Utah Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) Basic Public Safety Dispatcher Training

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering vocabulary and core concepts from the Utah Peace Officer Standards & Training dispatcher program units 1 through 13 including legal terms, emergency protocols, and technical systems.

Dispatcher

An employee of a public safety agency of the state or its political subdivisions who receives calls for emergency police, fire, and medical services and dispatches appropriate personnel and equipment.

Inactive Certification

The status of a dispatcher who has not been engaged in duties for $18$ consecutive months; requires a written examination for reinstatement.

Lapsed Certification

The status of a dispatcher who has not been engaged in duties for four continuous years; requires completion of the basic training course and a written examination for reinstatement.

Continuing Education Requirements

Dispatchers must obtain $20$ hours or more of continuing education annually to maintain certification.

Garrity v. New Jersey

A legal ruling (385 U.S. 493, 1967) concerning the protection of public employees from being compelled to incriminate themselves during investigatory interviews.

Advanced Life Support (ALS)

Includes basic life support plus definitive therapy such as advanced airway techniques, endotracheal intubation, cardiac monitoring, and administration of medications.

Basic Life Support (BLS)

Provides immediate medical treatment and stabilization of the airway for patients and assistance to ALS responders without the use of invasive equipment.

Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD)

A professional who manages 9-1-1 medical calls, determines incident severity, and provides scripted medical care instructions via phone until responders arrive.

Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI)

A bureau within the Utah Department of Public Safety designated as the Control Terminal Agency (CTA) for the State of Utah.

Utah Criminal Justice Information System (UCJIS)

A computerized information service that facilitates the exchange of data from separate databases to assist criminal justice agencies in Utah.

Incident Command System (ICS)

A systematic tool used for the command, control, and coordination of emergency response.

Hysteria Threshold

The point at which a person changes from hysterical behavior to calm, cooperative action.

Repetitive Persistence

A calming technique involving the repetition of a phrase word-for-word every time to break through a caller's hysteria.

Emergency Rule

A sudden high-call volume in which it may be impossible to perform tasks to the same standard expected under normal circumstances.

CYMBALS

An acronym for vehicle descriptions: Color, Year, Make/model, Body style, All other identifying marks, License, and State.

Amber Alert

A voluntary partnership for child abduction cases involving victims $17$ years of age or younger believed to be in imminent danger.

Terrorism

The systematic use or threatened use of violence to intimidate a population or government to effect political, religious, or ideological change.

Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD)

A device that crosses the threshold when its consequences overwhelm the capacity of local authorities to respond, capable of killing large numbers of humans.

Dirty Bomb

A radiological dispersion device that combines conventional explosives with radioactive materials in powder or pellet form.

Felony

A major offense punishable by death, imprisonment in a prison facility, and/or a fine according to UCA 76-3-103.

Infraction

A criminal offense punishable by a fine only according to UCA 76-3-105.

Cohabitant

An emancipated person or individual $16$ years of age or older who is/was a spouse, related by blood/marriage, or has children in common with another party.

Civil Dispute

A conflict between two or more parties where no crime has occurred.

Phonetic Alphabet

A system used on the radio to spell out words or names to ensure they are understood correctly, such as during license number transmissions.

BOLO / ATL

Acronyms for 'Be On the Look Out' and 'Attempt To Locate,' used for missing persons, stolen vehicles, or reckless drivers.

Fire Triangle

The three components required for fire: Heat, Fuel, and Oxygen.

NFPA Timing Standards

Guidelines specifying fire calls should be answered $95\%$ within $15\,\text{seconds}$ and processed $90\%$ within $64\,\text{seconds}$.

Behavior Change Stairway

A model for crisis management consisting of five steps: Active Listening, Empathy, Rapport, Influence, and Behavior Change.

GRAMA

The Government Records Access and Management Act, a comprehensive law dealing with the management and access rights of government records in Utah.

Public Duty Doctrine

The principle that a government entity is not liable for injuries resulting from a breach of duty owed to the public as a whole rather than a specific individual.

Automatic Number Identification (ANI)

A feature of 9-1-1 that provides the call-taker with the number from which a call originated.

Automatic Location Identification (ALI)

A feature of 9-1-1 that provides the call-taker with the address of a wireline phone or GPS coordinates of a cell phone tower/caller.

Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)

A facility equipped and staffed to receive emergency calls requesting police, fire, medical, or other public safety services.

Sudden Death

Unexpected cardiac death of individuals who were in stable medical condition less than $24\,\text{hours}$ previously.

Excited Delirium Syndrome

A medical emergency characterized by hyperthermia, extreme agitation, hallucinations, and 'super-human' strength, potentially leading to cardiac arrest.

Eustress

Positive stress that motivates, is short-term, is exciting, and improves performance.

Distress

Negative stress that causing anxiety or concern, decreases performance, and can lead to mental or physical problems.

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)

A process involving mental health professionals and peers aimed at lessening the impact of critical incidents on emergency personnel.

B.L.E.V.E.

Boiling liquid evaporating vapor explosion; occurs when a tank like propane is exposed to heat and expands until it explodes.

Phases of Excited Delirium

A progression ending in death: 1. Hyperthermia ($103^\circ \text{F}$ to $110^\circ \text{F}$), 2. Agitated Delirium, 3. Respiratory Distress/Arrest, 4. Cardiac Arrest.