Co-creator Rich Thacker and I are excited you've discovered 911ProTV, and especially to introduce you to this new concept that's all about joining, supporting and celebrating the 911 community.

As a 911 trainer and advocate, I recently realized that there is no place online designed to bring 911 professionals together via fully interactive/multimedia to trade stories, gain new ideas & insights, and encourage each other about this weird, wild and extraordinary world you live and work in each day.

For years I've heard dispatchers talk about how much it means to be able to get out of the PSAP and attend NENA , NAED, or APCO conferences to network with your peers. But the fact is that most 911 dispatchers don't have the privilege of attending these in-person events on a regular basis. So you are there at the console each day,month after month, busting your butss helping the public in all their crazy pain and demands, dealing with new tech demands, and the unavoidable people issues that go with living with each other-- 911 admin and co-workers: hey, work is work and we're all adults, so that's just life, but all that grind can get old, tiring, and incredibly stressful. That's why it feels great to shoot the crap with folks from other 911 centers at annual conferences, go to training where you can "network" and stimulate your brain with fresh education, and just 'GET AWAY'!

Well,  I realized too that Rich, in addition to being an excellent 911 professional also had a great background in radio and media. So, I yanked him to the side at the 2011 Michigan NENA Conference and started blathering:
"Hey, why not help 911 telecommunicators get away while they're still at the console by logging onto an online 911 TV Network during those downtimes when they've got a few minutes...they could actually have fun watching/listening to 911 stories from their peers all over the world (okay, we'll settle for North American, but are 112 Pros in Europe out there!?)..."

Rich was instantly onboard, and the more we talked, the bigger and more refined this idea became. "...Right! What if we could support dispatchers building their own profession by creating the platform for them to tell their own stories, watch great 911 videos we create as MiniTraining, videos we create that are just funny, or gutsy enough to talk about the tougest calls you take and what to do with them, videos YOU and your co-workers make that inspire, teach, or make us all laugh?

So here we are! We'll start small, but with your help we can all shape, enjoy, and own 911ProTV as the first place to visit online when you're bored but don't want to just sit feeling duller by the moment--when you want to use your great brains, your wicked sense of humor (we'll have fun censoring ); or, visit us as a contributor when you want to encourage dispatchers who've made the news with a dispatching trip to hell and back--you can send us your own quick video (just email the media file, we'll do the rest!)...or you can post your comments on hot topics and in response to others' messages or clips, or...it's up to you!

One feature you can look forward to on the network will be 911ProTV's Roving DispatcherDroid. As I travel and present at state and national conferences, I will continue using my Droid X to track down and video-interview dispatchers' telling great stories. (It's amazing what 911 people are willing to do if your sincere and wacky enough to ask!) Anyway, look for them here! Want a sample? Check out Natalie Duran of Miami-Dade Fire in the clip on the Dispatch/Droid Video page.  Natalie instituted TERP Stress Management by Massage! (No, that's not a mispelling. We're talking official, legitimate hands-on certified massage by legitimately trained professionals :) Then, when you've watched Natalie's clip, join the Forum (right column) to offer your quick response!  


So, please email me, Jim@911Training.net to let me know what you think, what you like, what you want on 911ProTV. 

Now, if you want to hear Rich's story and why he's joined me in creating this network, check out his message in the next column.

Welcome to 911ProTV!  I'm pleased to be a part of this crusade with Jim Marshall.  I came to public safety in 2005 and currently I am with Eaton County Central Dispatch in Charlotte, MI.  I have a diverse background, from active military to business owner, to media/radio.  Recently I helped produce and voiced the 2011 Michigan Communications DIrector's Association 911 Public Service announcements that aired across Michigan.  My hobbies include sailing, music and spending time with my wife and daughter.

I am excited to lend my voice to 911ProTV.  Let me say this ... I DO WHAT YOU DO!  I not only have a passion for the industry but I am a full time dispatcher.  I understand what it takes to do this job - the challenges, the frustrations, and the joys. 
 
What a collection of people!  Look around any communication center and you find a diverse group of people.  People from all walks of  life, different backgrounds, education level, different strengths, different weaknesses… but combined we make an incredible team, capable of handling one of the most demanding jobs in the world.  We embrace risk, we are not afraid to try new things, experiencing the triumphs and joy, doing the best we can with what we have been given, finding our next steps forward.  We live and work in a world that is a paradox– we must constantly balance compassion and directness, we balance care and concern, we live between listening and talking.  We constantly struggle to find balance. 

We realize that people matter.  That in the midst of someone’s tragedy,
on possibly the worst day of someone’s life, when the stress of the job at hand
is at it’s highest … we never lose sight of the human factor.   We are conscious that someone is in need of the very best that we can give them.  We realize that nothing human is foreign to us.  
 
We are so diverse and yet so similar. The unity that we bring to the dispatch center doesn’t always mean conformity. Our individuality shines through in each and every thing that we do.  We don’t all play trombone but we are all in the band. 
There are no lone rangers in dispatch, we know that we don’t need a title
to be a leader, we comprehend that when the tide comes in it lifts all the
boats. We are a bunch of sell outs.  Sold out to doing the very best that we possibly can. With this clarity comes the wisdom to do a job that most would find impossible.  We never stop at fine!  As terrific as we are, what if we allowed ourselves to  think differently?  What if what is  normal in our centers changes? What if we take the ordinary and make it extraordinary?  What if we allowed  ourselves to be part of a revolution to change the culture of our center?   What if we were willing to step out of our comfort zone, to look for ways to improve our lives and the lives of those around us – conventional or unconventional ways?  What if we refused to accept the status quo that says all dispatch centers are miserable places to work filled with jaded and bitter people?  What if those change revitalized our 
entire industry?   What if you were the catalyst?  What if the change started with you?  What if you led the way?

So I have a question for you?  Are you willing to put yourself out there?  As dispatchers let’s commit ourselves to be part of the revolution.  We will
live like champions, work like champions – we are not scared of the next call, the next cry for help, the next angry citizen.  We are the caring voice on the other end of the line for a child in need.  We are a calm voice for the officer in trouble. We are the strong voice for the victim.  We are the people of our community, serving our community.  
 
We are not afraid to take the tough call, to go the extra mile, to purserve when things go south. We are not afraid to draw a line in the sand for those who cannot draw it for themselves.  This is who we are -these are our people, these are our families, these are our communities and cities … this is our story.    We don’t back down, fall back or down play the work that has to be done.  We don’t just take a stand – we move forward.  We rise upward and we don’t stop ever –period.  We
don’t stop caring, learning, striving, or helping.

We all have a part to play. Play your part today!

Let me know what you think, rlthack@ymail.com.