Over twenty years ago, Sue Pivetta, a Supervisor at a multi-jurisdictional 9-1-1 Comm Center, faced a growing hiring crisis:

“We were hiring five and losing seven.”

At dinner one night, someone asked her: “Why don’t you just hire trained people from local colleges like they do for EMTs or law enforcement?”
The answer? Those programs didn’t exist for 9-1-1. That was the spark.

Determined to create a pipeline of qualified dispatchers, Sue contacted local vocational schools. Renton Technical College answered the call. Along with the college dean and an advisory board of 9-1-1 professionals, Sue helped create the first-ever vocational course for emergency communications in the U.S.

Through a six-month DACUM (Developing A Curriculum) process, a 10-unit course was designed — and a new chapter in 9-1-1 training began.

To bring realism into the classroom, Sue needed to build a hands-on training lab — just like other vocational programs. The team pulled together old Motorola CenterCom consoles, a reel-to-reel recorder, CAD software, and headsets from the WA State Patrol’s basement.

It was clunky, but it worked. Students practiced on dual-headset setups and recorded calls the old-school way. Still, Sue knew there had to be something better.

At a small APCO conference in Ohio, Sue met two retired radio techs and shared her vision for a dispatcher simulator. Together, they created the 9-1-1 STARZ (Simulation Training And Response Zone STARZ) — a bold red training console that became a game-changer for hands-on 9-1-1 instruction across the country.

As technology evolved, Sue’s team partnered with Adacel, a flight simulation company in Florida. Though their early product wasn’t suitable, a partnership was formed — and with guidance from a nationwide task force of 9-1-1 trainers, the 9-1-1 Reality Simulator was born.

When COVID hit, schools asked for online resources. Sue responded again — forming a new 9-1-1 Coalition and launching:

• 911CareerTraining.com – the home for 9-1-1 education
• 9-1-1Academy.com – a full online course with textbook and certification
• NECC (National Emergency Communications Certification) – developed in partnership with the Professional Testing Corporation of New York

Today, even citizens and Comm Center new hires can access online 9-1-1 training programs anytime, anywhere.