Dannette Martinez - Training Coordinator
The
Lea County Communication Authority Training Department is responsible for two
main areas of training. The first is initial training for new hires. The second
is continuing education and specialized training for all Lea County
Communication Authority staff.
The
Training Department works closely with the Quality Assurance Department to
offer remedial training and refresher training programs when
necessary.
The
Training Coordinator oversees a group of certified Communications Training
Officers (CTOs) who train and mentor new-hires during the hands-on portion of
their training.
New
employees enter into a rigorous 24-week training program that includes classroom
instruction, simulation, and hands-on live training.
New-hire
instruction runs Monday thru Friday, 8-hours per day for the first 2 weeks of
training.During those first 2 weeks,
trainees will attend in house and county new employee orientation.Trainees will learn basic call taking
techniques and be introduced into Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD).
During
the remaining 22 weeks, trainees become certified in CPR, Basic First Aid,
Emergency Medical Dispatch, and NCIC operations. Additionally, they learn emergency
communications skills and how to operate the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)
system, the 9-1-1 telephone system, and P25 Radio system.
The
Training Program consists of 4 phases.Phase 1 is Call Taking, Phase 2 is Records, Phase 3 is Fire 1 and 2, and
last Phase 4 Police Radio.Testing is
conducted
throughout the training program as well as a final written and practical exam
for final release from each phase of training.
Communication
Training Officers write Daily Observation Reports (DOR’s) on their trainee
daily.This is to give the trainee and
everyone involved in the training process an idea of where the trainee stands
in the program.
Finally,
all Lea County Communication Authority Dispatchers must attend a 3 week
training program at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy to become State
Certified as a Public Safety Telecommunicator. This training and certification
must be completed within the first year of hire.