Managing conflict in the PSAP
What can I say other than it happens to everyone at some point in their career? And some people deal with this more than others. “She’s always taking time off” “He never works overtime” “She takes all the overtime” “He ate my yogurt” “John left dirty...
Public Safety Training
With the controversy about law enforcement training still ripping through the US in the aftermath of excessive force allegations and the related outcomes of those cases, I jumped at the opportunity to sit in on a police academy and experience,...
Is liability really something to be concerned about in a PSAP?
There is a widespread belief that public safety telecommunicators (PSAPs) are immune from liability in the event of an emergency. This is not the case. What is a 9-1-1 Emergency Telecommunicator? They are the people that answer your call when you dial 9-1-1. Depending...
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children / NCMEC
In my career, I have had thousands of hours of additional training (not an exaggeration!). I don’t remember every class, but NCMEC does not fall into that lost memory category. In 2007 one of my employees told me about a CEO Conference/class at...
Challenges Facing 911
Beyond the regular staffing shortage of applicants, challenges facing 911 today revolve around technology. Specifically speaking for this article, what happens during power outages and network outages? Many PSAPs today have contingency plans in place for when 911 goes...
Are You Really Listening?
Listening is one of the most important skills in communication. It's the key to understanding what the other person is saying and getting their point of view. But listening can be difficult. We often go off on our own thoughts, and we may not really pay attention to...
Challenges To Effective Employee Training
Employee training is essential for the success of any organization. However, the effectiveness of employee training depends on the leadership of the organization. There are many challenges to employee training, including the following: The quality of the training...
Technical Lag in the 911 Center
911 centers that cannot afford to update their technology may not be able to identify proper locations and caller information. Technology updates in the business environment are occurring at a faster pace than 911 can keep up leaving consumers to wonder why. Even...
Can therapy dogs help with PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that can be caused by events like war, sexual assault, or a serious car accident. PTSD can make people feel scared, anxious, and upset even after the event that caused it is over. There are...