Colorado High School starts 911 dispatcher class during nationwide shortage

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Students learn the procedures and protocols needed to respond to emergencies.

A high school in Colorado started a class this year to train teenagers to answer emergency calls in hopes of assisting in a shortage of 911 dispatchers.

Calhan High School, a public high school in Calhan, Colorado, started the new course this year in addition to their criminal justice courses. 

Students who enroll in the 911 dispatching course get to work hands on with software used by 911 dispatchers.

Students learn how to respond to 911 calls.  ((Kennedy Hayes/ Fox News) )

The new 40-hour course also teaches them step-by-step how to answer calls under high pressure. 

Scott Brettell said he worked for the El Paso County Sheriff's office for around 16 years before teaching the course. Brettell said the pilot course also started during a time when El Paso County is facing a shortage of dispatchers.

Calhan High School is a public high school in Calhan, Colorado.  (Kennedy Hayes/ Fox News)

The minimum age to become a dispatcher is 18.

911 DISPATCH OF BRAZEN HOME INVASION IN WEALTHY SUBURB

Brettell said starting pay for a 911 dispatcher here in El Paso County is around $60,000 per year.

«i have no doubt a 16-year-old kid could do this job,» Brettell said. 

Students learn the National Standard for answering 911 calls is that 90% of 911 calls be answered within 15 seconds and 95% of 911 calls be answered within 20 Seconds.  ((Kennedy Hayes/ Fox News))

Brettell said the program comes while there is a shortage of dispatchers in almost every state.

«When you dial 911, I want to make sure that someone is there to answer and someone is there to respond. And that’s what this whole thing is focused on,» Brettell said. 

An estimated 240 million calls