A high school in Colorado started a class this year to train teenagers to answer emergency calls in hopes of assisting in a shortage of 911 dispatchers.
Calhan High School, a public high school in Calhan, Colorado, started the new course this year in addition to their criminal justice courses.
Students who enroll in the 911 dispatching course get to work hands on with software used by 911 dispatchers.
The new 40-hour course also teaches them step-by-step how to answer calls under high pressure.
Scott Brettell said he worked for the El Paso County Sheriff’s office for around 16 years before teaching the course. Brettell said the pilot course also started during a time when El Paso County is facing a shortage of dispatchers.
The minimum age to become a dispatcher is 18.
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Brettell said starting pay for a 911 dispatcher here in El Paso County is around $60,000 per year.
“i have no doubt a 16-year-old kid could do this job,” Brettell said.
Brettell said the program comes while there is a shortage of dispatchers in almost every state.
“When you dial 911, I want to make sure that someone is there to answer and someone is there to respond. And that’s what this whole thing is focused on,” Brettell said.
An estimated 240 million calls are made to 9-1-1 in the U.S. each year, according to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).
Bretell said the course was created by the International Academy of Emergency Dispatchers. The organization says they have seen reports from around the country where people dialing 911 are left on hold for 46 seconds in Kansas City Missouri, to over 1 and a half minutes in Portland Oregon, and in rare cases like in Oakland, California as long as 20 minutes.
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Bonni Stockman is a coordinator for the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.
“In the end it is two fold, if they don’t pursue the career, they have learned so much if they need to call 9-11,” Stockman said.
At the end of the course, students get a certificate that is good for two years and allows them to walk into any dispatch center nationwide.
Stokcman said dispatching can be a good career for students whether or not they go to college.
Phoenix Fail said she is a sophomore at Calhan High School. Fail said she decided to take the 911 dispatching course this year because she had always enjoyed watching crime and first responder-themed shows growing up.
“i personally want to be a forensic pathologist as my career,” Fail said. “While i am going to college it will help me pay for stuff like that.”
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Katelynn Tatman is a junior at Calhan High School. Tatman said she has enjoyed the class so far and feels like she would be prepared to take on a 911 dispatcher role after graduation.
“Sometimes it’s gonna be you are the last person someone talks to but it’s really just great to help people and be able to potentially save lives,” Tatman said.
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