NATIONAL CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

Transcription

1 NATIONAL CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS "CNET" Certified National Emergency Telecommunicator Handbook for Level I Telecommunicator

2 CERTIFICATION The NECC is a private testing organization that works with PTC and endorses the concept of a voluntary certification by examination for entry level for Emergency Communications Telecommunicators who meet eligibility requirements. Certification is one part of a process called credentialing. It focuses specifically on the individual and is an indication of current competence in understanding basic information on police, fire and EMS public safety communications practices and methods. The Registered NECC Certification Mark of CNET (Certified National Emergency Telecommunicator) is highly valued and provides formal recognition of knowledge in the field of emergency communications. PURPOSES OF CERTIFICATION To promote emergency communications national standards of competence in understanding theory, practice and methods for receiving and dispatching emergency calls for police, fire and EMS by: 1. Recognizing formally those individuals who meet the eligibility requirements of the NECC Board and pass the Certification Exam for emergency communications level I. 2. Encouraging continued personal and professional growth in the understanding of safety practices and knowledge in emergency call taking and dispatching. 3. Establishing and measuring the level of knowledge required for knowing the best practices of the Level I Telecommunicator. 4. Providing a standard of knowledge requisite for certification; thereby assisting the public safety agency and members of the community and public safety responders in emergency communications. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 1. Direct current or past employment in a public safety emergency communications agency for a minimum of six months -or- 2. Entry in college level training for public safety communications -or- 3. Completion of the NECC College Pre-Cert Course.

3 ADMINISTRATION The test is held at, scored by and processed by the Professional Testing Corporation (PTC) 1350 Broadway - 17th Floor, New York, New York 10018, , wwww.ptcny.com. Questions concerning these areas should be referred to PTC. ATTAINMENT OF CERTIFICATION AND RECERTIFICATION Eligible candidates who pass the NECC certification examination are eligible to use the registered designation "CNET" after their name. Successful candidates will receive certificates of certification. A web registry of successful candidates who wish to be on the registry will be listed at by the NECC. REVOCATION OF CERTIFICATION Certification will be revoked for any of the following reasons: 1. Falsification of an Application. 2. Misrepresentation of certification status. APPLICATION PROCEDURES Obtain an application either through the website at or to Info@911Certification.org. or mail to PO Box 370, Sumner, WA Application submission must be accompanied by Agency PO, VISA MC, check see Fees below. COMPLETION OF APPLICATION Complete or fill as appropriate ALL information requested on the application. Mark one response only unless otherwise indicated. VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY: The candidate s signature will represent a true statement. SIGNATURE: The web signature is considered a legal signing.

4 REGIONAL TESTING CENTER INFORMATION Upon receiving acceptance from your registration, you will be mailed a form that issues a web test password and information on how to find your closest test site. In the event no test site is available in your area, NECC will recruit local agencies willing to be a temporary or permanent test site for your test. HOW TO REQUEST A TEST DATE You are responsible for contacting your NECC Certified Test Site proctor and scheduling a test. The test will be at the test site's convenience. It must be remembered that many of the NECC test sites are 911 Centers or colleges and may be restricted by many things. You must be flexible and dependable with your test schedule. Many Test Sites will not allow for multiple cancellations. Some sites may cancel tests if emergencies require them to do so. In the event scheduling becomes a problem, alternative scheduling can be proctored by contacting NECC from An NECC representative will contact you. Special needs individuals may need special testing arrangements. If special accommodations are requested, the candidate must submit a letter describing the nature of the disability and the special accommodations needed. Requests for special testing needs individuals must be received at least eight weeks prior to scheduling an exam. NECC Test Sites are not required to make accommodations but NECC will endeavor to find a test site that is compatible to your needs. FEES 1. Application fee NECC Level I Telecommunicator Examination (CNET)...$ Emergency Communications On Line Course NECC College Pre-Cert Course...$350 Required course material: Manual and 30 Actual 911 calls on CD On Line Course is offered through: Clover Park Technical College at Course materials

5 Agency PO, VISA MC, Check are accepted by web, fax, phone or mail order. REFUNDS All exams are prepared once the exam is ordered therefore if a candidate decides not to participate in the exam once ordered, there cannot be a refund - the individual is in the system and the report has been generated. Once the exam or study course are ordered there are no refunds. ADMISSION TO TESTING PTC will notify candidates of successful eligibility approximately one week after application acceptance by MAIL. The form will include a password that must be protected and presented at the test site. Duplicate passwords may result in a fee from PTC. After scheduling a test date at the site, candidates will be required to show picture ID and password to the proctor at the time of the test. RULES FOR THE EXAMINATION 1) Candidates must bring ID and the password and be prepared to spend a maximum 2 hours at the site. 2) No books or other material will be admitted into the test room. 3) No cell phones or pagers will be allowed during the exam. 4) Candidates who are late may be refused by the test site, be prepared to arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time. 5) No questions about the test may be asked during the test period. 6) In the event the internet connection is lost, the browser should be open and simply reconnecting should bring the test back at it's location. 7) In the event the test is lost and is required for re-entry, it is required to complete the test again at this setting 8) In the event the internet connection cannot be restored, NECC will be notified and another test will be scheduled within one week. REPORT OF RESULTS Candidates will be notified of their score directly by internet upon completion of the test. The results will be printed at that time indicating a pass or no pass status. Passing candidates will be notified of their score and asked if they wish to be posted on the registry. CNET Certification will be mailed to the successful candidate within two weeks. This will be the only notification of scoring and should be regarded as the official scoring.

6 REEXAMINATION Non passing candidates will be notified directly they have not received certification and will be supplied with scores in the areas of the test that were lacking. Non-passing candidates may apply for a Re-Take at the website with a 10% discount on the second test and cannot be rescheduled for 90 days from the test date. There is no limit to the number of times a person can take the exam with the required time period. A review may be requested with an NECC Board Mentor to discuss areas of need. CONFIDENTIALITY PTC and NECC will only release test scores to the candidate. Any questions concerning test scores must be referred to PTC. If an agency wishes to receive scores, they must obtain a waiver from the candidate to do so or the candidate may select to share the print out of the scores. GROUP TESTING In the event an entire agency or group wishes to test there are many advantages to the agency. The agency may collect data from different source fields entered by the candidates such as shift, length of service, training periods, date of hire that may assist in planning or review of training or groups. In the event a group wishes to test, they can request a GROUP CODE that will dump the test results into a database for demographic reporting. Contact NECC at info@911certification.org with questions or requests and a representative will contact you. CONTENT OF EXAMINATION This exam is a web-based exam, multiple choice with questions with an estimated testing time of 2 hours maximum. The content for the exam is described in Content Outline below. The questions for the exam are obtained from Board Members with expertise in the 9-1-1, Emergency Communications and Education field. All have direct expertise in call taking and dispatching as well as curriculum design for entry level Telecommunicator. The NECC Board with the advice and assistance of PTC prepared the examination. The exam is weighted approximately in the manner assigned next to the item number on the Content Outline. EXAMINATION SELF STUDY COURSE Candidates wishing to study for the examination may acquire the NECC College Pre-Cert On-Line Self-Study Course offered through Clover Park Technical College at

7 The course provides information and resources valuable to the candidate for expanding information needed in areas of emergency communications not previously familiar to the candidate. For example, if you have experience only in police communications, the course will provide you with basic information and resources for expanding your knowledge about EMS and Fire Communications. Candidates without direct experience in the field could have success in passing the exam if the suggestions for learning in the self-study course were followed. Those with NO direct experience or college training in emergency communications are required to complete the course to be eligible for the exam.

8 CONTENT OUTLINE I. Emergency Call Taking 40% A. Call Handling 1. Procedures 2. Sequencing 3. Handling High Risk Callers 4. Safety for Citizen and Responders Hang Ups/Abuse 6. Multiple Casualty Incidents 7. Prioritizing B. Call Taker Role & Responsibility 1. Police Call Taking 2. Fire Call Taking 3. EMD Call Taking C. Technology 1. E Wireless Issues 3. TDD/TTY 4. CAD 5. MDT 6. PBX D. Liability in Call Handling 1. Legal Terms 2. Immunity Laws 3. SOP 4. Confidentiality / Privacy Tapes II. Emergency Radio Dispatching 20% A. Emergency Radio Procedures 1. Police Procedures 2. Fire Procedures 3. EMS Procedures 4. Responder Safety B. Dispatcher Radio Role and Responsibility C. Radio Terminology / Technology D. FCC Requirements E. High Risk Radio 1. Police Patrol 2. Fire Responses 3. EMS

9 III. High Risk Calls 20% A. Police High Risk Calls 1. Weapons 2. Domestic Violence 3. Suicidal Callers 4. Crisis Calls 5. Drugs and Alcohol B. Fire High Risk Calls 1. Caller Safety 2. Multiple Casualty 3. Chemical Calls C. EMS High Risk Calls 1. Pre Hospital Emergencies 2. Pre-Arrival 3. ALI / BLS D. Combined Response IV. Understanding Public Safety 20% A. Law Enforcement Systems 1. Police Terminology 2. Police Information Systems 3. Call Types B. Fire Service 1. Incident Command 2. Hazardous Materials 3. Fire Terminology 4. Call Types C. Emergency Medical Services 1. EMD Systems and Theory 2. EMS Terminology 3. Call Types D. Emergency Communications 1. Workplace Safety 2. Standard Operating Procedures 3. Workplace Laws 4. Stress Management

10 SAMPLE EXAMINATION QUESTIONS 1) The Language Line is often contacted by emergency communications for the purpose of: a) Calling into a location to determine if a foreign speaking suspect is present. b) Relating death notifications by phone to family members who cannot speak English. c) Translating a call from a non-english speaking person. d) All of the above. 2) It's 3 am and a male caller reports that his home security alarm is sounding and he has found the rear door to his home standing open. The correct first response would be: a) Determine the send information and dispatch. b) Ascertain if the caller was expecting anyone at the residence. c) Tell the caller to hide and disconnect this call. d) Ask the caller to check around the inside of the house. 3) A call is received reporting a natural gas alarm activation. Upon reaching the alarm location the resident states he does not feel ill, smell anything and is uncertain what to do about the alarm. What is the most appropriate action to take? a) Call the gas company to determine if there are problems in the area. b) Ask the caller to further check the location to see if they can smell gas. c) Assure the caller they are fine and this is probably a false alarm. d) Advise the caller you are generating a response. Answers to sample questions: 1. c. 2. a. 3. d. Professional Testing Corporation 1350 Broadway, 17th Floor New York, NY