Send us a Text Message.Perhaps the most challenging and rewarding role you will take on in the emergency communications field is that of a trainer; those valiant souls who not only endure the struggles of the profession, but have the added burden of ensuring that future telecommunicators are well-equipped to be successful in their careers. Join your host Erica as she discusses some of the keystone principles she has learned about being a certified training operator over the course of her career!

Send us a Text Message.Perhaps the most challenging and rewarding role you will take on in the emergency communications field is that of a trainer; those valiant souls who not only endure the struggles of the profession, but have the added burden of ensuring that future telecommunicators are well-equipped to be successful in their careers. Join your host Erica as she discusses some of the keystone principles she has learned about being a certified training operator over the course of her career!

Send us a Text Message.Supervision carries with it a great weight of responsibility; from ensuring that policies and procedures of your Department are followed, to training your staff to achieve the very best results from them, to sometimes needing to be a shoulder to cry on or provide life advice. These are common across all industries in supervision, yet there are still others needed when supervising at a 911 center as your actions (or inactions) could have deadly consequences for the people in your community. Join your host Erica as she discusses some of the tips and tricks she has learned about supervision during her tenure in the field of being an emergency first responder.

Send us a Text Message.Many emergency services around the country were depleted of staff after the devastating effects of both the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 Riots, which saw personnel numbers drop as people left the industry. As these departments rebuild, there are challenges and opportunities available for these heroes behind the headsets to move into leadership positions, yet many are hesitant to do so. Some worry that they do not have the experience to make them qualified leaders, other fear they may not have the right characteristics of leadership developed in them, and still more just don't want the added headache and hassles of having to worry about managing their shifts and centers. Join your host Erica as she discusses some of the concerns that many front line employees having of going for a promotion and how, and if, you should try and overcome them.

Send us a Text Message.It is early in the morning at four a.m. and there hasn't been a call at your station in a quarter hour, and you desperately try and keep your eyes open until the dayshift comes in to relieve you. You fight against the tedious boredom of some nights, but your thoughts wander. Suddenly, your line rings and your heart catches as you try and reorganize your thoughts and focus on the job of taking that emergency call.Perhaps that situation could have been avoided and your mind kept focused and sharp if you had been able to relax to a movie on your computer, a video game on your laptop, or even a needle and thread in your lap. Or maybe, the situation would have been aggravated by an additional layer of distraction. In this episode, join your host Erica as she discusses the effects that personal electronic devices and other distracting items can have on your capability as an emergency telecommunicator and how you can stay sharp while not becoming aloof.

Send us a Text Message.During one's career as a telecommunicator, you are bound to hear a lot of very horrific insults and cruel words levied against you personally, even while you work to try and assist the callers or even fellow first-responders on the other end of the line. The why for this is obvious: people generally only interact with emergency services when there is a stressful emergency occurring. But the how you respond to it is critical; not only for your long-term well-being in the industry but also for ensuring that you are doing everything you can get get help where it needs to be. Join your host Erica this week as she tackles the difficulties in keeping your own emotions out of your job so that you can do it effectively; put another way, it's not personal, it's business.

Send us a Text Message.Once a year in the United States, the hard-working men and women behind the headsets of emergency call centers all across the nation are celebrated for the tremendous work and sacrifices they make to keep the community safe. Telecommunicators' Week is a chance for the great achievements and stalwart dedication of the profession to be recognized and shown special appreciation. Different agencies will mark the week in different ways, but it is a chance for the communities to say "Thank You" to those who spend so many thankless hours being that voice on the other end of the radio or the 911 call. This week, we are joined by special guest Roxi Zamora who has been one of the key organizers of the Austin Telecommunicators' week, and who every year spends so much of her time helping to organize and make it a success. Join your host Erica as she discusses this nationwide party of thanks!And from all of us at LifeLine 911 Podcast, we thank each and every one of our emergency operators who sacrifice so much to help so many!

Send us a Text Message.Young callers are a frequent occurrence as emergency call centers, and they provide their own unique challenges and opportunities when assisting them. It also can allow the operator to provide an outsized impact on the child's life and all the lives they touch. How can you as a 911 operator best help out those young voices in need of help, even though they may have trouble providing basic information such as their location to you? Join your host Erica this week as she discusses how to best get the information you need from the mouths of babes.

Send us a Text Message.In many departments across the nation, some police reports have been moved to being done either over the phone or online. These non-emergency calls, typically those which are not in progress and pose no ongoing threat to the life and property of the citizens, might be more efficiently completed remotely rather than having a police officer respond. But, are they worth it to department's do to? And how do the victims of crimes feel about not meeting with an officer to complete a report? In this episode, join your host Erica as she discusses the merits and drawbacks of non-emergency police reporting.

Send us a Text Message.The emergency dispatcher's world is one filled with decisions which must be made in half a heartbeat, where the outcome can lead to tremendous success or terrible failure: do I send my available resources to this noise complaint call at a known narcotics house or to a suspicious person call near the elementary school? Added to that are the limitations of depleted patrol resources across the country, and those choices become even more dear to make. In this world, there are generally two types of dispatchers: the active and the passive. But what is the difference between the two types of dispatchers, which one do you want to strive to be, and how do you get there? Join your hose Erica this week as she discusses just that very topic.

Send us a Text Message.In any large enough group of people, there are bound to be those who feel disconnected from others and from the organization as a whole. So too it sometimes is with Emergency Communicators, the 911 Call Takers and Police Dispatchers who serve their community. This invisible line which separates the two groups can take many forms, can be conscious or subconscious, benign or malignant, but always harms the unity of mission for the center. In this episode, join your host Erica as she discusses some of the effects of this unwanted division and some methods for fighting against it.

Send us a Text Message.In the previous episode, we discussed several methods that Emergency Communications personnel could take care of themselves to have long, successful, and happy careers in the field. In this episode, we discuss pitfalls to avoid in the industry that make it hard to thrive and can lead down paths of despair. Take it from Erica, these are things which you absolutely want to avoid.

Send us a Text Message.As First Responders, we spend a lot of energy and effort in taking care of other people, be it answering emergency calls, dispatching police, fire, and medical personnel, or assisting others in our lives. But there is generally one person we tend to forget in providing, and that is ourselves. We can not adequately do our jobs though if we are not ourselves in good physical, mental, and spiritual shape to help others. Join your host Erica as she discusses way that we can keep ourselves well during our careers.

Send us a Text Message.Training someone as an emergency 911 call taker or dispatcher is one of the most important jobs that you can undertake in the field of being a First Responder. It is also one of the most challenging and rewarding elements of the vocation. What are some of the Dos and Don'ts of being a successful trainer though, to help guide the next generation to fill our shoes when we have moved on? Join your host Erica this week as she shares some of the most salient truths she has learned over twenty years of training others.

Send us a Text Message.Most people think of holidays such as Christmas or President's Day as a time to relax and be off work, where you spend time with friends and family, taking a break from the daily concerns in life. For a First Responder however, a holiday doesn't necessarily mean time away from work. How do those who work in true twenty-four hour professions navigate a good work/life balance during these times? Join your host Erica as she discusses this aspect of First Responder life.

Send us a Text Message.What does it take to be an emergency 911 call taker or dispatcher? What type of person would be a good candidate for the job and what are some of the challenges that people who are interested in the career don't think about when they initially apply? In this episode, we discuss the qualities which make someone a good fit for emergency communication work and how to best succeed at that initial training.

Send us a Text Message.The first episode of the podcast LifeLine.In this episode, veteran emergency dispatcher Erica discusses the fundamentals of a training program for newly hired employees and how to best support trainers during their time of need.