It’s that time again, APCO 2019 - THE conference for public safety communications professionals! If you’re like most, you’ve probably planned out quite a bit of your trip to Baltimore. If it’s your first time, it has been a while or you’ve been before here are a few tips, tricks and survival hacks to making it a successful conference.

There is no doubt that the duties of being
a 911 dispatcher in the United States are demanding and intense. There are over 240 million calls made to 911 each year, and each one of those callers needs the person on the other end of the line to be calm, collected, and efficient.

Regardless if you work a traditional 9-5 or a 12 hour night shift, its likely you know what hitting the midday wall feels like! Your day probably starts off with a cup of coffee or energy drink, then you're  feeling pretty good, and ready to conquer the day. Next, is lunch, hopefully giving you a chance to step away or maybe you're forced to eat at your desk and as the day wears on, it happens… the wall! That drowsy feeling you get every afternoon with several hours left on the clock.

Picture this, it's two days before the Holidays and your Mother-in-law, relative, someone you want to impress, calls to say you are on "Pie Duty" (and no store bought pie will do)! WHAT? You’ve NEVER baked anything in your life, let alone a holiday PIE! For the entire family! And of course, the Great American Bake Show doesn't have an apple pie episode you can YouTube. This is an emergency! What do you do?

What were they thinking having the RSNA show in late November, on Thanksgiving weekend, and in Chicago? It might seem a bit strange, but the event organizers do this every year!

While the weather was beautiful last year, other years have been extremely cold and snowy. I know firsthand all about Chicago’s brisk weather because I was born and raised here, and I just moved back. Let's just say, you never know what you are going to get. It was so cold one year that the frigid weather created a sculpture of ice right off of the lake. Another year it was so windy and cold that the toll booth guy tore off the gate after it wasn’t working properly.

Ouch! My hip hurts, my back hurts, my hip and back - OUCH! What is wrong? What have I done to myself now? Have you ever said this to yourself? I know I have on a daily basis and I am sick of it!

It all started with pain in my neck and shoulder area and I attributed it, like most people, to to stress. I carry everything in my shoulders. Fast forward a few months, now, my hips and lower back ache. What can I blame that on? I know exactly where to point the finger... at myself. I mean, I am physically active, but my activities are not done with proper preparation. Where am I going with this you ask? Let’s talk about hip your flexors!

I must start off by saying that I am extremely proud to be a part of such an amazing community within the public safety industry. I was inspired to write this blog by those I feel who are making a difference within the 911 community. Specifically, those who are closest to me are my friends behind Operation 10-8, 911 Training Institute, Within the Trenches, and Kim Turner, LLC.

I’m just going to say it, employee morale and company culture have a huge effect on the workplace. Absenteeism, lost productivity and poor health have all been directly attributed to morale in a workplace. So in a 24/7 industry like 911 dispatch, how can you improve morale and company culture, while adhering to policies and guidelines.

5,4,3,2,1…. Happy New Year!

What an exciting time of year this is. A brand new year signifies 365 blank pages to fill with memories and growth. I don’t know about you, but the new year brings a new sense of hope for me. I want to grow and expand my horizons, and I also want to be better than I was the year before. I want to start this year off with a bang, go full speed ahead, and be ready to take on the world! As a professional in the 911 industry, you have very busy, stressful days and there’s no time like the present to make yourself a priority.