Recertification and Continuing Dispatch Education (CDE)
Recertification and Continuing Dispatch Education (CDE)
This domain tests how you keep an IAED certification current. Certification is not a one-time event: it runs on a two-year cycle, and renewal depends on documented continuing education and professional conduct.
Core rules
- IAED certifications are valid for two years; apply for recertification before the expiration date.
- The standard CDE requirement is 24 hours per two-year cycle for each certification.
- CDE must be relevant to emergency communications: protocol use, EMD, calltaking, dispatch, or closely related topics.
- Keep certificates, transcripts, and a personal log; the Academy may audit.
- Recertification also requires adherence to the Code of Ethics and payment of the recertification fee.
Types of CDE
- Academy-approved courses and conferences.
- Agency in-service training and protocol updates.
- Teaching, publishing, or presenting on dispatch topics where allowed.
- Self-study and journal reading, subject to category limits.
Worked example
A telecommunicator certified in March 2024 must recertify by March 2026. She completes 24 CDE hours: 12 at an Academy-approved conference and 12 in agency in-service on protocol updates. She uploads certificates to her Academy record and submits the application and fee in January 2026. She has met the hours, relevance, and documentation requirements, so she avoids a lapse.
Traps that cost marks
- Counting unrelated training, such as clinical CE that does not address dispatch practice.
- Waiting until the expiration month; late applications can trigger fees or a lapse.
- Assuming CE hours are automatically CDE hours; they must be documented and relevant.
- Losing certificates and having no audit trail.