Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: receive and process emergency calls received from NYPD, private alarm companies, inter-bureau agencies, and outside agencies; speak to callers, extract pertinent information, validate that caller’s location exists in FDNY street file, and generate a response based on the information received from the calling party.  In addition to handling emergency calls from the public, ARDs also manage non-emergency and administrative calls, make notifications to other agencies, handle requests from other bureaus within the department; and serve as the primary back-up to other Fire Dispatch positions. ARDs will become familiar with and use equipment including: the Starfire CAD, VESTA phone, MapStar, EBS telephone, Motorola Scanner, and ERS systems: vet alarms to ensure that assignments are accurate and processed in a timely manner; review all emergencies as they relate to their borough and monitor citywide activity and unit availability; react quickly to all alarms and be cognizant of radio transmissions; maintain situational awareness of the dispatch platform as well as monitoring field activity; identify the need to provide adequate fire coverage in any geographical area experiencing above average fire traffic; ensure that the borough has adequate fire protection during the tour at all times and check unit availability; receive calls on the administrative line from other units in the field who are calling in verbal incidents or are updating their status; and receive calls from other boroughs looking for assistance to provide units to them for relocation. DDs (Decision Dispatchers) will become familiar with and use equipment including: the Starfire CAD, VESTA phone, EBS phone, Motorola Scanner, Status Entry Panel, Live MUM, and an Administrative Computer; ensure that FDNY Units respond to their assigned alarms, training, relocations, and other dispatches and perform notifications, which are separated as primary and secondary. Primary notifications are made intra- agency during FDNY incidents and secondary notifications are made inter-agency.  VA (Voice Alarm) dispatchers also conduct call backs on behalf of FDNY Field Units to gather additional information. VADs (Voice Alarm Dispatchers) will become familiar with and use equipment including: the Starfire CAD, Voice Alarm Console, VESTA phone, ring-down lines, EBS phone, Motorola Radio Console, Status Entry Panel, and an Administrative computer. The Radio Dispatcher consists of two positions (Radio-In and Radio-Out). The Radio In performs several specific tasks such as reviewing all alarms for pertinent information, scrolling or reviewing all EMS alarms received for any changes in patient status as well as any potential dangerous or hazardous conditions, reviewing all CIDS (critical information) attached to an address which  contains any special instructions, special response and alerts to any dangerous or hazardous conditions, entering all signals and request for additional resources from the field units as well as special calling or adding specific units utilizing the Status Entry Panel (SEP), monitoring Unit statuses and availability, and entering progress reports and updates. The Radio Out is the main point of contact between the Communications Office and the Field Units. This Dispatcher ensures the response of units that have not acknowledged a run, assignment or relocation, announcing the alarm information to the responding units as well as giving any special instructions related to that incident, notifying units of special designations or responsibilities at an incident, announces escalating alarms and incidents occurring in other boroughs, broadcasting important messages such as department orders, and responsible for relaying all additional information to field units responding to or operating at an incident. Radio Dispatchers will become familiar with and use equipment including: the Starfire CAD, VESTA phone, Status Entry Panel, Motorola Radio Console, MIS Computer, and an Administrative Computer.