PowerPhone Launches PLER Course Wednesday October 07, 2009
Connecticut dispatcher's attend PLER class launch
Hartford, Connecticut became the first U.S. city to host PowerPhone's latest course offering, The Dispatcher's Role in Protecting Law Enforcement Responders™.The training, conducted October 5, was attended by thirty-five 9-1-1 call takers and dispatchers, representing more than a dozen municipalities across Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Chris Salafia, PowerPhone President and CEO was on-hand for the inaugural class; his opening remarks emphasizing the importance of the dispatcher's role is in officer safety. "The dispatcher is the lifeline," said Salafia, "not only to callers, but to responders as well. Their ability to accurately and effectively gather and relay information is critical to ensuring our nation's first responders go home safely each night."
The one-day class is designed to educate telecommunicators on the risks faced by law enforcement responders, by covering such topics as high risk crimes in progress, extremists groups, barricaded suspects and more.
"With line of duty deaths up 20% in 2009, the focus on officer safety has never been more critical," explained Capt. George Deuchar (Ret.), PowerPhone's Director of Training and lead instructor for the course. "If through this training we can better protect one more officer, then we have done our jobs."
The students in Hartford agreed, as comments on the course evaluations included:
"This class should be mandatory for all dispatchers."
"This class was hands-down, one of PowerPhone's best."
