Classes for Telecommunicators at all levels
Current Classes
Weather & Disaster Preparation for the Communications Center
From Hero Light:
The First First Responders comprehensive course in weather and disaster preparation for the Communications Center. This course is designed to give an in-depth study of natural, man-made, and terroristic disasters. We will look at the impact and reality of what centers experience in the face of such disasters and how to prepare for, mitigate against, respond with, and recover.
This course focuses on the roles of those involved; tips, tricks and best practices, combined with scenarios that have occurred at agencies across the nation and internationally when appropriate. Telecommunicators, supervisors and managers will leave with specific take away to apply at their agencies in the respective roles.
About the Instructor:
Dispatcher Tracy C. Ertl has dedicated 26 years to public safety communications, working as a communications supervisor for the last decade at Brown County Public Safety Communications, a consolidated 911 center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Tracy has served thousands of public safety students as a devoted APCO Adjunct Instructor, presenting nationally and internationally. She is also Publisher at TitleTown Publishing, a mainstream publishing house specializing in survival and police titles. Tracy founded HeroLight as a training company built to bring out the hero and happy in all people.
Date/Time:
February 26, 2020, 8:00am
– 5:00pm
Cost:
Free
Pushing the Mower and Dumping the Baggage: Cultivating Employee Health & Wellness Through Leadership
From The Healthy Dispatcher:
It has become widely accepted that PSAP and Dispatch Centers are breeding grounds for burnout, PTSD, low job satisfaction, high employee turnover, poor morale, and low numbers of qualified applicants. This class drills down to the square roots causing this occupational cancer. It also articulates proven measures used to treat and combat this disease that is plaguing Telecommunicators worldwide. Be prepared to have decades of status quo and complacency challenged. This issue is an epidemic impacting the 911 system with dire consequences. The class was designed to equip participants with strategies and tactics to combat the demons afflicting the professional work force of Emergency Communications and Public Safety.
In this training class, participants learn from evidence-based studies to:
-Identify and target the hazards afflicting the 911 work force
-Case studies of the “status quo” ramifications
-How to remove the stigma of Employee Assistance
-Incorporate tangible success in improving Employee Health & Wellness
About the Instructor:
Captain Jeremy Hill has served in a First Responder capacity since 1999. He currently serves as Co-Manager of the consolidated 911 center in Amarillo, TX. Under his direction, staffing has rebounded from a 40% deficit to a 100% fully staffed roster. Working through the ranks of the Amarillo Fire Department (AFD), Captain Hill performed duties in the communications center as a Dispatcher and Call Taker. As a Lieutenant he oversaw the transition from a uniformed dispatch center to a civilianized center.
Captain Hill also leads the Critical Incident Stress Management team at his 911 center and at the Regional level. Employee health and wellness are core values he champions at all times. From massage chairs, decompression rooms to therapy birds, he isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo of “we’ve always done it that way”.
Date/Time:
March 9, 2020, 8:00am
– 5:00pm
Cost:
Free
Spanish for Telecommunicators
This course introduces emergency telecommunicators to a basic level of Spanish to assist them in the initial processing of taking calls from Spanish speakers.
Date/Time:
March 11, 2020, 8:00am
–
March 13, 2020, 5:00pm
Cost:
Free
Creating a Magnetic Culture - Become the Agency that Everyone Wants to Be a Part Of
From Elite Public Safety Training:
Just what is a "Magnetic Culture" and why is this concept so critical to the success of your agency? We will address the essential elements necessary to building an organization that Attracts, Selects, and Retains great employees. In other words, "how do we Find 'em, Get 'em, and Keep 'em?"
About the Instructor:
Dr. Gene Smith is a nationally recognized keynote, motivational speaker and educator. He is the founder and CEO of Elite Public Safety Training & Consulting. He is the former Chief of Staff for Williamson County Emergency Communications in Georgetown, Texas. gene speaks at a number of conferences and symposiums each year, as well as conducting in-service classes and workshops for various agencies across the country. He has a genuine love and respect for those dedicated to Public Safety. his dynamic and often humerous approach is one of encouragement, motivation, and inspiration.
Date/Time:
March 16, 2020, 8:00am
– 5:00pm
Cost:
Free
Active Threat
From Hero Light:
Active Threat is designed to bring students face-to-face in a controlled environment with a multitude of active threat call scenarios faced by communication centers around the world. Students will learn what to ask and how when calltaking; dispatchers will be taught how to prioritize incoming information during this most unusual call type. Managers and directors will be provided with sample active threat policy and procedure documents to augment existing policy or implement new. Students will explore past & recent events, drawing from the in the trenches perspective of communications personnel who have worked and/or survived the ultimate test of resources and resilience. Attendees will have the opportunity to work with Las Vegas active shooter survivor, Bryce Wellman (Texas-based telecommunicator).
In addition, pre-emptive resilience training to aid team survival will be provided by Austin-based trauma therapist & specialist, Rebecca Hubbard. A must for all teams.
About the Instructor:
Dispatcher Tracy C. Ertl has dedicated 26 years to public safety communications, working as a communications supervisor for the last decade at Brown County Public Safety Communications, a consolidated 911 center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Tracy has served thousands of public safety students as a devoted APCO Adjunct Instructor, presenting nationally and internationally. She is also Publisher at TitleTown Publishing, a mainstream publishing house specializing in survival and police titles. Tracy founded HeroLight as a training company built to bring out the hero and happy in all people.
Date/Time:
March 24, 2020, 8:00am
– 5:00pm
Cost:
Free
Human Trafficking
From Hero Light:
Human Trafficking is a cutting-edge course for public safety designed to bring calltakers, dispatchers and field personnel inside the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. The state of Texas is in the top 5 states as a gateway for trafficking. Public safety personnel will learn the cause and what trafficking looks like in their communities. Students will be taught what questions to ask and how to process calls; while dispatchers will learn what information to look for. Guest instructors for the course include a San Francisco-area human trafficking survivor and modern-day rescuer on the front lines of this criminal epidemic. Critical information will be provided to help attending agencies formulate a plan to combat trafficking and assist the most vulnerable in their communities. Managers will receive assistance in creating effective policies and procedures to work alongside the latest information available.
About the Instructor:
Dispatcher Tracy C. Ertl has dedicated 26 years to public safety communications, working as a communications supervisor for the last decade at Brown County Public Safety Communications, a consolidated 911 center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Tracy has served thousands of public safety students as a devoted APCO Adjunct Instructor, presenting nationally and internationally. She is also Publisher at TitleTown Publishing, a mainstream publishing house specializing in survival and police titles. Tracy founded HeroLight as a training company built to bring out the hero and happy in all people.
Date/Time:
March 25, 2020, 8:00am
– 5:00pm
Cost:
Free
Positive Interactions with Difficult People
From The Healthy Dispatcher:
Difficult callers are the norm in 9-1-1, and negative interactions with these types of callers can quickly go sideways. Stressed calltakers who are not equipped with the right communication skills for these moment are more likely to further irritate callers by being short or using a rude tone. In addition to exposing their agency to potential liability, frequent negative interactions can cause a calltaker to leave the profession more quickly. In addition to improving calltaking ability, participants will learn ways to effectively navigate interpersonal conflict within the comm center (which can be even more stressful than on the phone).
Participants will learn proven strategies to:
- Stay present and courteous even when they’ve lost patience
- Defuse conflict and regain common ground
- Effectively give and receive criticism
- Become more aware if they’re the problem, and take ownership of the solution
About the Instructor:
Adam Timm is a bestselling author, keynote speaker and consultant on the topics of personal resilience and peak performance for 9-1-1 telecommunicators. Adam spent over a decade as a 9-1-1 operator for the Los Angeles Police Department, where he pioneered a stress resilience program that contributed to a 45% decrease in sick time usage. After leaving the LAPD, Adam started his training company, “The Healthy Dispatcher,” to bring tools for resilience to this challenging profession.
Date/Time:
May 26, 2020, 8:00am
– 5:00pm
Cost:
Free
Effective Supervision: How to Get the Most Out of Your People
From The Healthy Dispatcher:
One of the most difficult positions in emergency communications is supervisor. One day you’re one of the group, the next day you’re their boss, with little preparation for the new role. This class explores goal setting, delegating, praising and disciplining, the critical importance of following up, managing vs. micromanaging, critical thinking skills and problem solving, and how to most effectively interact up the chain of command.
About the Instructor:
Adam Timm is a bestselling author, keynote speaker and consultant on the topics of personal resilience and peak performance for 9-1-1 telecommunicators. Adam spent over a decade as a 9-1-1 operator for the Los Angeles Police Department, where he pioneered a stress resilience program that contributed to a 45% decrease in sick time usage. After leaving the LAPD, Adam started his training company, “The Healthy Dispatcher,” to bring tools for resilience to this challenging profession.
Date/Time:
May 27, 2020, 8:00am
– 5:00pm
Cost:
Free