HEPPNER — Dispatcher Jacob Stutzman of the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office was among the 119th Basic Telecommunications Class of the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST).

The three-week course includes emergency call handling techniques, stress management, civil liability, ethics, criminal law, overview of fire-rescue and law enforcement operations, and a number of other topics. Upon completion of the course, students will return to their employing agency to continue their training for a number of months with a field training officer.

The 911 training program began in 1993 when the Oregon Legislature enacted legislation requiring that individuals who receive emergency calls for assistance from the public must meet professional standards for training and certification. There are approximately 950 men and women across the state who work in this profession in city, county, tribal, regional, and state public safety communications centers.

Basic Telecommunications #BT119 Graduation will be held Friday, Aug. 28, at 9 a.m. at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for social distancing, the graduation will be closed to the public.