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With the holiday season upon us, we have the opportunity to do something special for our 9-1-1 family. During this season of giving, please join me in contributing to NENA’s Gold Line Scholarship Fund.

Like many of you, I’ve been blessed to work for employers who supported my professional development and allowed me to participate in conferences, courses, and events that changed my life and allowed me to grow and flourish in ways that I couldn’t have imagined at the time.

Unfortunately, many 9-1-1 professionals – especially dispatchers – don’t have that support and just can’t afford to continue their education and training. That’s where NENA’s Gold Line Scholarship Program enters the picture and why your support is so vital.  

Our goal for this end-of-year scholarship campaign is $50,000 – enough to provide twenty-five scholarships. It is only through your generosity that we can meet this goal and make a difference! You can donate here or by texting NENA to 71777.

Please join me in saying "Thank you, 9-1-1" by supporting NENA’s Gold Line Scholarship Fund and giving back to those on the front lines of emergency response.  A donation of any amount is deeply appreciated. 

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
-Monica Million, ENP


Learn, Collaborate, & Contribute at the NENA NG9-1-1 Standards & Best Practices Conference!
#NENASBP is a conference unlike any other. It is an interactive, informative, attendee-driven event where you not only learn about the standards that are spurring the development and implementation of NG9-1-1 technology and operations best practices, but also create the guidelines, resources, and documents that enable NG services, systems, and PSAPs to reach their full potential.

With your peers from across the 9-1-1 universe, you’ll discuss and work to address the most pressing NG-related issues, including: GIS and NG-data needs; location services and accuracy; interoperability; telecommunicator SOPs; procurement and transition planning; security and resiliency; social media; apps and the Internet of Things; multimedia messaging and accessibility; disaster planning; staffing, hiring, and training; and the evolution of 9-1-1 center supervision and management.

Click here to see all of the review, workshop, and roundtable sessions happening at #NENASBP! Click here to download the event brochure.

No other event provides you with the opportunity to shape the future of 9-1-1 and impact public safety for decades to come! Don’t miss your chance to be part of it!

Learn more and register. Click here to book your hotel room before the block is sold out!


Stress, Wellness, & Resiliency: A NENA Critical Issues Forum
Stress, PTSD, vicarious and cumulative trauma, burnout, and a variety of other mental and physical ailments plague the 9-1-1 community. We’ve only begun to acknowledge – and fight against – the negative impact of this profession on our lives; we’ve just scratched the surface when it comes to implementing programs to meet the self- and team-care needs of our peers and coworkers. Studies show that increasing overall wellness leads to greater personal and professional satisfaction, less turnover, decreased sick leave, and higher performance... but how do we get there?

Join us on January 23-24 in Austin, TX for this first-of-its-kind event to learn about the mental-, physical-, and organizational-health processes and programs you can use to enable the much-needed change in our community’s mindset, skillset, and culture as it relates to mental health and hygiene. During this interactive day-and-a-half program, you’ll gain the tools and resources you need to keep your team healthy and performing at their best. Topics include: 

  • Managing and fighting stress and its effects
  • Recognizing, preventing, and mitigating burnout
  • Identifying the root causes of poor performance (and correcting them)
  • Combatting PTSD
  • Decreasing stress-related turnover
  • Developing and deploying peer-support programs
  • Utilizing positive-psychology leadership techniques
  • Creating a "culture of wellness"
  • Helping at-risk and struggling employees
  • Preventing suicide
  • Using NENA’s stress standard and critical-incident diffusing tool 

Learn more and register.

 

9-1-1 Goes to Washington (#NENAGTW) brings you and hundreds of your fellow 9-1-1 professionals together with government leaders in our nation's capital to address today's most pressing 9-1-1 and emergency communications issues. #NENAGTW is the only event where you learn about the policy challenges facing 9-1-1 and then take immediate action to address them through dialogue with your elected and appointed officials. Join us in Washington for a dynamic, interactive program where you receive: 

  • The inside information you need to shape the 9-1-1 and emergency communications agendas for the Administration and Congress;
  • Critical knowledge of federal and state 9-1-1, homeland security, and emergency communications legislation, regulation, and policy initiatives; and
  • An opportunity to speak directly with members of Congress, administration officials, and key staff to make your voice heard on behalf of the entire 9-1-1 community.
Click here to register and here to book your housing.

It’s time to renew your NENA membership! You can do it in just a few quick steps:

1. Simply log in to the NENA website. 
2. Go to your Manage Profile page. 
3. Click on Membership under the "Account History" header to view your renewal options. 
4. Pay online by check or credit card.
5. Print out a receipt for your records.

And don’t forget, group memberships are a great way to share all that NENA has to offer with everyone in your organization! And if you're retired (and have been a NENA member for at least twelve years), you can apply for our new "Retired" member category. Click here for details.

NENA HQ will be closed from Dec 24 until Jan 2. During this time, the best way to reach staff with urgent requests is via email, although responses may be delayed. Please visit the staff page for contact info. Happy holidays!
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Training Update
Using the New NENA PSAP Registry
Wednesday, January 15 | 3PM Eastern (live) or On-Demand
FREE! Click here to register!


NENA’s Enhanced PSAP Registry and Census (EPRC) is a secure, cloud-based, interactive mapping-and-search tool that contains contact information and boundary information for PSAPs in the United States. The EPRC helps PSAPs deliver requests for service to the proper center in cases when a 9-1-1 call does not arrive at the appropriate PSAP – and it is free to use for all verified public-safety entities. Join us for this webinar that: 

  • Describes the EPRC purpose, function, and architecture;
  • Provides; an overview of information available in the EPRC; and
  • Demonstrates EPRC basic functions, including PSAP search.

Presenter: Brandon Abley, ENP - NENA

CEUs: Attend this webinar and receive one-half ENP re-certification point towards the ten-point maximum for NENA courses in the Professional Development CEU/Course Credits section.

Can't attend on the 15th? Register now and you will receive an email after the live presentation with instructions for accessing the on-demand webinar archive.

Webinar Access Info: Dial-in and web-access details provided automatically via email upon registration.

The NENA Education Advisory Board seeks engaging and enthusiastic instructors to support NENA's Education & Training program. If you are a subject-matter expert in 9-1-1 operations, technology, database, or other 9-1-1-related fields and you have a proven track record as an excellent instructor, then you are invited to help NENA provide exceptional training across North America.

Instructors may be asked to teach up to ten times per year. Attendance at annual development and training events is required, normally one weekend per year. Adjuncts are paid on a per-day-of-instruction basis with highly-competitive compensation rates.

For consideration, please submit the following to NENA's Education Director, Ty Wooten
  • A resume, including previous work experience, references, and contact information
  • A letter of support from your employer, if applicable
  • Three letters of recommendation, at least one of which should be from a former student
  • A ten-minute video of yourself instructing a class and teaching a concept (please use www.wetransfer.com to share your video)

 See documents below for full requirements: 

 Applications are due by February 7.

01.13.20 | 9-1-1 Customer Service: Takes Seconds, Saves Minutes | Des Plaines, IL | Register
01.27.20 | (3-day course) | Center Training Officer Program (CTO) | Garfield, NJ | Register
01.29.20 | (3-day course) | 9-1-1 Center Supervisor Program | Chico, CA | Register 
02.12.20 | 9-1-1 Center Culture: A Strategy for Personal & Organizational Success | Pontiac, MI | Register 
02.17.20 | (5-day course) | Center Manager Certification Program (CMCP) | Webb City, MO |  Register
02.17.20 | (3-day course) | Center Training Officer Program (CTO) | Rolla, MO | Register
02.24.20 | (3-day course) | 9-1-1 Center Supervisor Program | Garfield, NJ | Register 
02.24.20 | 9-1-1 Customer Service: Takes Seconds, Saves Minutes | Gurnee, IL | Des Plaines, IL | Register 

Check out the NENA Education Calendar to see additional upcoming classes!

Document Announcements

The NENA Managing & Monitoring NG9‑1‑1 Information Document provides guidance to 9‑1‑1 authorities at all levels on considerations and best practices for adoption in managing and monitoring NG9‑1‑1. The topics covered are comprehensive and general guidance is given to assist Authorities in planning for NG9‑1‑1 as the authority transitions from legacy 9‑1‑1 to a full implementation of NG9‑1‑1.

Members of the Working Group can download the document and submit comments here by selecting "Add a Comment" from the "Edit" icon.

All others can download the document and submit comments here by selecting "Add a Comment" from the "Document Actions" icon.

Please complete all requested data and click "Save," or, if submitting multiple comments, click "Save and Add Another."

If you are providing editorial comments (such as typos, grammatical errors, style/numbering errors, or incorrect references/links to documents), then please document them in one single comment and list the page and line number(s) for each.

All comments are due by 11:59PM Eastern on January 31, 2020. You may contact the NENA Committee Resource Manager with any questions or concerns.

Before a PSAP takes advantage of the features and functions that NG9-1-1 allows the operational impacts must be understood and addressed. NENA's NG9‑1‑1 Operational Impacts on the PSAP Information Document is meant to provide authority-having jurisdictions and/or PSAP administrators information regarding operational impacts and options that might be considered to address these impacts. Please note that the document is intended to be a tool for PSAPs that will change as NG9‑1‑1 evolves; it is not an inflexible roadmap to NG9‑1‑1 deployment.

Members of the Working Group should login, download the document, and submit comments by going here and selecting "Add a Comment" from the "Edit" icon.

All others may download the document and submit comments by going here and selecting "Add a Comment" from the "Document Actions" icon.

Comments are due by 11:59PM Eastern on Monday, December 30.

The NENA Standard for Communications Center/PSAP Daily Personnel Operations contains both normative requirements and prohibitions as well as examples, recommendations, and options to assist PSAP managers with the development of agency specific Daily Personnel Operations policies and procedures. Use of this standard will assist agencies in the creation of a cohesive and comprehensive SOP, standardize methods for defining operational procedures for communications centers and/or PSAPs, and provide guidance for agencies in creating agency-specific policies and procedures.

Only sections highlighted in yellow are open for comment during this 2nd review-and-comment period. All comments are due by 11:59PM Eastern on Monday, December 30.

Members of the Working Group should login, download the document, and submit comments by going here and selecting "Add a Comment" from the "Edit" icon.

All others may download the document and submit comments by going here and selecting "Add a Comment" from the "Document Actions" icon.

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Volunteers Wanted

NENA is organizing a short-term Response Status Codes & REST Working Group that will address two protocol/data structure questions pertaining to i3 architecture's work on conversion from XML/SOAP to JSON/REST.

The first question is about how NENA should handle HTTP status codes. Two schools of thought exist on this issue. The first is to create NENA-based status codes, the second is to use commonly used HTTP status codes along with a description.

The second question is about how NENA should develop its REST protocol interfaces. Two schools of thought exist on this issue as well. The first is to implement a remote procedure call-based interface, the second is to implement an interface based on "RESTful" design.

Conference calls will be on Wednesdays beginning 01/08/2020 at 12PM Eastern. If you are a vendor, or perhaps have expertise in the area of protocol or data structure development, please consider volunteering for this working group and weighing in on these issues. To join this WG, complete the volunteer form here.

Peer-support programs allow individuals who share common problems to come together to share their experiences and provide emotional support to one another. This working group is tasked with creating an informational document that will allow 9-1-1 authorities, managers, and supervisors to learn more about the benefits of peer-support groups and how to implement and manage them within their own agencies locally or on a regional level.

Click here to volunteer to assist in the development of this important work.
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Telecommunicator Corner
Did you know that NENA has a great way to recognize telecommunicators who have gone above and beyond? It’s called the TC Spotlight! If you know of a TC that has done an exceptional job while handling a call, is devoted to his or her career, is a mentor to others, a great cheerleader for your agency, or just plain rocks, then we would like to help celebrate them! Share their awesome talents with the rest of the world by sending an email to tccaucus@nena.org and letting us know the nominee's name, years of service, current agency and position, and why he or she is being nominated.