Be the Difference - Schedule

   

All Times Eastern

Monday, January 31, 2022
8:00-8:30 am
 Welcome to BTD Virtual Conference/Opening Keynote
Nathan Lee & Dawn Shumway
  Nathan Lee, CEO & Founder, of the Denise Amber Lee Foundation will kick-off the SECOND Be the Difference Virtual Conference. 

Opening Keynote: Suicide rates are climbing globally... nationally... and in my home state of Utah, what is viewed as a family state; suicide is the #1 cause of death for ages 10-24.  As alarming as those statistics are, it is even worse for public safety.  Those in public safety are not only not immune to suicide, but are dying at their own hands at a rate even worse than the regular public.  This class is for you. For your 911 Center.  For your agency.  Be empowered with tools to help you fight to stay despite all odds no matter how unimaginably messy life gets.  Despite the losses that we will feel in this life, life is still amazing.  It's beautiful, fun, and filled with breathtaking experiences.  This isn't just another mental health class.  This is real.  A real story, from a real 911 dispatcher, who suffered real incomprehensible losses in life including losing some of her family.  In this raw tell-all story, recognize the power of little things, and be inspired to make a difference in someone's life; especially your own.  
       
8:45-9:15 am
 Five Qualities to Help You Make the Difference
Lashinda Stair
How do you make a difference in the most difficult of situations? What do you bring to the team to help others deal with the intensity of the moment? Lashinda Stair, who served 25 years with the Detroit Police Department, will share what she has observed and experienced as the five key qualities we can nurture and grow to help us be the difference in the moments that matter. Lashinda held the rank of Police Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Inspector, Deputy Chief and 1st Assistant Chief. She believes our ability to give without judgment is the outcome of these qualities, allowing us to shine every day.
 
9:15-9:30 am
 Be the Difference Award Presentation
Nathan Lee
  Nathan Lee will announce 1 of 3 Be the Difference Award Winners  
9:30-10:30 am
 Feedback is Your Friend
Halcyon Frank
  Regular feedback is an integral part of a highly effective communications center, but the thought of giving it can be overwhelming. This session will explore how to give regular feedback to help employees improve performance and strengthen relationships.
10:45-11:45 am
 The Business of Leadership
Doug Showalter
  Like a lot of people, you probably thought leadership was all about rank, title, and position within an organization. Leadership is definitely not. This is traditional thinking, by equating leadership that comes from having some kind of position, title, or rank. True Leadership is more about your actions and interactions, it’s about doing what is right, not what’s popular. What if we characterized leadership differently, could it change your overall outlook? Perhaps the most important lesson learned is that everyone in an organization has the ability and sometimes the obligation to lead. Our specially designed leadership course provides proven techniques and methods to become a successful leader no matter your position or title.
12:00-1:00 pm
 The New Technology Assistant - Helping Telecommunicators and Supervisors Save Lives
Christine Cooper, Michael Spencer, Kim Siepert
With all the challenges public safety agencies face today, new technology in the PSAP must earn it’s keep starting day one. To do that it must become a valuable assistant that helps clarify decisions, relieve stress and provide mobility. Join us as we hear from Christine Cooper, Okaloosa County, FL and Michael Spencer, Memphis PD, discuss the new technology they have implemented to assist and improve their day-to-day operations, creating a better experience for telecommunicators, supervisors, first responders and the communities they serve.
12:00-1:00 pm
 Targeting 911 Quality Assurance for Success
Patrick Botz
Quality Assurance is essential to 911. Undoubtedly, your center has implemented some form of Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement (QA/QI) program. But is your QA/QI program as effective as it could be? And is it really making an impact on incident response and staff performance? In the words of famed coach John Wooden, the key to success isn’t just what you do, but how you do it, and at the end of the day in the results you achieve. If you’re still doing QA manually and without an aim on risky incidents or performance patterns, or only focusing on randomly evaluating EMD calls, you could be missing out on bigger opportunities for improvement. In this session, we’ll share best practices to help you target Quality Assurance to get the most from your QA/QI program.

 

Learn how to:

 - Use key performance metrics to identify where to target your Quality Assurance efforts Leverage CAD-driven QA to focus Quality Assurance on calls that matter most, while making the most of limited resources

-  Expand QA to provide coverage for all areas including police and fire calls, text-to-911 handling and radio dispatch

-  Review operator console screen recordings along with audio calls for deeper QA insights
-  Use data-driven performance dashboards to track and monitor improvements

12:00-1:00 pm
 We Don’t Have the Funding For That 
Chris Thompson, Tina DeCola, Megan Lewis, Tanya Lee
  In this session we are going to have a panel discussion with some of our frontline heroes and talk about the trials that the public safety industry is experiencing currently.  We will talk about things to do RIGHT NOW to help improve the culture of your center and give you solutions to some of the most difficult struggles including peer support, morale, and safety all while not costing a lot as we know, especially during these times, funding is an issue now more than ever!
12:00-1:00 pm
 Platinum Sponsor Vendor Hall Session  
  TBD
1:15-2:15 pm
 When Policy Kills
Tony Harrison
  The course is designed to examine policies that some agencies have that are ineffective and could possibly hamper response to an emergency and in extreme cases could lead the potentially fatal consequences. The purpose of this class is designed to get you thinking, to challenge some thoughts you may have had in the past and to present some ideas that you may not have thought.
2:30-3:30 pm
 Preparing for Your Worst Day(s)
Greg Hauser
  Have you asked yourself, “What constitutes a bad day for our PSAP?” Disasters show themselves in numerous ways. Some are manmade; some are naturally occurring, some of them are self-inflicted. In all of these cases, we must be preparing ourselves to react to whatever challenge faces us quickly. This session will provide a fundamental approach to managing a disaster before it manages you.
3:45-4:45 pm
 Thing I Wish I Was Taught About Money Growing Up
Susi Marsan
  When you were younger, were you ever taught sound money principles, such as how to budget? Why is it that something so important is not really taught to us in school? As we get older, we’re expected to know how to do it automatically. Well truth be told; we’re not taught how to deal with our finances, so we run into problems as we enter adulthood. Get ready for an interactive session on how to take actual steps that will help you gain control of your financial situation. You’ll be taught how to budget, how to assign a name to every dollar you earn, how to use important financial tools and how to get debt free while living on a 9-1-1 income. Take action to achieve your financial goals in due time. Come prepared to receive knowledge for FREE. 
5:00-6:00 pm
 High School Program
Lily Petersen, Lori Henriksen
  Every department struggles with recruiting and retention in the Communications Center but reaching out to the high school level can help! There is a whole new generation of new and excited dispatchers waiting to be hired! Explore different programs that can bring a refreshing new perspective to your Communications Center.
       
6:15-7:15 pm
 Facebook LIVE Wrap-up
Ricardo Martinez, Nathan Lee
  Facebook LIVE Wrap-up Party with Nathan & Ricardo
       

Day 2 Schedule

Day 3 Schedule