| Barry Furey |
Zeroing in On The Training Target
| Barry Furey is the Executive Director of the Knox County (TN) Emergency Communications District. The current President of the Tennessee Chapter of APCO and a member of APCO's Fire-Rescue Services and Operating Procedures/Training Committees, he has been involved in public safety for 25 years and managed PSAPs in three states. |
This article can be found on
page 58 of the Jan/Feb 1998
issue of 9-1-1 Magazine.
For the past two years, I have been presenting seminars entitled "The Care and Feeding of Telecommunicators." These interactive sessions deal with the myriad of personnel issues that plague managers on a daily basis. One of the recurring complaints I hear is that of turnover. "We can never keep anyone." "It seems we just finish training then someone else leaves." "We are always short handed so we're always working overtime and always training." "If only we could get caught up!" Each of these statements mirrors the frustration of real administrators dealing with real problems. But, are they dealing with the right problems? A closer look suggests not.
While employee turnover is an issue, it might be considered more of a given. True, through proper recruiting and pre-employment testing, the caliber and longevity of your candidates will improve. Some municipalities have had great success in bringing this monster under control. However, a certain amount of turnover is to be expected, and can even be a positive experience. So, while I am far from saying we should give up on trying to reduce turnover, I am strongly suggesting that we focus our attention elsewhere. In other words, it is time to zoom in on the training target.
I know very few agencies that are totally satisfied with their training product. Others are unhappy. Too many have little or none at all. Part of this problem stems from how we train. Most of the time it is labor intensive; one-on-one or one-on-two handholding designed to deliver the basics. Often, when a certified course of instruction is used, it is looked upon more as a relief from liability or compliance with a standard than as an operational benefit. The real lessons are still learned in the trenches.
How can we fix this? There are several ways. First, inject some realism and roleplaying into training. Coming from a fire service background, I am keenly aware that instruction is a combination of theoretical and practical skills. Talk about raising the ladder. See a video about raising the ladder. Go outside and actually raise the ladder. Get the feel for the job. We never passed up an opportunity to obtain a vacant building to burn because it provided the most realistic means of learning in a controlled environment. The same process applies to all areas of public safety. EMTs treat moulaged victims in disaster drills. Police recruits drive cruisers on closed courses and skid pads. It's time we did more of that ourselves.
A second goal should be to add to this realism by using simulation in the most effective way possible. Place trainees in front of the equipment they'll be using, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, and bombard them with calls. It's great that they know what questions to ask on paper. Now make them prove it while they properly enter the call into CAD. The closer you can duplicate the actual process, the better prepared your trainees will be to handle it.
Additionally, don't forget your resources. We spend too much time using 9-1-1 tapes for litigation and not enough for training. Find the good calls. Let them listen. Have them hear the way that it's supposed to work. Focus on the right thing to do. All too often we reinforce the negative simply through our repetition of "don't do this" and "don't do that" instead of simply stressing the desired goal.
Finally, be innovative. Technologies such as computer aided instruction lend themselves well to telecommunications. Any step which helps to insure a better trained employee in a shorter period of time is certainly a giant leap for mankind.
