Welcome back to another excellent episode of Within the Trenches. The show has reached episode 70 and I have to admit that when I first created this show I didn’t think I would reach a number this high. I have enjoyed every moment of this and I will continue to do the show until the 9-1-1 stories run out. This is also going to be the last episode in the 2014 National NENA Conference series.

In this episode I spoke with Stacy, a dispatcher with SERESA, a central dispatch for three cities within Macomb County in Michigan and a Friends of 911 Scholarship winner. The episode could not have gone any better and it was awesome speaking with Stacy.

This is a must listen so make sure to check it out and share! As always you can email the show at wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode topics –

• Stacy’s dispatch story
• Taking non-emergency calls on emergency lines
• Friends of 9-1-1 Scholarship process
• Side projects for continuing education
• Stacy’s outlook on her future in the 9-1-1 community 

Good afternoon and welcome to episode 69 of Within the Trenches. In this episode I had the pleasure of meeting with Richard, a telecommunicator with Mt. Juliet Police and Fire out of Tennessee and one of two nationally selected telecommunicators to receive the 9-1-1 Hero Award through PSTC/911 Cares. This was an excellent episode to record and we even hit an interesting moment around 27 minutes 16 seconds in where maintenance in the Music City Center were packing up displays and you can hear them as they walked past us. I had planned on taking it out but the noise wasn’t too bad. Our reactions to what was going on is funny as it is so I had to keep it in.

This is a must listen so make sure to check it out and share! As always you can email the show at wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode topics –

• Richard’s dispatch story
• Tunnel vision after a long shift in dispatch
• Citizens academy and questions from the public
• Back story and reaction on receiving the 9-1-1 Hero Award

Good morning and welcome back to another episode of Within the Trenches. In this episode my special guest host and wife Rebecca joined me, along with Rob, Director of Vigo County 911 in Indiana and National NENA North Central Region Director. This episode covers attendee feedback of the conference, text to 911 and three very funny 911 tapes. We even pay a second visit to Rob’s wrestling persona.

This is a must listen to make sure to check it out and share. As always you can email the show at wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode topics –

• Rob’s wrestling persona part 2
• Attendee feedback
• Text to 911
• 3 911 tapes

Health in the dispatch center is a huge issue. Along with the massive amount of stress that the job offers there are also bad eating habits and minimal exercise opportunities while working. But what if there was something you could do about the exercise aspect of it? What if you had a treadmill or exercise bike attached to your console? Xybix, a dispatch furniture company has taken on the task of assisting in dispatchers’ health with the attachment of a treadmill or bike.

This past week I had the chance to meet with Kathleen, Director of Marketing with Xybix to talk about their product as well as try it out for myself on the showroom floor during the 2014 NENA National conference. In this episode we learn about the company as well as some facts and frequently asked questions about the treadmill and bike. The company also publishes blogs with health topics and techniques for the dispatch center.

This is a must listen and share! For more information on Xybix please follow the links below and as always, if you have any questions please email us at wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Xybix – Web | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | YouTube

Episode topics –

• Xybix history
• Customer feedback
• Treadmill facts
• Xybix blogs
• Frequently Asked Questions

This is episode 66 of Within the Trenches and this is a special episode. Since the beginning of my show I have had people helping me out and giving me advice. One of those people is Mark Fletcher with Avaya. I’ve been on his podcast a few times and this time it was my turn to have him as a guest. Mark is the Chief Architect for Worldwide Public Safety Solutions at Avaya as well as the program director of the longest running Public Safety podcast on the Avaya Podcast Network. We sat down and talked all things 9-1-1 including NENA, ENP certification, Kari’s Law and more.

This is a must listen so check it out and share. As always you can email the show at wttpodcast@gmail.com and if you would like to learn more about Mark and Kari’s Law follow the links below.

Kari’s Law – Web (sign the petition at Change.org) | Facebook

Mark Fletcher/APN – Web | APN -E911 Podcast | Facebook | Twitter

Episode topics -

• Mark's start in the 9-1-1 community
• Mark's motivation to work hard to improve 9-1-1
• Kari's Law
• ENP certification

Welcome back to another episode of Within the Trenches. This is episode 65 and I have to say right off the bat that there was an issue with this one. As you heard in episode 64 we had to redo the entire thing due to a subject who showed up and was drowning out the microphones. Some knobs were turned down and one of them was never turned back up so some audio is missing. I do apologize but it’s still an awesome one so check it out and share.

In this episode I spoke with Rob, Director of Vigo County 911 in Indiana and National NENA North Central Region Director and Lori, Training Coordinator with INdigital telecom. I have been trying to get Lori on an episode for a long time now and it killed me that her audio is missing but only until 11 or so minutes in. After that you can hear her and the stories are good.

As always you can email the show at wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode topics –

• Rob’s wrestling  persona
• Lori’s dispatch story (audio low)
• Pregnancy calls
• Text to 9-1-1

Good afternoon! This episode is sponsored by NENA and INdigital. I am currently in Nashville, TN for the 2014 National NENA Conference and this is just one of a series of episodes I’m recording here. In this episode I spoke with Dana, a dispatcher with Sumpter County Sheriff’s Office out of Florida and a Friends of 911 Scholarship winner. This is a must listen for anyone looking for information on not only the conference but how to apply for next years Friends of 9-1-1 scholarship. We also spoke briefly on the Mini-C that Dana attended back in April and the hard work that Tom of the Cool Kids of 9-1-1 puts into the conference.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to be a guest on the show, send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

The Cool Kids of 9-1-1 - Web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Dana (Dispatch Dana) - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Episode topics -

Dana recap of the Mini-C

Friends of 9-1-1 Scholarship Process

CMCP certification

Where Dana sees herself in 9-1-1

Drunk dial 9-1-1 tape (Thanks Justin!)

Good morning! This episode is sponsored by NENA and INdigital. I am currently in Nashville, TN for the 2014 National NENA Conference and this is the first of a series of episodes I’m recording here. In this episode I spoke with Brandy, a dispatcher with Licking County 911 Center out of Ohio and a Friends of 911 Scholarship winner. This is a must listen for anyone looking for information on not only the conference but how to apply for next years Friends of 9-1-1 scholarship.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to be a guest on the show, send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode topics -

• Brandy’s dispatch story
• Friends of 9-1-1 Scholarship process
• Giving your name when speaking to someone you know on 9-1-1
• Networking with other dispatchers