Ala. Admin. Code r. 585-X-5-.04

Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 1, October 31, 2024

Section 585-X-5-.04 - Certified Alabama Public Safety Telecommunicator-1

(1) General Purposes.

(a) This rule identifies the certification requirements necessary or applicable for the Alabama Public Safety Telecommunicator-1 (or ALPST-1) certification.

(b) The purpose of this rule is to specify the minimum training requirements to perform the duties of a public safety telecommunicator. It is not the intent of these rules and standards to restrict any District or jurisdiction from exceeding these requirements.

(c) The objective of this rule is to ensure that the certified PST coursework consists of specific knowledge and skill objectives adopted by the Board based on the National 911 Program's Recommended Minimum Training Guidelines that identify the minimum topics to be included in any telecommunicator training program.

(2) Enrollment.

(a) Prior to enrolling in public safety telecommunicator certification courses, PST Trainees shall meet the enrollment requirements as adopted by the affiliated agency's certification program or the Board.

(b) Individuals hired on or after July 1, 2022, shall have 180 days from the implementation of the ALPST-1 certification program to be enrolled, but shall be allowed to perform the duties of a public safety telecommunicator without certification during completion of ALPST-1 certification.

(c) ALPST-1 Trainees shall complete ALPST-1 certification within 180 days of beginning coursework.

(d) The Board reserves the right to reject any application or reapplication for enrollment.

(3)Minimum Number of Training Hours. An ALPST-1 Trainee for this level of certification shall have completed 40 hours of training on the following Minimum Core Competency Topics:

(a)Roles and Responsibilities.

1. Introduction, Mission, Terminology

2. Public Safety Team

3. Ethics, Professionalism, Values, Personal Conduct, Image

4. Policies, Procedures, Rules, Regulations

5. Duties and Responsibilities

6. Communities and Agencies Served

7. Responder Safety

(b)Legal Concepts.

1. Liability/Confidentiality/Negligence/Duty

2. Law Enforcement Agencies

3. Fire/Rescue Agencies

4. EMS Agencies

5. Public Safety Communications Agencies

6. Documentation, FOIA Requirements, Recording, and Records Retention

7. Privacy Laws

(c)Interpersonal Communications.

1. Communications Techniques

2. Information Processing, Communication Cycle

3. Problem Solving, Critical Thinking

4. Customer Service

5. Diversity/Demographics

6. Non-Native-Language Callers

7. Communications-Impaired Callers (individuals who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities)

(d)Emergency Communications Technology.

1. Telephony Technologies (PBX/MLTSN/VolP)

2. Basic 9-1-1 and Enhanced 9-1-1

3. ANI/ALI

4. Wireless Phase I and Phase II

5. NG9-1-1

6. Text to 9-1-1

7. TDD/TTY/TRS

8. Telematics

9. Computerized Mapping/GIS

10. Logging Recorders

11. CAD Systems

12. Mobile Data Systems, AVL, Paging, Alarms, etc.

13. Call Transfers, Alternate and Default Routing, etc.

14. Mass Notification

15. Security Breaches, Cybersecurity Threats

(e)Call Processing.

1. Call Receiving

2. Interviewing/Interrogation Techniques

3. Controlling the Call

4. Managing High-Risk Calls

5. Managing Specialty Calls

6. Call Categorization/Prioritization

7. Event Categorization

8. Homeland Security/Terrorism/WMD

9. Aircraft/Rail Incidents/Marine

10. Hazardous Materials Incidents

11. Missing/Exploited/Trafficked Persons

12. Fire Service Overview

13. Fire Service Call Processing

14. Fire Service Dispatching

15. EMS Overview

16. EMS Call Processing

17. EMS Call Dispatching

18. Structured Call-Taking Protocols and Standards Overview

19. Law Enforcement Overview

20. Law Enforcement Call Processing

21. Law Enforcement Dispatching

22. Responder-Initiated Calls

23. Special-Needs Callers

(f)Emergency Management.

1. Introduction to JCS

2. NIMS

3. Emergency Management Roles and Responsibilities

4. Disaster Preparedness

5. Mutual-Aid/TERT

(g)Radio Communication.

1. Radio Communication Techniques (Rate of Speech, Common Language, etc.)

2. Radio Technology (System Types, Coverage Area, Common Malfunctions, etc.)

3. Procedures and Protocols

4. Radio Discipline

5. FCC Rules

(h)Stress Management.

1. Definition, Causation, Identification

2. Strategies for Dealing with Stress

3. Management of Critical Incident Stress

(i)Quality Assurance.

1. QA/QC/QI

2. DOR/Skills Checklist/Performance Standards

3. Identify Trends from QA to Address in Continuing Education/In-Service for QI

(4)Continuing Education Units (CEUs). A minimum of 12 CEUs per 12-month period shall be mandatory to maintain PST-1 certification.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 585-X-5-.04

Adopted by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XL, Issue No. 11, August 31, 2022, eff. 10/15/2022.

Amended by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XLI, Issue No. 10, July 31, 2023, eff. 9/14/2023.

Author: Leah Missildine/Alabama 911 Board

Statutory Authority:Code of Ala. 1975, §§ 11-98-4.1.