New Facility Brings Enhanced Training To 9-1-1 District

“This facility allows CAPCOG instructors to further immerse trainees in a call taking environment very similar to what they are used to…”

Emergency telecommunicators enrolled in Solacom and teletypewriter (TTY) courses in December were the first to train in the new CAPCOG facility designed specifically for enhancing the education of answering 9-1-1 calls.

“The new training center is designed for the telecommunicator educational environment,” said Gregg Obuch, CAPCOG Emergency Communications Division director. “It is much more flexible for mock training and can allow instructors to easily transition into lectures and demonstrations.”

CAPCOG’s previous training space allowed for 11 students and shared the outer edge of the Austin backup center while the new dedicated space allows for 16 workstations.

Each workstation is equipped with a fully functional 9-1-1 console like they have at their municipal or county public safety answering points (PSAPs) which allows students to experience scenario driven training as if it was a live call.

The room also is more conducive for telecommunicators to view instructors or demos while interacting with workstations.

“This facility allows CAPCOG instructors to further immerse trainees in a call taking environment very similar to what they are used to, so the motions and responses learned during courses are more likely to become second nature,” said Kelsey Dean, CAPCOG PSAP specialist.

The dedicated training room, which is adjacent to the new regional backup center, also will allow for additional emergency call taking space if a situation needs more telecommunicator space. Once fully equipped the regional backup center could house more than 100 emergency telecommunicators from around the region.