Classes and Presentations
In Person Classes
A Victim's Plea; Meeting Expectations
In this full-day course, students are exposed to a riveting, emotional roller coaster of critical 911 failures that occurred the night Denise was kidnapped, raped, and murdered. Nathan Lee, founder and President of the Denise Amber Lee Foundation, and a 911 professional tie together the elements of the Denise Amber Lee tragedy. A positive and uplifting presentation, students will learn of the obvious failures that day to the more in-depth concepts such as leadership, hiring, training and encouraging employees in a communications center. (8 hours)
Hope in the Midst of Chaos; Lessons Learned From The Las Vegas Shooting Story
Quiet turned to terror the evening of Sunday October 1, 2017 at the Combined Communications Center of Las Vegas. A lone gunman had opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival, on the famous Las Vegas Strip, where 22,000 concert-goers were in attendance. Calls poured into the center as people were running for their lives. From gunshot wounds to trample victims, misinformation to scene safety issues, Matt Grogan from Las Vegas Fire and Rescue discusses his experience that evening, the lessons they learned from this event, and how you can prepare and adapt for a new normal. (8 hours)
Overcoming Adversity
This class talks about the life story of Dawn Shumway. When Dawn was 9 years old, her mother and sister were killed by her father. Later, she had to runaway from her placement home to escape sexual abuse. Then, at 17, trying to survive on her own, she was hit by an SUV while biking home from work. She was flown to a hospital and had emergency brain surgery. Life felt destined to be nothing more than riddled with incredible pain. So when the hospital released her with oxycontin, she decided to head to her family's grave and end things on her terms, but she didn't. At 18 she applied to be a 911 dispatcher, and built a new chapter. Dawn shares her skills that you can take away today to empower your life, find positivity when it seems impossible, build resilience, and create hope in both work and your personal life. This is a raw look at how messy life can truly be yet how we can overcome it and not just survive, but thrive. (4 hours)
Say This Not That
In this class, Dawn Shumway will go over word tips and simple phrases that foster better communication and relationships. These tips will not only positively impact your callers and co-workers inside your 9-1-1 center, but will also make a huge positive impact with your relationships with your friends and family. Dawn will also discuss the negative impacts of emotional suppression statements, and help the students understand normal human responses when someone is functioning under the emotional centers of the brain. Attendees will add tools to their toolbox that they can use instantly after this class. (4 hours)
Best Practices of a Successful CTO; Training the Adult Learner
As the greatest initial influence of new telecommunicators and as a representative of your agency, we will discuss the vital role of setting the standard and direction of your communications center. From the first orientation, including phased training, documentation, and grading, we will work through proven best practices from experienced CTOs and supervision. Training adult learners is always a challenge, adding the factors of a high stressed work environment, the challenge reaches nearly impossible levels, all while meeting the needs for adult learners while also meeting the needs and demands of a successful CTO Training Program. (8 hours)
Best Practices of a Successful QA/QI Program
The Denise Amber Lee tragedy rocked headlines and gained national attention because of the absolute perfect storm of errors and mistakes that were made in January of 2008. In 2015, The Denise Amber Lee Foundation was a driving force behind the first ever ANSI Standard for the Establishment of a Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement Program for Public Safety Answering Points, Five board members from the foundation were part of the comprehensive national workgroup that crafted this document. Sherrill Ornberg, the Quality Assurance Director of the Denise Amber Lee Foundation, and Nathan Lee, President and CEO, will inspire, motivate, and help drive you to create a comprehensive Quality Assurance/Improvement process for your communications center. (8 hours)
Human Trafficking Preparedness for the 9-1-1 Professional
Human trafficking is perhaps the fastest growing crime in our nation. Despite media awareness in recent times, human trafficking is almost hid-den in many circumstances. It manifests itself in unimaginable ways and is growing at an incredible pace. In this full day course, Tina DeCola, from Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, will teach 9-1-1 Professionals and Field Personnel critical factors about human trafficking, its link to other heinous crimes, and resources to aid them in these calls. Awareness and preparedness for this ever-growing threat is key to identifying victims and traffickers. (8 hours)
A Helping Hand: Peer Support for Your Communications Center
We are the first FIRST responders. Call after call, day after day, we listen to people experience the worst day of their entire lives. But at the end of that day who takes care of us and who do we turn to? Learning to take care of each other is crucial in our industry. Therefore, having the tools and resources at hand when your team is in crisis or after a critical incident can make a huge difference in the health and well-being of your center. In this class, through instruction, hands on exercises, and scenario training, you will learn how to set up a peer support team, learn debriefing and defusing skills, suicide awareness, listening skills, and compassion fatigue. Taught by Tina DeCola from Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. (8 hours)
Combating Complacency
It can be easy to slip into complacency when day to day tasks become familiar and almost routine. This can cause dispatchers to become less attentive, thorough, and potentially allow standards to slip. This session looks at how we prepare for the unexpected and maintain our focus despite the ease of complacency. Taught by Halcyon Frank, ENP. (4 hours)
#BeAnEncourager in the Comm Center
The dispatch industry is filled not only with job related stress and worry, but the stress and worry we experience in our personal lives. Every day we each battle negative feedback and experiences both outside and inside our own heads. We’re not alone in fighting these battles though. We each have the power to not only lift each other up, but to provide courage and sometimes invaluable support. During this session we’ll dive into why encouragement matters, what type of encouragement fits us best, and how we can encourage others. Taught by Halcyon Frank, ENP. (4 hours)
Giving Feedback and Handling Criticism
Knowing how to give and receive feedback effectively can change the course of one’s career. Every opportunity to give feedback or when we receive it is an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and others. This session will focus on two types of feedback, how to give it effectively, and how to receive it. How to handle criticism and use it for growth will also be discussed. (4 hours)
Training is a Team Sport
Most often training is left to certain members or departments within an agency. Although their focus may be training, everyone in the center contributes to training whether it's for new employees or seasoned ones. This course discusses how everyone in the center has a role to play when it comes to training. (4 hours)
Face That Fire, The Journey After Traumatic Incidents
Public safety telecommunicators thrive on having nerves of steel. It is an occupational necessity to deal with a daily onslaught of traumatic events making up their 9 to 5. An expectation to not be affected by these events, is on par with walking into water and not expecting to get wet. What happens when there is a break in that armor, and an inner fire develops within you? What steps do you take to face it? During this course you will learn how to pinpoint, identify, and most importantly you will gain an understanding of how to cope with that fire, and the pressures of psychiatric trauma brought on by the job. Instructor Joshua Fonseca, using his experience from working the 1 October Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting, will lead you on a journey, teaching you new ways to handle stressful experiences, both big and small, leaving you with not only the tools necessary, but the roadmap to face that fire and walk right through it.
Domestic Violence; Why They Stay
This session will discuss the mindset of a domestic violence victim and why they continue to stay in their unhealthy environment despite repeated abuse. You will hear firsthand from a domestic violence victim to try and understand the answer to the question, why they stay. This class is designed to help telecommunicators handle these calls with empathy and understanding and give them firsthand knowledge to help. Attendees will learn how to listen for clues and signs on multiple topics of domestic violence such as strangulation, demeanor of the caller, and more, as well as how to process the calls and speak with the victim's or abusers. You will gain specific knowledge on how to handle these calls, what to listen for and resources to help both the dispatcher and the caller. This course is taught by domestic abuse survivor Tanya Lee, and Tina DeCola with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.
Quality Assurance
Learn more about our Quality Assurance programQuality Assurance Evaluator Course
The Quality Assurance Evaluator (QAE) course will prepare the student to perform successfully in the position of QAE. This course will cover the ethics, roles, and functions of a QAE, focusing on strong, objective writing and analytical skills and the general and legal knowledge requirements of a QAE. This course meets the APCO ANS 3.106.2.2017. Additional topics include performance expectations, calibrations, stress management, and professional and career continuing education. After successfully completing this 2 day course and the final exam, the student will earn a QAE certificate.
911 Quality Assurance Evaluator (Online)
The field of public safety communications continues to evolve as lessons learned are incorporated and efforts are made to improve the quality of service provided during times of crisis. Over time we have recognized that training is only one piece and that we must ensure Public Safety Telecommunicators are continually performing at acceptable levels once out of training. Many centers have a Quality Assurance program, but often the personnel involved do not have formal training. This 16-hour self-paced course will help you prepare to be an effective quality assurance evaluator and assist your agency in upholding a high-quality level of service. (It is not required that your center have a Quality Assurance program in place to take this course.)
Online Classes
Learn more about our online classesCertified Training Officer (CTO)
As a CTO you are integral to helping your PSAP train new teammates. You work closely with both new employees and your leadership team to help your center move forward. During this course you'll learn the tools you'll need to be an effective and successful CTO. Topics will include adult learning, the importance of standardized training, the how-to of documentation, and much more!
Center Supervisor
The move from frontline to supervisor can be filled with challenges and it’s not about the title, but about one’s ability to handle the new responsibilities that come along with the role. The goal of this course is to prepare supervisors with the knowledge and skills needed to support and maintain good staff performance, maintain and increase agency efficiency, and improve communication skills. It will also provide knowledge regarding the supervisor’s role in discipline and liability.