Training new 911 dispatchers is tough—especially when understaffed. Trainers juggle chaos, support trainees with compassion, stress resilience, and urge better hiring and retention practices.

Reviewing these easy-to-understand concepts behind a 9-1-1 call ensures you quickly get the resources you need when every second counts.

he key thing here is, Never Stop Learning. Never ever. Keep yourself educated, keep your mind sharp, and battle burnout and complacency by c

APCO 2021 is in just a few days! This year's conference is being held in San Antonio, Texas from August 15th - 18th. Curious about what APCO is all about? Look no further! Special thanks to Jason Kern for making this blog happen! By: Jason Kern, 1st Vice President for APCO International, and Executive Director at Southeast Emergency Communications in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Wellness in the public safety communications industry is finally coming to the forefront as a critical

NENA 2021 is fast approaching! This year's conference is being held in Columbus, Ohio, July 24th - 29th. Whether you're a new TC or new to NENA, here's a crash course on what they're all about. Special thanks to Chris Nussman and Bruce Romero for making this blog happen! By: Chris Nussman, NENA Communications Director Who NENA Is & Why Membership Matters Now More Than Ever NENA: The 9-1-1 Association serves North America’s 9-1-1 professionals, as well as emergency-communicati

By: Jason Plichta To say it is an “epidemic” is a vast understatement given the facts seen in, for purposes of this article, the United States. What is an opiate? According to Merriam Webster, an Opiate is “a drug…containing or derived from opium and tending to induce sleep and alleviate pain.” I think A layman definition would be “something that ruins and takes lives, because users can become addicted way too easily.” They do not just go after the poor, the rich, the white,

By Cheri Sinnott, LCSW Editor's Note: This blog continues along the theme of the last few: substance abuse.  However, our focus now shifts to the science and disease of addiction.  There is still a lingering old-school mentality about drug addiction being a choice, and that really couldn't be further from the truth.  The consequences of that mentality mean that we may not be providing the empathy or level of care that we should be.  This blog talks about how drugs affect the

By: Charisce Anderson It’s Fire Prevention Week, ya’ll! Do you ever wonder how the fire departments get big incidents under control? In Illinois (and a few other states because they’re realizing how awesome it is), they participate in MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) which is a non-discriminatory mutual aid system that works in conjunction with IEMA (Illinois Emergency Management Agency) to handle fire, EMS and specialized incident operations. Agencies are broken up int