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Public Safety Telecommunicator Reclassification Resources & Preparing ECC Leaders for the Transition to NG911

Published Nov 9, 2021

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View this webinar for an update on the public safety telecommunicator job reclassification effort, and the preparations the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority are making for the transition to Next Generation 911 (NG911).

Public Safety Telecommunicator Reclassification Toolkit

Public safety telecommunicators are a critical link in public safety response. They are the first to respond to a request for assistance, and support stressful situations throughout their entire shift—often without much of a break. Over the years, the role of the telecommunicator has grown as capabilities, technology, and social expectations have evolved. Today’s Emergency Communications Centers (ECC) require that telecommunicators have the knowledge, skill, and ability to process and analyze 911 calls, operate in a dynamic environment, and make mass notifications to responders and citizens as a crisis evolves in real time.

Currently, the public safety telecommunicator position is classified as a clerical job by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Standard Occupational Classification system and many states, but this classification falls short of providing the recognition they deserve for the work they do every day. The National 911 Program has developed a four-part toolkit with actionable steps to help ECCs and the public safety industry to create the objective evidence to support reclassification, including:

  • Developing a public safety telecommunicator job description

  • Establishing and expanding a public safety telecommunicator training program

  • Operational integration of technology and tools in the ECC

  • Developing a legislative strategy for reclassification

This session addresses the history of the reclassification effort, provides an overview of the toolkit, and outlines the steps ECCs and public safety leaders can take to support public safety telecommunicator job reclassification.

GECA Prepares ECC Leaders for NG911 Transition

The Georgia Emergency Communications Authority (GECA) recognized that the transition to NG911 would impact all aspects of 911, including training, standard operating procedures, budgeting, technology and cybersecurity. This discussion explains how GECA is helping fulfill their mission to facilitate the effective and efficient operation of 911 and emergency communications across the state by providing future ECC leaders with the tools they need to lead people, manage systems, and meet local, state, and federal requirements by applying national best practices to their individual situations.

Speakers include:

  • Katherine Elkins, MPH, CPH, NRP, CHES, EMS Specialist, Office of Emergency Medical Services, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  • Michael Nix, Executive Director, Georgia Emergency Communications Authority