Lori Henricksen, BX3 Public Safety owner and training consultant and creator of the Emergency Telecommunications Program at VTCTA, and Lily Petersen, former student of the program and current communications specialist supervisor at the Las Vegas Combined Communications Center, discuss the benefits of providing high school students with career technical education (CTE) in emergency dispatching.
Erika Lakey, ENP and CMCP, and Yasmen Barnett, ENP and CMCP, talk about emergency response career paths inside and outside of the comm. center, including how to branch out of or enhance your current role.
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.
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.
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.
Previously, researchers have identified barriers and facilitators to using 911 in Black and Hispanic communities. However, there are many other groups that have access to 911 service, who have not yet been represented in the literature. Prior to this study, a Community Engagement Studio (a focus group forum) was held to solicit input from representatives of various diverse communities in Salt Lake Valley on their attitudes, experiences, and perceptions of their local 911 services.
