After careful consideration, NENA has decided to reschedule the NENA 2021 Conference & Expo, previously planned for June 26 - July 1 in Columbus, OH. The new dates are July 24-29 and Columbus remains our host city. We are excited to host the 9-1-1 community later this year; a revised conference schedule and event details will be available soon at nena.org/nena2021. We anticipate #NENA2021 registration and housing opening in mid-February.

If you are a #NENA2021 speaker or exhibit coordinator, please stay tuned for further event-rescheduling details specific to you.

The William E. Stanton Award is NENA's highest honor. It is bestowed upon an individual who has not only excelled in his or her everyday job, but has gone above and beyond to further NENA's goals. Nominations for this prestigious annual award are now open.

Click here for additional information on the award, including criteria, past recipients and more. Click here to submit your nomination online. The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2021.

NENA has established a scholarship program to honor the commitment of William "Bill" McMurray, ENP, Past President, to the mission of NENA and 9-1-1 education. The scholarship will be awarded for the NENA 2021 Conference & Expo, and covers the conference registration fee and four nights of lodging at a conference hotel (to be determined by NENA upon awarding of scholarship). Travel expenses to and from the conference and meals are not included in this award.

Please visit the scholarship webpage for information about the criteria, application procedure, and responsibilities. Click here to submit your application online. The application deadline is March 31, 2021.

Fairfax County Police Department has partnered with the United States Marshal Service and Nova Southeastern University (FL) to develop a nationwide Wellness Survey. This survey will provide necessary data about the impacts of trauma and the overall mental health of public safety.

This survey was designed for public safety by public safety, in the hopes many of you will take the time to participate to show the impacts of our profession from exposures to traumatic and critical events, COVID and the current political climate across the country. This information will be used to advocate for America’s First Responders on a national level.

The study not only assists in identifying new challenges our first responders are facing, but also helps to modify current or develop additional treatment options, training programs, and future goals in assisting first responders. This survey is voluntary, but the more people who participate the more data we will have to advocate for our nation’s first responders.

The survey is completely anonymous – no personal information is captured and the IP address is stripped from submission, protecting you from the possibility of identification. The professors at Nova Southeastern University are retired law enforcement and have volunteered to help us with their team for the right reasons.  It is important to collect honest answers to questions that may be sensitive for some to share, but every precaution has been taken to protect your identity.

Click here to learn how to participate.

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 12 years), you can apply for our "Retired" member category. Click here for details.

Dennis Welch has written a powerful song called "Why Not Me?" that is currently on the Grammy ballot. It beat out more than 1,300 songs to make it to the 150-song short list. It has also been adopted as an anthem by two NBA teams, and has placed well on all the charts that the music industry maintains.

The singer who recorded the song, Tony Mantor, wanted to make a video dedicated to first responders featuring the song. You can watch it here. Tony is also donating the majority of the proceeds from the download of the song to first-responder groups. One-third of the royalties will go to NENA's Gold Line Scholarship Fund to offer more scholarships and support for our 9-1-1 family.

For only $1.29, you can download this song from Apple Music and listen to it anytime. A lot of $1.29 downloads means we’ll be able to give back a lot to telecommunicators, so please share and spread the word!

The National Police Foundation, with support from The Starbucks Foundation and The Motorola Solutions Foundation, is pleased to announce the National First Responder COVID-19 Grant Relief Program. This program will allow first responders and survivors of first responders in underserved communities an opportunity to request a grant to reimburse select COVID-19 related expenses, such as mental health and wellness costs, (i.e., counseling services, suicide prevention), unanticipated dependent care, disinfecting services, and similar costs. These micro-grants may be awarded in an amount up to $1,000. 

First responders or family members interested in applying for a grant can review eligibility and apply here.

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 Communications Director Chris Nussman.

Fulfilling a desire to serve is why 9-1-1 telecommunicators take on the challenges of working in the PSAP. That desire to serve does not automatically relieve them from the human burden of biases. Dispatchers feel an unwavering need for professional and personal improvement. Serving Equally: Removing Bias-based Inequities From 9-1-1 provides them with the opportunity for professional and personal development by helping to remove the inequities caused by biases. This one-day course provides attendees with the tools to self-assess their own human biases using an academically validated assessment, understand how to recognize their biases at work, and apply a mitigation model to increase service equality.

What attendees are saying about Serving Equally:

• "I learned quite a bit about bias as well as how to recognize my own bias."
• "This was very eye opening in a lot of ways."
• "It was engaging and well thought out."
• "This class is important for everyone to take and I would recommend it to others in public safety."
• "The thorough explanation of the different types of implicit bias was very helpful."

This class is available as an in-person offering or in the instructor-led online format. Contact Amanda Tegtmeyer with the NENA education team if you would like to schedule it for your center or region.

 

In the evolving environment of Next Generation 9-1-1, the data received will change and come from different sources. The NENA NG9-1-1 Data Flow Standard seeks to inform on E9-1-1 and NG9-1-1 data flow issues and identify at least a few transition issues for additional consideration.

The NENA PSAP Readiness for Real-Time Text (RTT) Information Document provides guidelines for the introduction of Real-Time Text (RTT) to include comparisons among texting alternatives and an RTT readiness check list that can be used by PSAPs.

NENA seeks to fill a vacancy on the Education Advisory Board (EAB) with a NENA member in good standing who possesses the desire and dedication to become part of the team charged with carrying out NENA’s educational mission.

Candidates are required to be 9-1-1 professionals that are members of NENA in good standing, of good moral character, and possess the skills necessary to support and direct NENA’s educational mission and goals. Candidates holding the Emergency Number Professional (ENP) certification are preferred.

Learn more about the commitments associated with serving on the EAB at nena.org/eab-purpose.

Applications are due by Friday, February 26. Click here to apply.

Information Systems Coordinator | Kansas City, Kansas Police Department | Kansas City, KS
Communications Center Director | Town of Weston Connecticut | Weston, CT
Public Safety Communications Supervisor | City of Burleson | Burleson, TX
9-1-1 Emergency Communications Specialist | Jefferson County Communications Center Authority | Lakewood, CO

See these jobs, and many more, here!