Classes for Telecommunicators at all levels

Current Classes

Active Threat

*This class is a live, virtual training being offered online*

From Hero Light:

Active Threat will provide call-takers, dispatchers and supervisors with operational strategy on what to expect and how to manage our modern day active threat incidents. HeroLight Instructor Bryce Wellman is a dedicated team member at Cedar Park Police Department, Texas; where he serves as a Communications Training Officer, a member of the Peer Support team, and is a licensed TCOLE instructor.

Bryce became a survivor of the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history on October 1, 2017, when he escaped the Route 91 concert in Las Vegas, NV. In August of 2020, Bryce worked the police radio during an active threat event with three police officers shot. 

Using his personal insight on what goes on during an Active Threat Event, he provides a unique perspective on what to expect from callers, best practices for the radio and what to expect in the center and on scene. 

Bryce is a sought presenter recently sharing his knowledge at Texas's first responders resiliency conference, as well as being accepted to speak at the Texas Public Safety Conference in 2020.  He is passionate about being able to help public safety, and citizens of the community, understand what 911 survivors experience and how to develop and maintain healthy coping techniques. 

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Foundations of Emergency Mental Health Dispatching

*This class is a live, virtual training being offered online*

From The 9-1-1 Training Institute:

Jim Marshall has created this one-day Foundations of EMHD course to equip 9-1-1 Pros with the core EMHD knowledge they need to immediately boost their confidence and performance with at-risk callers. EMHD is:

•  A new Science-Driven Best Practice that empowers 9-1-1 Pros with the knowledge and tools they need for optimal response to callers with mental illness and suicide
• Boosts dispatcher ability and confidence in managing these high-risk calls
• Incorporates resilience training to optimize the 9-1-1Pro’s real-time response during high-stress calls
• Avoids "cookie cutter" solutions and allows dispatchers to think creatively using their own unique style with each unique call guided by good science.

9-1-1Pros participating in this day of training will:

• Discover the "EMHD MindSet": a set of key insights about callers-at-risk that fosters strong alliances, better cooperation, and less risk of violence on scene
• Practice the "EMHD SkillSet" to regulate psycho-physiological distress, rally best thinking, help the caller, AND protect dispatcher resilience
• Gain strategies to de-escalate the caller’s Mental States that can fuel worse outcomes
• Get prepared to boost confidence and decrease anxiety relating to high-risk callers

About the Instructor:

Jim Marshall, M.A., L.L.P., is the Director of the 911 Training Institute and a leading voice in the 9-1-1 industry for dispatcher wellness. He has been a licensed mental health professional for over 30 years. Jim is co-editor of The Resilient 9-1-1 Professional: A Comprehensive Guide to Surviving & Thriving Together in the 9-1-1 Center. Jim's courses, presentations, pilot projects, and published works equip 9-1-1 telecommunicators and their PSAP leaders to achieve optimal health and performance as people and organizations in the evolving 9-1-1 center.

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The Power of 9-1-1 Peer Support

*This class is a live, virtual training being offered online*

From The 9-1-1 Training Institute:

No one ‘gets’ the life of the 9-1-1 Pro like a 9-1-1 Pro. When the combo of stress from work and home piles up, even the best and most seasoned dispatchers can struggle. And more and more of our PSAPs have experienced major traumatic experiences they just didn’t know how to face. But what happens when you, as a PSAP family, are prepared to come alongside each other as you travel through these hardships? You can prevent burnout, improve morale, and help your peers feel encouraged and desire to stay on board. Who knows—you might even help save a fellow 9-1-1 Pro’s life! ….Now you know The Power of Peer Support!

Here’s what you’ll experience in this unique course:

• Learn the importance and power of 911 Peer Support for the dispatcher and the center's daily life together
• Discover how practicing Peer Support can decrease toxic, draining gossip and boost more positive energy in the comm center
• Get equipped to come alongside peers so they will feel truly heard and respected
• Gain psychological knowledge and personal readiness to offer peer support
• Understand the benefits & limitations of lay peer support, what it is and what it is not
• Clarify the critical importance of confidentiality and how to honor it in complicated situations Learn when & how to refer and guide peers to professional assistance

About the Instructor:

Jim Marshall, M.A., L.L.P., is the Director of the 911 Training Institute and a leading voice in the 9-1-1 industry for dispatcher wellness. He has been a licensed mental health professional for over 30 years. Jim is co-editor of The Resilient 9-1-1 Professional: A Comprehensive Guide to Surviving & Thriving Together in the 9-1-1 Center. Jim's courses, presentations, pilot projects, and published works equip 9-1-1 telecommunicators and their PSAP leaders to achieve optimal health and performance as people and organizations in the evolving 9-1-1 center.