Published on 11/29/2017.
College of the Redwoods will be offering a semester-long Public Safety Dispatch course in the spring of 2018. With all of the disasters of the past year, the public is more aware than ever of the important jobs done by our first responders. A first responder is generally considered to be among the first people to arrive at and assist at the scene of an emergency. However, whether it is an accident, natural disaster, or terrorist attack, it is likely that a dispatcher took the initial call that sends the responders to the scene. According to Eureka Police Department Communications Manager, Michelle Reyna-Sanchez, dispatchers are often “the first, first-responders. They are the lifeline between the first responders and communities they serve. Dispatchers must be ready with every call, transmission, scream or whisper, for each carries their own unique challenge.”
The motto of Emergency Dispatching is “always here, always ready” and there is an ongoing need for dispatchers to fill that role, at the dispatch centers at Humboldt County, Eureka, Fortuna and Arcata Police Departments as well as throughout the State of California. Locally, several agencies are using patrol officers and supervisors to fill gaps in their dispatching staff.
There are no requirements and there is no prior knowledge needed to take the course. The class will be taught on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6-10 pm. It will be taught by Danah Palmer, a former Dispatch Supervisor for Eureka Police Department. Following that, she worked for the Oxnard Police Department as their Communications Manager. She is now working for Tyler Technologies as part of their eLearning and Educational Services team. Students should register for the class, AJ170, Public Safety Dispatcher Basic Course, via the College’s WebAdvisor system at www.redwoods.edu.
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