Public Safety Telecommunicators Certification Board

Certification Process

As of January 2025, every 911 telecommunicator in Washington State needs to be certified to work on their own in a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

All information regarding certification and associated requirements can be found in the Certification Handbook (PDF).

If you have an employee that is nearing the end of training and needs to be certified, please use the Initial Certification form (PDF).

If you have an employee that has been certified in either call-taking or dispatch and you would like to add a discipline and become dual certified, please use the Update to Add a Certification Form (PDF).

In order to stay certified, each telecommunicator must complete at least 24 hours of continuing education annually. This will be verified every 3 years (2 years for the first recertification period for legacy telecommunicators). Recertification forms are still under development but each agency should make sure to maintain detailed training records. These will be necessary when recertification occurs. Forms will be uploaded to this site when they are completed.

Legacy applications are now closed. Only initial applications will be considered moving forward.

Certification Board

By state law, a certification board has been established in the state 911 coordination office to create a certification and training program for public safety telecommunicators throughout the state.

Duties of the certification board include:

Adopting bylaws for the certification board;
Adopting rules, with the advice and assistance of the 911 advisory committee, to implement the provisions of this chapter including, but not limited to, rules to implement a state-approved training program for process, policy, and procedure;
Reviewing and approving state-approved training programs biennially. State-approved training programs should be consistent with industry standards;
Setting all public safety telecommunicator certification, registration, and renewal fees, and to collect and deposit all such fees in the 911 account established under RCW 38.52.540; and
Establishing recertification requirements.

Find a list of our members here (Excel)

Download our bylaws here (PDF)

Anyone interested in receiving meeting invites can send an email to katy.gilbert@mil.wa.gov

Agendas

Jan. 9, 2024 (PDF)

Minutes/Notes (All PDFs)

Dec. 12, 2024
Nov. 14, 2024
Oct. 24, 2024
Oct. 10, 2024
Sept. 26, 2024
Sept. 12, 2024
Aug. 8, 2024
July 11, 2024
June 27, 2024
May 23, 2024
May 9, 2024
April 25, 2024
April 11, 2024
March 14, 2024
Feb. 22, 2024
Feb. 8, 2024
Jan. 11, 2024