The Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is pleased to announce the graduation of its 110th Basic Telecommunications Class. The two-week course includes emergency call handling techniques, stress management, civil liability, ethics, criminal law, overview of fire-rescue and law enforcement operations, and a number of other topics. Upon completion of the course, students will return to their employing agency to continue their training for a number of months with a field training officer. The 9-1-1 training program began in 1993 when the Oregon Legislative Assembly enacted legislation which requires that individuals who receive emergency calls for assistance from the public meet professional standards for training and certification. There are approximately 950 men and women across the state who work in this profession in city, county, tribal, regional, and state public safety communications centers. Assigned to the South Coast: Dispatcher Gina Holm, Florence Police Department; Dispatcher Christina Karsen Gray, North Bend Police Department; Dispatcher John MacKenzie, Curry County Sheriff’s Office.
