LifeLine 911

Send us Fan Mail Many of those in the emergency telecommunications profession choose to make that their life-long career, spending decades serving the public by answering the call and dispatching units to the scene. But, for a large percentage of those who don the headsets, they yearn for wearing the badge as a sworn officer. While many police officers go straight into the profession, there is som...

Send us Fan Mail After critical and complicated incidents are completed, there are usually very many things which worked well, some things which didn't work so well, and a few things that flat-out failed miserably. After Action Reviews and Debriefs are a tool that can be used when taking a moment to reflect on how a call or event was handled and identify things that could be made better for t...

Send us Fan Mail The Freedom of Information Act, FOIA for short, is an act passed by the United States Congress with many states having passed similar laws. This allows citizens to petition their government for information on any number of topics, from salaries of government officials to 9-1-1 emergency calls. This has allowed a greater degree of transparency in the government but has also allowed...

Send us Fan Mail One of the most iconic parts of the first responder profession, especially that of law enforcement, is the use of 10-codes. These are numbers which take the place of other words, phrases, or situations that can be used in lieu of the "plain language" of just stating what you mean to say. For instance, instead of saying "Okay", or "Acknowledged", a per...

Send us Fan Mail Navigating any bureaucracy is tricky and complicated, but finding consensus while your working with dozens of them can be downright maddening. In the state of Texas, local governments are often grouped together in entities known as COGs, or Councils of Governments, to help more effectively use resources and taxpayer money to provided services to the public and ensure consistency a...

Send us Fan Mail Regardless of what kind of industry that you work in, there are going to be people who have positions of leadership within the organization to help ensure the success of the group and of the individuals. It is very important for these leaders to be clear and consistent in the organization's goals, and also important is the feedback they receive from subordinates on how to bet...

Send us Fan Mail In different agencies around the country emergency operators are tasked with various jobs. Some agencies have their workforce clearly demarcated between "call takers" (those who process the incoming 9-1-1 calls) and "dispatchers" (those who send those 9-1-1 calls out to field units). Some agencies have their telecommunicators do both. We have generally talked a...

Send us Fan Mail Across many police, fire and medical agencies in the United States, there are individuals who assist with traumatic calls. These are sometimes known as crisis counselors, or perhaps victim services, but regardless of what their title is, their job is the same: to assist those who are going through powerfully emotional events to get to the other side of them. Joining us this week t...

Send us Fan Mail With the advancement of technology allowing the creation of cameras which leverage artificial learning to identify objects, numbers and letters, many law enforcement agencies and other groups throughout the country have begun using them to aid and assist with investigations. These cameras can silently, constantly, and to a very great degree unerringly record and identify vehicles...

Send us Fan Mail In the emergency telecommunicator's profession, there are many challenges which are faced each day: from horrific calls to stressful mandatory overtime. Those on the Autism spectrum through face additional obstacles to their career by having a hard time picking up on social and verbal cues from others, but this is not an insurmountable disorder. Joining us this week to share...

Send us Fan Mail For every hero behind the headset, the day-to-day stresses of the job can quickly build and create tension in your life. This tension can lead to mistakes at work and disaster at home. But there are paths you can take to avoid that, and understanding the problem is the first step to take. Joining us this week is Ted Bourgeois, the director of education at American Emergency Prepar...

Send us Fan Mail In July of 2024, the software company Crowdstrike released an update for its software which caused computers using it to malfunction and cease operations. These systems included everything from airlines to trains to hospitals, and even emergency services. How can a 911 agency respond to loosing such key tools in it's arsenal  to help serve the public? Joining us this week is...

Send us Fan Mail We've talked a lot over the course of this show about the type of people who generally do well at a long-term career in emergency telecommunications, as well as the challenges that are faced by those in the profession in being successful. Just as important to the qualities which make a good candidate for the job though is the wisdom to know when the job is no longer for you....

Send us Fan Mail There are many instances in a person's career where they can take a misstep and end up facing severe disciplinary action or even termination; but for emergency 911 telecommunicators, civil and even criminal charges can arise if the operator behaves in specific ways. Thankfully, these are few and far between, but it is important nevertheless to be aware of what our duty is as...

Send us Fan Mail It is important to remember for someone in a first responder profession, especially one of law enforcement, that they must live their lives in a way which is above reproach. This is often easier said than done, and the challenge of constant vigilance is not one easily met. In this episode, join your host Erica as she discusses things to know about before taking on the role of an e...

Send us Fan Mail Learning any new skill is often a challenge, especially when that requires calm nerves, quick thinking, and building a deep knowledge of protocols. These are all in and of themselves challenges, but adding on the fact that knowing that your actions or inactions might cost a life adds entirely more weight to it. How can communications trainers overcome these obstacles and help thei...

Send us Fan Mail Law enforcement, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services have a duty to the public to provide the best possible services to the community at all times. This can be very difficult to achieve though if they are not able to get feedback on how they are doing. To help with that lack of feedback issue, first responders can use community engagement techniques to better connect with the pub...

Send us Fan Mail For those of us in the emergency communications profession, as in any profession, one of the most challenging obstacles to overcome is complacency; the feeling of confidence in oneself which lowers one's guard and causes unforced errors to occur. How can a 911 call taker or dispatcher overcome such an issue, especially when given the stakes of our profession are literally lif...

Send us Fan Mail For first responders and public servants of all kinds, reaching out to the community that you serve is a critical aspect of keeping in contact with them so they are aware of the best ways to use the services provided: emergency communications is no different. Luckily, our host Erica happens to be exceptionally passionate about the idea of community outreach and heads the departmen...

Send us Fan Mail One of the most difficult things to control in a workplace that spans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year operations is consistency. How can you keep the same standards across shifts of employees who never meet each other and sometimes rarely interact? It is an ever present challenge in emergency communications work, especially in today's world where so many 911 centers are worki...

Send us Fan Mail In an emergency environment there are heightened levels of stress. Those of us who work in jobs which frequently put us up against challenging scenarios have learned to live with it, but there are ways to help live better. Breaks are an important factor when at any job; they give your mind a chance to reset itself and stay focused on the tasks at hand. Working in an emergency call...

Send us Fan Mail There are many tools at the disposal of an emergency telecommunicator: radios, GPS locations of units, computers to double-check the work, advanced phone systems. These are all good and useful and do have their place; but there is no substitute for the skill and experience of the operator behind the headset. Too often do these lifelines to the community doubt themselves and overus...

Send us Fan Mail Some of us have been emergency operators for more than a decade, and some of us are still working out our first few years and getting our feet. But there are a small number of people who began their careers right at the beginning of the 2020s, a decade which has been a tumultuous time for everyone, especially when trying to grasp a complex and life-or-death job. On this week'...

Send us Fan Mail Everyone who works long enough as a first responder, be it police, fire, EMS, or a telecommunicator, will eventually have calls where it gets really tough to continue as if everything is fine. It is one of the most important things to consider before joining the profession; how am I going to deal with these unthinkable situations? Join your host Erica as she discusses healthy and...

Send us Fan Mail When a caller is on an emergency 911 line, there are sometimes only minuscule indicators of what is going on; sometimes the caller isn't able to speak freely, sometimes they may not even have the words to express what is going on. It is in these instances that the operator on the other end of the line must use their active listening skills in order to glean the true situation...