Alexandria, VA – The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International has filed a Project Initiation with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This standard will provide guidance in training telecommunicators for handing calls from citizens in crisis.

Developing adequate knowledge and skills is integral to providing necessary services to citizens and responders, increasing responder and citizen safety, and appropriately caring for those in mental crisis.  The standard will establish a minimum level of appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities for telecommunicators when handing callers experiencing mental crisis. To include, but not limited to, symptoms and treatments of mental illness, de-escalation skills, and commonly used community resources available.

“Public safety telecommunicators are often the first responders in a mental health crisis situation and calls of this nature are more prevalent than they have ever been before.  This standard will establish minimum training requirements and skillsets necessary to effectively handle emergency calls involving mental illness,” said Martha Carter, President of APCO International.

The Occupational Analysis subcommittee will begin research for this standard and a writing group be formed once this step is complete.