With many people still facing travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NENA: The 9-1-1 Association is proud to launch a slate of instructor-led online (ILO) courses that enable 9-1-1 professionals to receive NENA’s industry-best education and training content in a virtual classroom.

Starting Thursday, May 28, NENA will offer 13 of its most popular in-person courses in the ILO environment, featuring live instruction, two-way interaction, and group activities. The courses will be held every Thursday into the summer from 10AM until 4PM.

"This new initiative allows NENA to continue to deliver high-quality training to our members during the pandemic. Further, it provides educational opportunities to those who may not have been able to travel to attend NENA courses previously," said Ty Wooten, NENA’s Education Director.

Each ILO course is six hours long and priced at $139 for NENA members and $199 for non-members. Once registered, students will be sent a pre-course questionnaire that allows NENA to further tailor content to meet students’ needs. Upcoming ILO classes include:

May 28 – Enhanced Caller Management
June 4 – Advanced Police Dispatching
June 11 – Recruit, Hire, Retain, and Promote for Success
June 18 – Tactical Dispatch for the telecommunicator
June 25 – Addressing for NG9-1-1
July 2 – Leadership in the 9-1-1 Center

Click here to learn more.

As NENA continues to closely monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we have developed a list of resources for members, chapters, and the greater 9-1-1 community.

NENA's COVID-19 resource page contains items including PSAP-guidance documents, EMD protocols, on-demand webinars, CoOPs and planning checklists, event-planner assistance, public education graphics, health and hygiene best practices, and many more resources to support you and your work during this ever-evolving situation. This page is updated with new information as it becomes available. 

Do you have or know of other resources that should be posted? If so, you can contact NENA's Communications Director, Chris Nussman.

Using Empathy to Improve Your Communications Skills
Wednesday, May 27 | 3PM Eastern (live) or On-Demand
FREE for NENA Members | Click here to register!

The ability to communicate effectively is an essential skill for successful careers and relationships – even more so in 9-1-1. In this webinar, we’ll talk about how dispatcher communications impact the call and the response. We will discuss how each call affects TCs physically and emotionally, as well as how you can make each call successful by learning to hear yourself and by being aware of what you actually say. You’ll learn how to:

• Develop a true connection with callers and field responders;
• Grow trust between you, your agency, and those you serve; and
• Identify plans to improve peer-to-peer communications and effectiveness in your center. 

Can't attend on the 27th? Register now and you will receive an email after the live presentation with instructions for accessing the on-demand webinar archive.

Presenter: Daniel Edwards – Critical Perceptions, LLC

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.

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

Questions? Contact Amanda Tegtmeyer with the NENA Education team.

The new NENA Board of Directors will be sworn into office on Wednesday, June 17 at 3PM Eastern. All NENA members are invited to this special virtual ceremony. Further details and access information are forthcoming. 

NENA seeks volunteers for a new working group to address specific items identified as future work in the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model. This document will be developed in compliance with ANSI Essential Requirements processes. The scope of this working group is limited to these items:

• Canada extension
• Inconsistencies related to layer names, domains, and street type field names
• Potential data model structure or content modifications needed for atypical street naming and the representation of driveways and non-traversable roads. Recommendations for data model structural changes will be considered as provided from the GIS Stewardship for NG9-1-1: Road Centerlines WG.
• Clarifying text for R/L domain concepts
• Clarifying text for spatial references and horizontal accuracy

 

Volunteers for this work group should have a variety of expertise with GIS data management and need to have a solid understanding of the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model and the NENA Information Document for GIS Data Stewardship for Next Generation 9-1-1. 

90-minute calls will be held every Thursday at 2PM Eastern beginning Thursday, June 18, 2020.

Click here to learn more and join the Working Group.

As Canada moves to a NENA i3 based NG9-1-1 infrastructure nationally, there is a need to create a Canadian profile for the PIDF-LO to convey civic locations in a common standardized form across the country, interoperable with neighboring countries also moving to NG9-1-1. The focus of this new Working Group is to provide a deliverable standard  that represents the Canadian profile of PIDF-LO to its addressing standards, with consideration to the depiction of non-addressed locations (e.g. cross streets, natural formations, etc.), as appropriate. The CLDXF-CA Working Group also considers possible impacts to the NENA NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model for potential inclusion in version 2 of the NENA Standard for NG9-1-1 GIS Data Model.

Addressing expertise and practitioners from Canada are sought to join the Working Group, as well as experts from the United States, particularly those who were involved in developing the US CLDXF. This Working Group meets Mondays at 2PM Eastern starting Monday, 15 June, 2020.

Click here to join!

Personal and professional wellness is important, but we find that now, more than ever, we need to take care of ourselves, our families, and those on our teams. The NENA Wellness Continuum initiative is a comprehensive approach to wellness in the 9-1-1 industry. By sharing resources, best practices, and helpful tools and training in one location, we strive to inspire innovation and support wellness in all 9-1-1 professionals. 

These materials address a wide range of topics that apply to not only an individual, but also an organization. The content is user driven, and we need your recommendations. If you have resources that you have used and feel would be beneficial for others to access, we encourage you to submit those materials (written, web, video, etc.) to help spark a groundswell of wellness initiatives across the industry.