Cobb County offers new 911 operator training program to high schoolers

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - For the first time in metro Atlanta, a new program gives high school students hands-on training that puts them a step ahead for a career as a 911 operator.

Cobb County students spent eight weeks learning what it takes to provide help to people experiencing emergencies. 

One student, Cesia Diaz, just completed the program and already has an interview lined up. She had it on the books before she even graduated from high school.

You know what a police officer does. You know what a firefighter does, but 911 operators say their job is often overlooked and misunderstood.

"Many people don’t know they’re not on the phone with police or a firefighter. They're on phone with us. We're not police. We're not firefighters," said Leigh Ann Schultz, a Cobb 911 operator, who taught the high school program. "We do need help on [the] road, but people on the road don’t know what’s happening until you talk to us and give us information." 

Diaz admitted she was one of those people before she started the program eight weeks ago.

Now, she's certified through the Association of Public Safety Officers (APCO) thanks to Cobb County's 911 career pathway program.

"I feel like I have a plan, so that comforts me," she said.

High school students had the opportunity to become certified through the Association of Public Safety Officers after weeks of on-hands experience in the 911 call center.

Diaz is one of 14 students to complete basic telecommunications, or 911 training, before they finish high school. 

This inaugural class is the first of its kind in Metro Atlanta and was part of the Career, Technical, Agricultural Education program at Osborne High.

Students learned the importance of confidentiality, how to troubleshoot when someone who doesn't speak English calls for help, and how to remain calm while juggling it all.

Every student passed the program with a 95% or above.

"They exceeded expectations. You always expect to have in any class people who don’t understand, but everyone took this seriously," Schultz said.

Diaz already has something to show for her efforts: an interview next week.

This certification applies nationwide. It'll transfer to any 911 agency that accepts APCO credentials. Cobb County officials plan to expand the program to other high schools. They hope nearby localities will adopt programs of their own.