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Along the Gulf Coast, there is a county in Texas named Calhoun which recently went through a PSAP consolidation, joining the police department with the sheriff's office for 9-1-1 response. Patrick Schubert was tasked with heading-up these efforts and guiding his fledging PSAP through the gulf hurricane and inclement weather that the coast can experience. Patrick was also awarded Telecommunicator of the Year in 2022 for his lifesaving work with a citizen needing CPR. His efforts and work are just one of many stories of excellent deeds which happen on a daily basis in the world of first responders.

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In the last dozen years, law enforcement has had to contend with a new type of incident: Swatting. These types of calls involve someone making a false call to 9-1-1 in order to have police respond in force to fictitious events to either scare, harass, or sometimes even kill an unsuspecting victim. While it is illegal, and it does at the very least waste law enforcement resources which would better be spent elsewhere, the true danger of these calls is the harm they can do to both their victims and the officers responding. Join your host Erica as we delve into the effects of Swatting. 

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In all professions and aspects of life, there are rules which are unwritten in any manual but they are known to all. These are enforced by the collective unspoken agreements between coworkers on how many matters are to be handled: is there a lot of talking between co-workers, or is it quiet; are there potlucks every third Monday of the month; do you get to work right on the dot, or a bit early? Each of these are generally not in a policy manual written by management, but they are nevertheless essential to keeping an organization running smoothly. Join us this week as we discuss the reasoning behind these peer accountability rules.

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A critical part of ensuring that your team of emergency operators is capable of succeeding no matter the event which occurs is to take the time to perform period quality assurance on them. The goal is not only to find the faults with the call takers and dispatchers so that small errors and bad habits can be rectified, but also to find praiseworthy moments and highlight them. Join your host Erica as we discuss the vital importance of performing quality assurance on your emergency telecommunicators.

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Complaints on any job are commonplace across all industries, but they can be especially difficult to deal with in the world of emergency telecommunications. Oftentimes, those making the complaints can have suffered traumatic events which make them react differently to conversations than they normally would and to get irate more easily. However, it is the job of a public servant to do their best to serve the public and we will share with you some of the insights we have gained over our careers with how best to handle complaints from citizens.

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For emergency telecommunicators, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) offers a training called Center Management Certification Program (CMCP), which is designed for agency management. This training is a week long and involves lecture, roleplay, and hands-on training to inform students about the fundamentals of running their own organization. Recently, Erica had the opportunity to take this class and we wanted to see what she thought about it.

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Working remotely, or out of the office and at home, has become a popular benefit offered by many industries in the 2020s, with almost a quarter of the U.S. workforce participating in it. This new option to stay home from an office, avoid the drive into work, and the freedom that gives has proven to be very popular with many millions of people, but is that something that is feasible or even desirable for emergency telecommunicators? Join your host Erica as we discuss this new frontier in 9-1-1. 

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The men and women who serve in the ambulances that rush to aid those in need of critical care have to deal with a plethora of split-second decisions which can mean the difference between life and death. Yet in some parts of the country, EMS personnel are not even considered to be first responders, making it difficult to hire, train and retain those capable of providing the life-saving care so desperately needed. We met with one of these medics named Al Alfieri to discuss his views on working on an ambulance in upstate New York.

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In the world of first responders, the most pernicious affliction is that of the slow build-up of trauma over the course of a career. There are many times where those in this profession not only don't get the help they need for it, but in many cases don't even realize they have a growing disease. This trauma can manifest itself in ruined relationships with family and friends, depression, anxiety, and outbursts of anger or sorrow. But there has been great progress made in the fight against this by recognizing the damage years of trauma can cause to a person. Versatem Mindbase has developed a program to help identify when first responders begin to accumulate trauma so that they can get the help they need. Join your host Erica this week as we discuss this exciting new program. Special guests this week are retired Dallas Police Assistant Chief Reuben Ramirez and Mindbase CEO Corey Roberts.

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When a major disaster strikes it can put a terrible burden on Emergency Communication centers affected by it, especially if the employees and building are put offline. But never fear! There are groups of telecommunicators who are prepared to leave their home jurisdictions and respond to disaster areas to aid and assist their fellow 9-1-1 operators to keep the center running and the public safe during these times of dismay. Join your host Erica this week as we speak with Jason Smith, the operations manager for the North Central Texas Emergency Communications District as well as the Texas state coordinator for T.E.R.T.

If you are an emergency telecommunicator in Texas (Police, Fire, or EMS) and you are interested in applying to be a T.E.R.T. responder, please check out the website at www.TX-TERT.org for more information. 

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