What are the most effective and efficient ways to communicate with those undergoing moments of extreme stress and trauma? Ask these four guests from 9-1-1 Communication Centers (PSAPs) in the El Paso-Teller County region:

Jesus Suarez is a Public Safety Communications Supervisor at Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center and has been a telecommunicator for over eighteen years. He discussed the importance of active listening to discover what callers may be unable to articulate. He also gave tips on how to gain a caller’s attention and rapport during difficult calls.

Alicia Seymour is an Emergency Response Technician with the Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center. She shared how she adapts her communication technique based on the individual.  She has incorporated these quick communication maneuvers to both her trainees and callers to ensure messages are better received.

Mike O’Malley is an Emergency Response Technician with the Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center and has worked for multiple agencies.  He explained ways he has handled difficult callers by providing sympathy and compassion through tone and listening. He recommends that call takers “focus on the result that you need” when working with difficult callers.

Tim McMillin is a 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatcher with the Teller County Sheriff’s Office and has worked several jobs in communications from broadcast communications to telecommunications. He discussed the importance of active listening and knowing your audience in terms of effective communication. He emphasized ways to “hear what they are not saying” when processing calls.

Learning a new job can be challenging but when the stress of that job includes real emergencies, it adds an entirely new element to the feat. We spoke with five guests from Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) to hear their best training stories and how they overcame hurdles both as trainees and trainers.

Below is this episode’s guest lineup:

Nicole Revels is an Emergency Response Technician and is training to be a Public Safety Dispatcher with Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center. She shared one of her first intense calls and how she has grown since then.  She also gave some pointers on how she has continued to improve and set new goals.

Alicia Seymour is an Emergency Response Technician with the Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center. She is also an experienced trainer. She shared some fantastic training stories and how she has been able to make training and learning fun with new telecommunicators.

Mike O’Malley is an Emergency Response Technician with Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center and has worked for multiple agencies.  He discussed some of his training experiences and ways he continues to strive for excellence in the profession.

Sona Babani is an Emergency Services Dispatcher with Thornton Dispatch. She began dispatching after getting out of the military over eleven years ago. Not only did she share some humbling moments when she was in training, but she also provided some ways she has improved how she teaches new call takers and dispatchers. Her approach to learning the psychology behind training has made a major difference in training effectiveness.

Tim McMillin is a 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatcher with Teller County Sheriff’s Office and has worked several jobs in communications from broadcast communications to telecommunications. He gave tips on how to overcome training obstacles and other challenges in this career.

“If we can understand the humans that we are training, then giving them that information becomes easier.” – Sona Babani

The best stories are never ordinary and often unexpected.  In 9-1-1 we often say, "Expect the unexpected." We spoke with six guests from Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in the El Paso-Teller County region, to share their most unusual and challenging calls in this “Round Robin” style podcast episode. 

Below is this episode’s guest lineup:

Eric Johnson is a Shift Supervisor at Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center. He shared some of his interesting calls over his 26 years of experience at multiple agencies.  You can listen to the podcast he referenced, called the Retro Video Store. 

Derek Mitzner is an Emergency Response Technician with Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center and recent award winner of the Telecommunicator of the Quarter for an entrapment call.  While his background is in event broadcasting, he admits that this is the most challenging yet rewarding job he has worked. He retold the story of his award-winning call as well as several other unique calls. 

Jesus Suarez is a Public Safety Communications Supervisor at Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center. According to Jesus, the most challenging calls are the ones that share commonalities in our own lives. He gave some insightful tips on how to process these emotionally and mentally taxing calls. He also touched on resiliency and discussed the importance of active listening to provide callers and responders with better service.

Alicia Seymour is an Emergency Response Technician with the Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center. She shared some unexpected calls and how they have impacted her.  Her perspective on the job and strategies are both uplifting and refreshing. Alicia had tons of tips on how to provide superior customer service and keep a positive outlook.

Mike O’Malley is an Emergency Response Technician with the Colorado Springs Police and Fire Communication Center and has worked for multiple agencies.  He revealed some of his most unusual calls as well as shared some ways he has improved call-processing quality and communication with callers. He provided ways to constructively cope with stress.

Tim McMillin is a 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatcher with Teller County Sheriff’s Office. Prior to dispatch, he worked in broadcast communications to include working for ESPN.  He gave some excellent advice on call documentation, active listening, ways to gain caller cooperation, and how to preserve our mental integrity post-call.

Mauricio Orozco is the Public Information Officer, IT Director, and Data Privacy Liaison for South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs.  He has created several social media campaigns from various National Heritage Months to a Hurricane Guide. He has also led information security and emergency management training and was a keynote speaker at a Hispanic Heritage Month event.

In this episode, Mauricio shares:

• His involvement with Hurricane Andrew and Tropical Storm Allison and how those experiences made him realize a need for improved emergency messaging across different communities
• How he began the process of improving communication with different ethnic populations
• The need to inform and encourage people to get involved in the community
• Emergency messaging and communication with various national and indigenous languages and how to bridge them together
• Current campaigns such as hurricane, tornado, and earthquake preparedness 
• His involvement with Hispanic Heritage Month
• His background in information technology and cyber security and tips
• How his organization handles Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and the overall process

Mauricio references:

• The PIO Podcast
• Daughters of Smoke and Fire
• Pow Wow Life Podcast
• Falling Water as his next destination of choice​​​​​​​

Also, did you know the taco can be traced back to Turkey? It’s fascinating to learn the origins of many cultures to include food, traditions, and rituals!

Jennica Elwell never expected she would pursue a career in 9-1-1 when she was transitioning from the field of cosmetology. And her initial impression of dispatch was just as unanticipated.  After falling in love with dispatch for the Woodland Park Police Department, Jennica has become passionate about protocols and training for a multitude of reasons.  Now a quality assurance analyst and trainer, Jennica continues to strive for innovation and excellence. 

In this episode, Jennica: 

• Provides her story
• Shares why training and protocol usage is so impactful and gives some great tips along the way
• Discusses the Emergency Telecommunicator Course (ETC) from the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) and how she and her team have added their spin to the course
• Continuing Dispatch Education

She references:

• Bob Pike Training, which was helpful in teaching all age groups, specifically adult learners
• One of her top book series that can be found on her Kindle is, A Court of Thorns and Roses

Caryn DeMarco started in public service as a program supervisor with the park district and worked her way into the police department’s communication center. She broadened her knowledge of 9-1-1 when she became the Office Administrator at Will County 9-1-1 Emergency Telephone System in Illinois.  Caryn’s strong work ethic landed her an additional job title when she was given the task of public education.  She sought out resources and networked to ensure her programs would succeed.  And it’s no surprise that Caryn is one of the founders of the National Public Safety Educators Forum (NPEF) as she continues to strive for excellence in the industry. In this episode, you’ll learn more about Caryn DeMarco and:

• Consolidation within Will County due to technology changes over her career (from 9 PSAPs to 3)
• Emergency Telephone Board (ETSB) structures
• 911 funding and distribution
• Public education and outreach tips 

Caryn references:

• Council of Government (COG)
• National Emergency Number Association (NENA)’s page regarding the 9-1-1 surcharge
• Christy Williams with NENA
• Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO)
• National Public Safety Educators Forum (NPEF) 
• Public Educators of Texas (PETS)
• Within the Trenches Podcast hosted by Ricardo Martinez II

Diann Pritchard has quite the story in emergency services.  She began her journey in emergency services working for a volunteer ambulance with a “hotline” that would continuously ring until it was answered. After obtaining the address and nature of the call, the ambulance service would call volunteers to respond.  The discussion of providing volunteer drivers with some medical training was just being discussed.  When Diann moved to Colorado (on the Fourth of July), she worked numerous jobs and became the second woman to join the Green Mountain Falls Fire Department serving as a Firefighter/EMT.  She was always curious to know what happened on the other side of the radio.  And so, when she read an ad for a dispatch position at the Cripple Creek Police Department, she seized the opportunity. Since then, Diann has moved up the ranks to become a Communication Center Manager and 9-1-1 Authority Board Member.

In this episode Diann brings an insight on:

• Changes in emergency services
• Driving forces for protocols and standardization
• Managerial techniques
• Training programs and leveraging individual learning styles
• Benefits of mentor programs
• Quality assurance processes for smaller centers
• First responder classification for telecommunicators
• Leadership and lessons learned

Diann references:

• Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat Caroline Burau 
• NENA’s Center Training (CTO) Program
• 911 SAVES Act

Meet your host, Amanda Lindgren! Amanda has been in 9-1-1 for eight years and has worked as a call taker, dispatcher, and public educator. She’s been able to apply her marketing background to her current role to bring public education programs to a new level. In this podcast episode, Amanda discusses:

• Her experiences in a variety of roles
• Growth in communication and learning how to overcome weaknesses in our individual communication style
• Adaptability to education programs during the pandemic and recent achievements
• How perspectives influence others
• Perfectionism and productivity. Her favorite line: "Not good enough but good for now."

Amanda references:

• The Bob Pike Group
• Party in My Plants Podcast
• Plant Yourself Podcast