The Front Of The Class

When you first became certified as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD), Emergency Police Dispatcher (EPD), Emergency Fire Dispatcher (EFD), or Emergency Communication Nurse (ECN) with the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch^® (IAED^™), you attended a course taught by an instructor. (You might have even attended a course where there were two instructors present.)

The instructor, whether they were from your center or elsewhere, walked you through the specific protocols, acquainting you with the logic and flow of the process of calltaking from Case Entry to Key Questions to Case Exit. They likely shared example stories from their time as a paramedic, firefighter, law enforcement officer, or nurse to illustrate an aspect of the protocol to cement it in your mind.

But who are these instructors? What are their qualifications? How were they chosen? How were they trained? Can you become an IAED-certified instructor?

As of writing this article, the IAED has nearly 500 certified instructors who taught over 38,000 students in 4,062 courses in 2023.

“The Instructor Academy does a lot of things,” said Eric Fayad, IAED Associate Director of Instructor Services. “It gives the instructor the foundation they’ll need to go out and teach, whether that’s at their own agency or other agencies. If you’re in the dispatch world, you might know who the IAED is, but you may not see the back end.”

To help you better understand the Instructor Academy process, we’ll talk about the three phases—the application period, the Instructor Academy itself, and the team-teaching period.

Application

Before you consider applying to become an instructor, there are some prerequisites you should be aware of. The biggest thing the IAED is looking for is a practical background of the discipline the instructor is looking to teach. EMD-Instructors (EMD-I’s) should have experience as paramedics, physicians, registered nurses, physician’s assistants, advance practice nurses, etc. It’s also preferred for the instructor to have experience in the communication center, which means they’ve seen emergencies from both the console and on scene.

“I’ve found that in the medical arena, it’s much easier to find those people who have done both sides,” Fayad said. “Fire is a little bit harder, and police is hardest to find.”

Applicants who want to become EMD-I’s or EFD-I’s need to come from an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE). Coming from an ACE means that not only does the aspirational instructor understand the protocols, they practice what they preach. It’s a lot easier to teach something if you really, truly believe in it.

Candidates with experience teaching in the classroom are preferred, but they can also have served as a mentor or trainer. And they must, of course, be certified in the discipline they want to teach.

If you meet all (or most) of those requirements, you can fill out an application on the IAED website (https://www.emergencydispatch.org/what-we-do/instructors). After receiving your application, our Instructor Services team goes through it and passes it on to the Board of Certification for approval. If you pass muster, you’ll be formally invited to attend the Instructor Academy.

Instructor Academy

For North America, the course takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah (USA), at IAED headquarters. For EMD-I’s it’s a five-day course; it’s a four-day course for EPD-I’s, EFD-I’s, and ECN-I’s. Much like the courses that introduce you to the protocol, it’s a nonstop fire hose of information from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“One of the activities that Eric had us do [during the Instructor Academy] was write down our fears on a whiteboard,” said Michelle Vetter, Senior Public Safety Telecommunicator and EMD-I with Morris County Communications in New Jersey (USA). “And by the end of the week, pretty much everything was wiped off the board.”

Not only will the students learn teaching tools and become more familiar with the protocols, they’ll learn what resources they’ll have access to through the Academy. Students will be introduced to the chairs of different curriculum boards and the Academy’s Instructional Design team.

It’s not all theoretical learning either: Students have the opportunity to practice by doing a couple of presentations on the curriculum and protocols, and then see how much they’ve improved over the week by doing another presentation where they can implement the principles they’ve learned.

“One of the most nerve-racking parts was when we had to teach part of the course to the people who are in charge of it and who decide what goes in the protocols,” said David Emerson, a senior clinician and EMD-I in Australia. “It was probably one of the most valuable things I’ve ever done in terms of receiving immediate feedback after. We would go around the table and everyone would give constructive feedback to make you better next time, and it was all written down as well.”

Fayad also highlights the fact that during the intense week of learning, the up-and-coming instructors get the opportunity to bond and network with the other students in their class, as well as experts from Priority Dispatch Corp.^™ (PDC^™) and the IAED.

“Networking with those working at PDC as well as the Academy [provided] lots of knowledge that’s vital to know if you’re going forward,” said Matthew Foletti, an officer with the Met Police in London (UK) and EPD-I. “You know who you’re going to ask a question to; you can build your contacts and build relationships.”

Team-teaching

Once a candidate has finished the Instructor Academy, there’s still six to twelve months of work to do before they become a full-fledged instructor in their discipline. Fledgling instructors will be paired up with a senior or master instructor in their discipline and do a minimum of two team-teaches. (That’s why in some courses there’s more than one instructor in the room.)

“I learned so much from the senior and master instructors that I had,” said Joanna Overton, a firefighter and EFD-I with El Paso Regional Communications Center in Texas (USA). “I took some things from their teaching styles that I’m applying to myself.”

The team-teaching approach helps instructor candidates build confidence.

“When I was doing the team-teach, my senior instructor was so good—there’s a reason they’re doing team-teaches,” said Brooke Dittfurth, EMD-I with Acadian Ambulance Service in Dallas, Texas (USA). “They’ve been doing it for so long, and so I was able to pick up some of the things that each of them had done during the class and incorporated it into mine. I was able to intertwine all of that teaching and make it my own to start forming my own way of teaching.”

Some people do more team-teaches if they’re not feeling very comfortable, but Fayad says that most instructors won’t feel 100% confident going into their first solo teach. Sometimes the best way to feel truly comfortable is by going and doing.

Solo teaching

After the instructor candidate has finished their minimum of two team-teaches and passed a final evaluation, the Instructor Services team will sign them off and they can spread their wings either in their own agency or another, whether remotely or in person. And just because an instructor isn’t in Salt Lake City doesn’t mean the IAED forgets about them.

“I’ve never been exposed to an organization that gives you as much support as the IAED,” said Miguel Garcia, Battalion Chief for Sarasota County Fire Department and EFD-I in Florida (USA). “You can tell they really care about their instructors. They demand a very high-quality product, and it’s important to try to maintain that but know that you have a lot of support.”

When an instructor has gone through all that work over the span of a few years, they’ll be one of the foremost experts of not only the protocols, but also in teaching principles. Their value as an in-house instructor or one who goes where they’re needed cannot be overstated. Mike “Doog” Dolan, the 2024 recipient of the Dave Massengale Memorial Instructor of the Year Award, has been an instructor for 19 years. He’s taught nearly 6,000 students and touched, however briefly, about 78 million 911 calls annually. Now that’s making a difference!

If you want to become an instructor but don’t have street experience, there are options that do recognize your experience. The IAED also manages ETC Instructors, ED-Q Instructors, and EMD Mentor Instructors.

If you have specific questions about the Instructor Academy process, email Fayad directly at eric.fayad@emergencydispatch.org.