation
– Establish credibility, support, recognition
• Identify target areas
– Media, Community organizations, Business
owners, Local colleges, Applicants,
Citizens
• Methods
– Press release, flyers, letters word-of-mouth
Our First Class – September 9, 1998
• One evening a week, 4
weeks
• Invitation only
– 43 invitations mailed
– 5 actually showed up
and completed the
course
To Date
• Averaged 2 classes per year
• Completed 11 classes
• Graduated 159 participants
• Completed 1 Citizen’s
Academy for 9-1-1 in
Spanish
• 17 graduates have become
employees
0
5
10
15
20
25
9/9/98 1/30/99 10/23/99 01/29/00 07/29/00 06/23/01 06/01/02 11/09/02 08/09/03 02/07/04
Citizen's Academy for 9-1-1Course Graduates
?
The Next StepThe Next Step
“Citizen’s Academy for 9-1-1”
On-line Course
Purpose
• Increase availability of course
– Recognize time/family
commitments
– Re-target previous Citizen’s
Academy applicants that could
not attend
– Target job applicants
– Citizen’s with limited mobility
Planning the on-line Process
Content
• Follows the
classroom
curriculum
– Linear format
• Interactive as
possible
Our website: www.sccecc.org
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