The Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communication Center

The Solano County Emergency Communication Center is made up of 20 telecommunicators that work various shifts, including weekends and holidays, to provide 24-hour coverage for 4 law enforcement and 7 fire agencies. Telecommunicators are the first point of contact between the public and first responders. The Emergency Communication Center operates with a minimum of 3 people on duty. In addition, the center monitors and operates 3 radio channels and monitors allied agency radios throughout the county. Telecommunicators additionally provide mutual aid to allied agencies within and outside of Solano County.

Telecommunicators receive 10 months of on the job training along with 3 weeks of formal Police Officer Standards & Trainings (POST) academy certification within the first year of employment.

What Telecommunicators Do

Telecommunicators must be able to multi-task throughout their shift. For example, they may need to talk with a suicidal person while calling the appropriate EMS and law enforcement personnel to respond and continue to handle other emergency and routine calls that come into the center.

A "typical" 911 call can consist of anything from a complaint by a neighbor to a report of a multiple-car accident with fatalities. It is imperative to be able to remain calm and collected in a tense situation, and to be alert for signs of trouble in the background of calls they take.

New telecommunicators have extensive on-the-job training, performed by trainers who have attended communication training school. However, you do not need any special schooling beyond a high-school diploma to become a telecommunicator. Prior law enforcement experience or knowledge is always helpful, but not required.

Telecommunicators are dedicated people who work very hard to help keep the citizens, firefighters and officers safe.