Be the Difference - Day Three Schedule

All Times Eastern

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

8:00-8:30 am
 Keep on Keeping On
Megan Lewis & Tanya Lee
Megan Lewis and Tanya Lee will wrap up the last day of the conference in this keynote and lift you up during this difficult and trying time as we are all still battling with major struggles in the industry.  We are all in this together and we will continue to lift each other up and “keep on keeping on”. 

 
8:30-8:45 am
 Be the Difference Award Presentation
Nathan Lee
  Nathan Lee will announce 1 of 3 Be the Difference Award Winners

8:45-9:15 am
 An Emergency Landing
Ricardo Martinez
 

This job is not an easy one. Sometimes you feel like you’re crashing, you feel like your airplane is going down. You may feel that there is no one to turn to, however, there is always a chance to ask for help. We just have to listen, and allow ourselves to make a safe landing. 3 years ago I had an incident on an airplane. It was scary but it really put life into perspective. This incident is used as a way to compare real life experience to what we deal with in dispatch and how we can overcome.


 
       
9:30-10:30 am
 Finding Your Light Again
Matt Grogan
  If there’s a term we’ve all heard and dealt with in this career, its burnout.  You’ve seen it, you’ve heard it, and most of us have experienced it.  How do we get out of it though?  How do we find our motivation, our light, for this profession again.  When we think of burnout, or demotivation, there’s one large misconception, it’s that whenever you’re unmotivated, you’re likely to assume that you’re struggling with the same problem. The truth: Demotivation is a category of problems, containing many variations. When you thinks there’s only one kind of demotivation, you’ll apply the same old strategies whenever you feel unmotivated.  Let’s have a frank and real conversation about what it really takes to find our way out of the darkness of burnout, and find your light again.  
       
10:45-11:45 am
 Emergency Dispatcher Resilience
Edie DeVilbiss, Rev. Dr.
  The number one struggle in emergency communications is employee retention. The high turnover is related to difficult relationships within the communications center. Often, Compassion Fatigue is at the root of the behavior we see in interpersonal conflicts. This training reveals the causes of Compassion Fatigue and its effects both on the individual and on group dynamics. Because humans are complex, different aspects of self are addressed. Resilience and recovery are both dependent upon strong self-care habits. The principles of habits are simplified and a clear path to implementation is offered.
       
12:00-1:00 pm
 Why It Ain’t Easy to Change Your Center’s Culture - And What You Can Do About It
Adam Timm
  When I ask a manager or supervisor what they see as their center’s biggest challenge, I often hear, “The culture. If we could improve the culture, then we’d be in a much better place.” The problem with this statement is that center culture is not a single challenge. It’s the sum of many different variables, all of them important. In this fast-paced, interactive session, learn the essential ingredients that comprise your center’s culture, and choose the steps you’d like to take to make lasting improvements to help you create an organization that people want to work for.
       
1:15-2:15 pm
 HELP ME! I’m the Difficult Employee!
Melissa Alterio & Samantha Hawkins
  In this session, we will explore the COMPLETELY real-life scenario of a 3-year dispatcher that has suddenly become difficult to manage. The dispatcher: none other than yours truly. Attendees will hear from a formerly difficult employee who has “been on the brink of termination,” and will learn how empathy, understanding, and "listening to their needs” can go a long way in managing them to greatness. They will also hear the perspective of a proven people-driven leader and ECC director on how leadership is not a one-size-fits-all model, and how the ways managers discipline, with the purpose of improving employees' behavior, should not be either. Participants will be encouraged to interact, to get engaged in the conversation, and to envision how they would handle a “good” employee who’s exhibiting some difficulties in their on-duty performance. 
       
2:30-3:30 pm
 Making a Real Connection: Critical Elements in Training
Joe Serio
  One of the most important, and frequently undervalued, positions in a 9-1-1 center is that of trainer. The trainer will have a disproportionate impact on the success of the trainee, which, in turn, will influence every aspect of the comm center. Likewise, the training that trainers undergo if often lacking or non-existent. This session addresses core elements required in effective training.
       
 3:45-4:45 pm
 NG911 For the Rest of Us
Sara Weston & Leah Missildine
  Does NG911 seem like a technical concept that only system engineers understand? This session will reverse that way of thinking! We'll discuss NG911 project deployment from the perspective of a state where all 911 centers are now on an NG911 network. We'll cover basic NG911 terms and what to expect in your centers as the nation works towards the next generation of 911. We hope to convince you that NG911 technology is for everyone. 
       
5:00-6:00 pm
 The Dust Has Settled - SUBPOENA!!!
Joe McCarville
  Have you ever taken a call or been working and received a subpoena to testify in court?  Have you ever heard from someone that has testified in local, federal and civil court (or depositions)?   This session will explain a few real-life situations and provide ideas on how you can be ready for future subpoenas.   The session will conclude with a Q&A session with Nathan Lee and how best practices in the PSAP helps your agency prepare to testify. 
       
6:15-7:15 pm
  Facebook LIVE Wrap-up
Ricardo Martinez & Nathan Lee
   Facebook LIVE Wrap-up Party with Nathan & Ricardo
       
       

Day 1 Schedule

Day 2 Schedule