The program will lead to certification as a public safety telecommunicator.

PINELLAS COUNTY – St. Petersburg College, in partnership with Pinellas County Safety and Emergency Services and several local public safety agencies, will offer a Public Safety Telecommunicator Certification Program starting Jan. 22.

This certification will provide training to Pinellas County Emergency Management agencies to fill the employment gap for public safety telecommunicators countywide.

With this partnership SPC will provide the 232 hours of training and will pay for the state-mandated testing after completion.

“Telecommunicators in 911 call centers serve a mission critical role in Life Safety communication,” said Pinellas County Safety and Emergency Services Bureau Director James Fogarty. “As a first point of contact for the public, and the ongoing communication conduit for all police fire and EMS responder’s telecommunicators training and education cannot be underestimated. This new program provides a sound educational background and promotes the rigorous standards expected of any public safety industry.”

The PST curriculum is a hybrid learning environment with 80 hours of interaction with current dispatchers, 52 hours of face-to-face training and 100 hours online. After completing the certification, students could potentially receive 12 college credits.

“This educational program for telecommunicators is long overdue. Years from now the industry will not understand how we could have done without it,” Fogarty said.

For information, contact Paul Andrews at (727) 341-4494 or email andrews.paul@spcollege.edu.

For information about SPC, go to go.spcollege.edu.

St. Petersburg College | SPC | Education | Tampabay News

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