Training Process

The Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications Training curriculum consists of a module-based program designed to meet the training needs of new employees and provide them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to be successful in their careers.

Module One consists of academic training and familiarization with Public Safety Departments. Recruits will complete department orientation and receive a detailed overview of department policies. The recruit will then complete an observation period with experienced Emergency Communications Officers until the start of Module One Academic Training. During Academic Training, the recruit will attend work-related courses and obtain the required certifications. The projected time frame for completing Academic Training is 4 weeks.

Module Two focused on on-the-job training, one-on-one with an experienced and trained Communications Training Officer (CTO) who will further develop call-processing skills for recruit success. This module takes approximately twenty-six days, five days of instruction at the backup center and twenty-one operational shifts.

Modules Three, Four, & Five are dedicated to radio/dispatch training. The DEC provides extensive and thorough on-the-job training for all radio/dispatch duties, procedures, and functions used to perform the daily tasks of an Emergency Communications Officer. Recruits will partner with a CTO to complete the three modules and progress through the different radios. This module ends with a Supervisor Observation period, followed by a final comprehensive radio exam.

The Training Division also offers a mentor program for newly released trainees to assist them in transitioning from trainee to Emergency Communications Officer.

The probationary period for an Emergency Communications Officer I is 18 months. Once you have completed all training phases, you will be assigned to a shift and move from Emergency Communications Officer I to Emergency Communications Officer II with a pay increase.