When a cardiac arrest occurs, every second matters. Research shows that survival drops rapidly with each passing minute without CPR, and the telecommunicator is the first and most critical link in the chain of survival. This four-hour course equips 9-1-1 professionals with the essential knowledge and skills to recognize out-of-hospital cardiac arrest quickly, overcome common barriers to identification, and deliver clear, confident, and effective telephone CPR instructions.
Using evidence-based guidance from the American Heart Association and concepts highlighted throughout the T-CPR training slides—such as the importance of time, the components of T-CPR (recognition, instructions, continuous coaching), and the impact of dispatcher-led CPR—participants will learn to guide callers through lifesaving actions even before responders arrive. The course also explores real obstacles telecommunicators face, including caller confusion, agonal breathing, misunderstandings about consciousness, emotional distress, and scene chaos, all supported by examples from the training material
Through scenario practice and discussion, attendees will strengthen their ability to provide structured coaching, maintain hands-on engagement through counting and pacing, and eliminate unnecessary delays that cost lives. By the end of this session, telecommunicators will better understand how one trained dispatcher can make the difference between life and death by delivering fast, decisive, and high-quality T-CPR guidance.
Course Objectives
- Identify the signs of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and apply rapid recognition techniques, including assessing consciousness and abnormal or agonal breathing, to reduce time to action.
- Demonstrate effective T-CPR call-processing skills by delivering clear, concise, step-by-step chest compression instructions and minimizing delays, pauses, or interruptions.
- Apply strategies to overcome common barriers to CPR initiation, such as caller confusion, emotional distress, misinterpretation of breathing, or uncertainty about patient responsiveness.
- Provide continuous coaching and quality assurance during CPR, including guiding compression depth and rate, ensuring hands-free calling, and maintaining active engagement through counting and verbal cues.
- Explain the time-sensitive nature of cardiac arrest, including the impact of early CPR on survival rates, and articulate the telecommunicator’s critical role in making a patient “savable” before EMS arrives.
About the Essentials Series
The Essentials Series: Core Skills for Today’s Public Safety Telecommunicator is a growing collection of focused, scenario-driven courses designed to strengthen the foundational competencies every 9-1-1 professional needs. Each class delivers practical skills, real-world insight, and confidence-building tools that can be applied immediately on the job. Whether your center is onboarding new team members or investing in continuing development for experienced staff, the Essentials Series provides high-value, mission-critical training for every telecommunicator.
Current Courses in the Essentials Series
- Essential Customer Service Techniques
- Essential Crisis Call Skills: Navigating Suicidal and Mental Health Emergencies
- Essential T-CPR Skills: Guiding Lifesaving Action Before Help Arrives
- Essential Fire Dispatch Skills: From the First Alarm to Mayday
- Essential Police Dispatch Skills: From the First Call to Critical Incidents
