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NENA is disappointed to announce that the language contained in the House version of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act to reclassify public safety telecommunicators as a "Protective Service" occupation has not been included in the reconciled bill.

However, the lessons we’ve learned from this process have given us clearer vision and better tools to continue the fight for reclassification. 911 SAVES still exists in its original forms (H.R. 1629 and S.1015) and has over 135 cosponsors; those sponsors’ support has not wavered. The Standard Occupational Classification System can still be changed through the more "traditional" regulatory methods, and NENA continues to build a case on that front. We'll also continue to pursue and support other, more creative reclassification efforts, like the ones we’ve seen in Texas, Maryland, Florida, and Ohio.

Despite today’s setback, NENA will continue to advocate for an accurate statistical classification for 9-1-1 professionals to support critical research into the mental and physical impacts of 9-1-1 jobs, which differ substantially from those encountered by other non-public-safety "dispatcher" professions.

 

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.

Sign up now for the January ENP Certification exam window! During 2019, we've certified a record number of new ENPs – 9-1-1 professionals from the public- and private-sectors who are committed to excellence in the industry and are the leaders of today and tomorrow. Becoming an ENP demonstrates your knowledge of 9-1-1, helps you grow in your career, and expands your professional network. If you meet the eligibility requirements, then start planning to sit for the ENP exam; the Winter window is January 18 – February 1, with an application deadline of Friday, December 13. The next examination period will be in April 2020. 

Need some help getting ready? A reference manual and/or practice test can help you along your path to certification! So can attending an exam-prep workshop... 

Attend the ENP Exam-Prep Boot Camp Coming up in Washington, DC on February 15! Those who have been there will tell you: Preparing for the Emergency Number Professional Certification exam is no simple task. But they'll also tell you that taking part in a study group is one of the best ways to ensure you're ready! This workshop starts off with an overview of ENP application and exam scheduling processes before jumping into a cram session to begin getting you ready to ace the test! You will leave the workshop better prepared for the ENP exam and with an increased general knowledge of the main ENP exam topic areas, including telephone, radio, PSAP infrastructure, NG9-1-1 human resource issues, and more. We'll also keep it fun and lively by playing a few rounds of "ENP Jeopardy!" and provide you with learning techniques you can use when you return home to maximize the effectiveness of your study time and improve your information retention levels.

The boot camp is FREE to all #NENAGTW attendees! Registration for the boot camp à la carte is available here for just $50. 


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.

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.

OnStar
Naylor Association Solutions
Training Update
Communicating With Confidence
Thursday, December 12 | 1PM Eastern (live) or On-Demand


Join NENA for the latest edition of the Women in 9-1-1 (WIN) webinar series!

The saying "It’s not so much what you say; but how you say it" does have merit for many women in leadership roles. However, it is also important to keep the audience in mind and adjust your message to the targeted group. In this hour-long webinar, learn from seasoned 9-1-1 professionals about: 

  • How to communicate more effectively with male colleagues;
  • How to communicate your message effectively to decision makers;
  • How to display confidence during business meetings;
  • How to speak up in executive meetings; and
  • The difference in communicating with female vs male colleagues.

Presenters: Karima Holmes – Washington, DC Office of Unified Communications | Mary Boyd, ENP – NENA Past President

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 12th? 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.

12.16.19 | Leadership in the 9-1-1 Center | Cambridge, MA | Register
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

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.

In recent years, 9‑1‑1 industry experts have discussed the importance of the role of professional education for the position of telecommunicator. Across North America, programs have emerged in high schools, vocational schools, and colleges in order to find the right people and expose them to what they can expect as a telecommunicator.

The NENA Standards for 9‑1‑1 Professional Education will guide the institutions that are developing or have developed 9‑1‑1 professional education programs and ensure consistency with the curriculum by providing the minimum essential elements of a professional telecommunicator training program.

You may both download this document for review and submit your comments here. All comments are due by 11:59PM Eastern on December 16, 2019. Contact the NENA Committee Resource Manager with any questions.

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Washington Briefing

The NG911 Institute hosts the Annual 911 Honor Awards Reception to honor the heroes and leaders of the 9-1-1 community. The Co-Chairs of the Congressional NextGen 911 Caucus and other Members of Congress and federal government leaders are invited to attend and to present the awards to 9-1-1 professionals and government leaders from across the United States.

The Institute requests your help in identifying heroes and leaders that should be honored this year. Examples of heroism and leadership that occurred anytime between November 1, 2018 and December 1, 2019 will be considered for the awards presented at the Reception.

Nominations are due by Friday, December 13. Click here to learn more and submit your nomination. 

Volunteers Wanted

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.
Featured Job Openings
Communications Center Manager | City & County of San Francisco - San Francisco International Airport | San Francisco, CA
Emergency Communications Administrator | Frederick County, MD Division of Emergency Management | Frederick, MD,
911 Communications Officer | Undisclosed Agency | Como, CO
Director of Emergency Communications | Harrisonburg-Rockingham ECC | Harrisonburg, VA
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.