Kerri Hatt, editor-in-chief of EMS 1, and Anthony Minge, Senior Partner with Fitch & Associates, discuss the 2021 EMS Trend Report, including what insights and markers have changed since the 2020 report and which ones haven't.
Melissa Alterio, Director of Emergency Communications at Cobb County 911, discusses her paper “Peer Support Programs – Mitigating the Emotional Effects of Vicarious Trauma Experienced by 911 Dispatchers.” She talks about the methods for writing it and the takeaways for emergency dispatchers.
Cait Welch, Quality Assurance Officer and Coordinator at Manatee County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, discusses how to cope with working in an understaffed center, including ways to approach recruiting, retention, and positivity.
Kim Ridgen, Associate Director of Accreditation for the IAED, discusses barriers and drivers of success dispatch agencies face when they are trying to become accredited centers of excellence (ACEs), including agency culture, timeline for the achievement, and protocol compliance.
Alexia Jobson and Adam Heinz from the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA Health) in Reno, Nevada, discuss some PR basics for your dispatch agency, including social media tips and ways to improve your relationship with the media.
Ricardo Martinez II, host and creator of the Within The Trenches podcast, discusses how Within the Trenches got started, how it’s grown since then, and what it means to emergency dispatchers to have a platform where they can share their stories and connect with their colleagues across continents. For Your Information: Listen to Within the Trenches here (or wherever you get your podcasts): https://www.withinthetrenches.net/podcast
Amanda Lindgren and Ben Bills with the El Paso-Teller 9-1-1 Authority discuss their agency’s outreach program, including opt-in phone alerts for residents, a 28-foot mobile classroom, and a podcast of their own.
Lori Henricksen, director of the emergency telecommunications program for high schoolers at the Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas (Nevada), discusses the creation of her program and the challenges it presents, as well as the benefits of training teenagers for careers in first response.
Lavonne C. Hall, president and CEO, and Mark Corum, director of media services, discuss the history of Hall Ambulance Service. Hall Ambulance is based in Bakersfield, California, and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. They talk about how it started and the milestones it’s achieved along the way.
Sami Pohl and Erica Snyder, dispatchers with the City of Loveland Emergency Communications Center in Loveland, Colorado, discuss their podcast How to: 911, which they use to answer common questions and misconceptions held by the public about emergency services.
