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.

With the holidays coming right around the corner, many 911 Comm Centers are experiencing increased call volume, and because of this, you may not have any creative juices left over to boost morale in your center. So, to help you out, I conducted a phone interview with Tammy Price, Chief of Baltimore County 911 Center, to discuss some ideas on how to ramp up morale that actually work in the real world. She is no stranger to cool and fun ideas. In fact, she has given presentations on how to boost morale in Comm Centers three times at various APCO/NENA conferences.

Some of the best people I’ve ever worked with are those in the 911/Public Safety Industry. And while most of us are at home in our stretchy Thanksgiving pants enjoying the company of family and loved ones, someone needs to be someone on the other line of a 911 call in case of emergency. So, here is a shout out to all of you 911 Dispatchers &  Turkey foregoer’s. I've put together a list of how you might be able to have a bit of a good ol’ Thanksgiving celebration even while you are at work.

Before diving too deep into this subject, let’s start with the basics. What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? How can it affect you?

PTSD is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event. A person may develop this disorder in response to extreme trauma that he/she has experienced, witnessed, or learned about, especially trauma that is life-threatening or causes bodily harm. A person may feel horror, fear, or helplessness because of this trauma.

The famous pumpkin spice flavor has made its way onto the store shelves, announcing that fall is officially here. Many people are absolutely obsessed with pumpkin spice, so this is a special time for many fall-loving folks. As a child from the ‘70s, it was Count Chocula gracing my supermarket aisles that got me excited. To this day, I still love Count Chocula.  

Speaking of pumpkin spice, recently, I read about how an entire high school was evacuated due to a plug-in pumpkin spice air freshener. I’m not sure how bad it actually smelled, but the story made me think about the many scents that lurk around a 911 dispatch center. When you work in close proximity with others for long periods of time, you’re bound to run into some strange ones.

Public safety professionals work in very unique settings, and they experience an intense job flow that most working people are not used to. 911 Dispatchers are always ready and on high-alert for that next phone call. Unlike a typical office job, a 911 Dispatcher cannot always leave their desk to take a walk outside, go down to the lobby for coffee, or check out of work an hour early.

We at the Johnson County KS Emergency Communications Center pride ourselves on our operations and the technology we have available to use to do our jobs every day. We provide Fire and EMS services, and are a secondary PSAP, providing 911 call taking and dispatching for fire and medical calls, with certified EMD call takers for medical events. We service 10 fire agencies and 2 ambulance agencies, dispatching and managing resources before, during, and after events.