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