The call takers, employed by the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre, are required to update their first aid certification every three years. This is but one of the many training interventions designed to ‘help them help you’ in an emergency
The City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre has 67 emergency call takers who work on a shift system.The centre offers a 24-hour service for all life-and/or-property threatening incidents.In January 2023, the PECC logged 19 743 incidents for assistance. Of these, 7 552 (38,25%) were medical in nature.
Recently, the latest group of 11 call takers attended a two-week first aid course.
The courses cover first aid Level one, which is how to perform basic life support and first aid procedures; Level two is provision of risk-based primary emergency care/first-aid in the workplace, and Level three allows them to provide first aid as an advanced first responder, until the arrival of more professional emergency personnel.
‘Our call takers interact with the public when they’re in a state of panic or distress, so it’s crucial that they are able to provide guidance and calm until responders are able to get to the scene. It is for this reason that we facilitate ongoing training for our call takers in a number of areas, including conflict and stress management, interpersonal skills, communication and of course, first aid.
‘Our call takers are not medically trained and they are, legally, not allowed to dispense medical advice. However, completion of the various first aid level courses, ensures that they have the appropriate knowledge required to ask the right questions of callers in cases of medical emergencies and in so doing, they are able to hand over crucial and relevant information to the responders on the ground,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Apart from first aid training, the call takers are also equipped with a range of soft skills to complement their technical skills relevant to their roles.
These include effective communication, conflict management training, customer-centricity training, facilitation skills, stress management skills and various leadership development programmes.
