9-1-1 Emergency Communications Academy

1. 1. MU-ECC-101 9-1-1 Call Taker Academyabout 4 weeks · 18.5 h cumulative
2. 2. 911DP-01 Emergency Communications Dispatcherabout 3 weeks · 32.0 h cumulative
3. 3. MU-PSD-201 Public Safety Dispatcherabout 4 weeks · 51.0 h cumulative
4. 4. MU-ECC-201 Telecommunicator Wellness and Resilienceabout 3 weeks · 65.5 h cumulative
5. 5. Your specialist elective (choose 1)
6. 6. Capstone: ECC Simulator capstone: complete and pass an instructor-reviewed simulator scenario

Estimated pace at about 6 study hours per week. Instructor-led cohorts set their own dates.

Upcoming cohorts

No cohorts are scheduled yet. Contact training@matcomops.org to ask about the next start date.

• Step 1 · MU-ECC-1019-1-1 Call Taker Academy

  18.5 h · 5 modules

  9-1-1 Call Taker Academy introduces new telecommunicators to the knowledge and habits needed to answer emergency and non-emergency calls accurately, calmly, and consistently. Across five modules, learners study how the 9-1-1 system routes calls and texts, how location and callback information are obtained and verified, and how a structured interview produces the facts responders need. Students practice managing frightened, angry, or uncooperative callers, communicating with callers who have limited English proficiency or who are deaf or hard of hearing, and writing clear, objective CAD narratives that a dispatcher can act on immediately. The course also addresses confidentiality, recording and records requirements, professional ethics, and stress resilience. It culminates in an instructor-observed live-call intake role-play. This course teaches general call-intake skills. Agency policy, local protocols, and any medical direction govern specific scripts and call-handling decisions, and emergency medical call-processing certification is outside its scope.

  Matcom University provides education, training, professional development, and examination preparation. Completion does not by itself constitute APCO, NENA, state, or governmental certification or licensure.

• Step 2 · 911DP-01Emergency Communications Dispatcher

  13.5 h · 3 modules

  Emergency Communications Dispatcher (911DP-01) prepares public safety telecommunicators to move from call intake to the dispatch position. Learners study the dispatcher's role and legal duties, convert caller information into complete CAD incidents, select and assign units, run clear radio traffic, and protect responders through disciplined status keeping and emergency-signal handling. The course follows the Matcom Learn, Practice, Prove model: instruction and demonstration, applied scenario and CAD exercises, and a written examination plus instructor-observed scenario evaluation. The passing standard is 80% on the final examination and 100% on critical safety items. The course counts toward the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Academy diploma and requires annual recertification through continuing education.

  Matcom University provides education, training, professional development, and examination preparation. Completion does not by itself constitute APCO, NENA, state, or governmental certification or licensure.

• Step 3 · MU-PSD-201Public Safety Dispatcher

  19 h · 5 modules · after MU-ECC-101

  Public Safety Dispatcher introduces the knowledge and skills needed to work as a telecommunicator who receives requests for help, dispatches law enforcement, fire, and other field resources by radio, and supports responders throughout an incident. Learners study the structure of the emergency communications system, call-taking interviews, computer-aided dispatch (CAD) records, radio discipline, plain language, unit status tracking, and basic coordination under the National Incident Management System. Emphasis is placed on accurate information, clear speech, priority setting, and documentation that will stand up to review. Scenario-based activities build decision-making under time pressure, and an instructor-observed radio dispatch practical confirms that learners can apply procedures in realistic conditions. This course is non-medical; it does not teach emergency medical dispatch protocols, which require separate training and medical direction. Local policy, radio procedures, and CAD configuration vary and always govern actual operations.

  Matcom University provides education, training, professional development, and examination preparation. Completion does not by itself constitute APCO, NENA, state, or governmental certification or licensure.

• Step 4 · MU-ECC-201Telecommunicator Wellness and Resilience

  14.5 h · 4 modules

  Telecommunicator Wellness and Resilience examines the psychological and physical demands of working in emergency communications and gives telecommunicators practical tools to sustain a long, healthy career. Learners explore how acute, chronic, and cumulative stress build from repeated exposure to callers in crisis. They learn to recognize burnout, compassion fatigue, and post-traumatic stress in themselves and colleagues. They also study how peer support and critical incident stress management programs work, including their limits and the current state of the evidence. The course addresses sleep, fatigue, and shift-work health, compares healthy and harmful coping strategies, and considers how the job affects partners, children, and friends. Learners finish by mapping how to reach employee assistance, professional counseling, and crisis resources such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This course is educational and does not provide diagnosis or treatment. Agency policy and licensed professionals govern clinical care.

Electives (choose at least 1)

• MU-PD-401Police Dispatch Specialist

  14.5 h · 4 modules

  Police Dispatch Specialist prepares emergency communications personnel to receive, prioritize, and dispatch law enforcement calls for service with accuracy and speed. Learners move from call intake fundamentals through location verification, structured questioning, priority classification, and unit assignment. The course then focuses on radio discipline, officer safety monitoring, records queries, and the handling of high-risk call types such as weapons, domestic disputes, and persons in crisis. Learners also apply NIMS and Incident Command System concepts to multi-agency incidents, practice writing clear computer-aided dispatch narratives, and examine stress management and professional ethics. Throughout, the course stresses that local agency policy, state law, and approved protocols govern actual practice. Matcom materials teach transferable principles and decision-making, not any single agency's procedures. Assessment relies on scenario-driven written assignments and knowledge checks that mirror real communications center work.

  Matcom University provides education, training, professional development, and examination preparation. Completion does not by itself constitute APCO, NENA, state, or governmental certification or licensure.

• MU-FD-401Fire Dispatch Specialist

  14.5 h · 4 modules

  Fire Dispatch Specialist introduces emergency communications professionals to the knowledge and decision-making needed to process fire-related calls and support fire service responders from first ring to incident close. Learners study fire department organization, apparatus and terminology, and structured call-taking for structure, vehicle, wildland, alarm activation, and hazardous materials incidents. They then learn to assign resources using run cards, response plans, and computer-aided dispatch (CAD). The course also covers radio discipline, plain language, unit tracking, Incident Command System (ICS) and NIMS concepts, emergency traffic, personnel accountability support, and documentation. Learners analyze scenarios, compare local practice with national standards, and reflect on time-critical performance. The course is knowledge-based and does not teach medical instruction. Emergency medical call processing and pre-arrival guidance are governed by separate training and local medical direction. Local agency policy, protocols, and radio procedures always take precedence over general course examples.

  Matcom University provides education, training, professional development, and examination preparation. Completion does not by itself constitute APCO, NENA, state, or governmental certification or licensure.

• MU-ED-401EMS Dispatch Specialist

  14.5 h · 4 modules

  EMS Dispatch Specialist introduces emergency communications professionals to the knowledge that underpins medical call handling in a 9-1-1 center. Learners examine the EMS system, the dispatcher's scope and relationship to medical direction, and the structured information gathering that produces accurate location, callback, chief complaint, and patient-status data. The course builds recognition of time-critical presentations, explains how priority and response decisions are made, and introduces the concept of dispatch life support and pre-arrival instructions. Learners also study clear radio communication, responder safety information, special incidents, documentation, quality review, and dispatcher resilience. Content is general and educational; it does not reproduce or replace any protocol card set. Agency-approved EMD protocol certification is separate and external to Matcom, and local policy and medical direction govern all call-handling decisions in the workplace. Assessments are written and analytical, with no hands-on skills performance required.

  Matcom University provides education, training, professional development, and examination preparation. Completion does not by itself constitute APCO, NENA, state, or governmental certification or licensure.

Capstone: ECC Simulator capstone: complete and pass an instructor-reviewed simulator scenario

To graduate you must pass every required course (orientation, lessons, knowledge checks, assignments, practical sign-offs, practice exam, and a final exam at 80% or higher), meet the elective rule, and complete the capstone.