Breakouts:
Tuesday 11 am
Complex Incidents - Before, During, After
Room: Big Thompson A
Speakers: CJ Bailes and Angie Johnson
Breakout Description: An all-hazards look at critical incidents, using examples from worked incidents and those recently in the news. We’ll cover currently used and best practices of what to do before, during, and after these events.
Speaker Bios: CJ has been in Public Safety for 26 years and has held many positions including CTO, Lead, and Supervisor. He is currently a Supervisor at South Metro Fire and has been with the department for 15 years. Angie has been in dispatch for 21 years and with South Metro for the past 18. She was a victim Advocate prior to working in Fire/EMS. Angie has experience as a dispatch supervisor and is currently a Lead and CTO with South Metro.
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome! (Let's talk about it)
Room: Big Thompson B
Speakers: Joey Samuels, Paul Harris, and Clarissa Nieves
Description: This presentation will highlight ways that Aurora911 has adapted their way of thinking to listen to the needs of the employees while also looking at the big picture of the center. These ideas can be easily adapted to any center struggling with ongoing change. From modifying the QA process, to having two trainees train together with one trainer, to getting a coffee and popcorn machine, Aurora911 always looks for ways to improve the work environment for the team with out of the box thinking and not listening to the destructive “this is the way we have always done it” mantra.
Speaker Bios: My name is Joey Samuels and I currently work as a Professional Development Specialist for Aurora 9-1-1. I have worked in telecommunications for 6+ years as a call taker, police, and fire dispatcher. I currently hold certifications for CIT, CTO (APCO/NENA), CTOI, Active Shooter, EMD-Q, EFD-Q, Mental Health & First AID and CPR. I was 2020 Trainer of the Year for a consolidated agency and nominated for APCO 2020 Trainer of the Year. I am passionate about training and pride myself on being people centric in ever-changing environments where people remain the focal point. My goals are to create unique environments conducive to training that will not only build individuals from a professional standpoint but also personally. Quality people make extraordinary impacts wherever they go.
ENP: Benefits, Points, and How the Test is Written
Room: Carter Lake A
Speakers: Brad Flanagan and Matthew Harwell
Description: This session breaks down what the Emergency Numbers Professional Certification is, how the points are earned in order to take you test, how to earn points to recertify after having taken your test, and how the examination itself is written.
Speaker Bios: Brad Flanagan is the Emergency Operations Manager for the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center in Aspen, Colorado, with more than 13 years of experience in Emergency Communication Center Operations.
Brad earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Master’s Degree in Public Administration, has completed his Emergency Numbers Professional Certification, and is a Registered Public-Safety Leader.
Brad has committed himself to the improvement of 9-1-1 and Emergency Communications by enhancing and modernizing operations, leadership principles, and equipment. To achieve this goal, Brad actively participates in State and National level committees and boards. Currently, Brad sits on the Colorado NENA/APCO Chapter as the Western Region Representative, the Western Region Delegate for the NENA Institute Board, the Co-Chair of the NENA Futurists Committee, and a voting member of NENA’s Directional Steering Council.
Recognizing and Avoiding Cognitive Biases
Room: Carter Lake B
Speaker: Daryl Branson
Description: A cognitive bias is a way that the human mind is naturally prone to misinterpreting reality, and if you're human, it happens to you! The human mind is complicated and contains a lot of shortcuts to help us navigate everyday life. Sometimes these shortcuts can be very useful, but sometimes they lead us to making poor decisions can can make us less effective in our careers.
This class will introduce the attendee to:
- What cognitive biases are.
- How they can affect your work.
- How you can recognize them.
- How you can avoid them.
Speaker Bio: Daryl Branson is the State 911 Program Manager for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Missouri State University and is certified both as an Emergency Number Professional (ENP) by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and a Registered Public Safety Communications Leader (RPL) by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, Intl. (APCO). Daryl has over 25 years of experience in 9-1-1, having previously served as a 9-1-1 telecommunicator in Missouri, a 9-1-1 call center shift supervisor in Wisconsin, a 9-1-1 call center director in New Mexico, and Executive Director of the Colorado 9-1-1 Resource Center. He currently serves as Treasurer for the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA) and the Colorado 9-1-1 Resource Center, and has served on a number of national committees and working groups, including the FCC's 9-1-1 Fee Diversion Strike Force.
Using Z Axis and Indoor Location Tech to Locate 911 Callers Faster
Room: Lake Loveland A
Speaker: Tyler Thompson
Description: In addition to the FCC requiring wireless carriers to provide z-axis location information along with a 9-1-1 call, a new proposed rule by the FCC will also require location based routing be used to route calls to the appropriate ECC (versus traditional cell sector routing). In this session, attendees will learn how GIS technology is making this location information meaningful and useful for ECCs. Using GIS, location Information from wireless carriers will reduce response times by providing ECCs with a dispatchable location for wireless callers, including the building name, street address, floor and room where a caller is located.
Speaker Bio: Tyler Thompson has spent more than 30 years helping federal, state and local government agencies solve complex problems using GIS, as well as data visualization and analytics solutions. Ty entered the public safety industry following 9/11, and has never looked back. As our industry transitions from legacy to NG9-1-1 networks, applications, and advancements in location services, Ty is excited to work with public safety agencies to help them plan, prepare, and realize the benefits that advancements in technology brings.
Manager/Director Roundtable (Part 2)
Room: Lake Loveland B
Panel Discussion