By Jim Marshall, MA
911 Training Institute
To stop the spread of COVID-19, most U.S. states have now enacted Executive Stay-At-Home Orders, requiring the closing of businesses that are not “essential” to daily living. Such orders do not apply to emergency communication centers and dispatch personnel who are considered essential. Our 9-1-1 professionals continue working hard to serve the ongoing needs of the public, yet they now face extraordinary new stressors and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many public-safety emergency communication centers are experiencing an increase in call volume combined with staffing challenges due to employees who are sick with flu-like symptoms, have confirmed COVID-19, or have been exposed to the virus. All employees must be monitored for symptoms, and PSAPs must plan for a reorganization of operations to continue functioning while taking all possible precautions. 9-1-1 personnel must face these new demands in addition to the potentially traumatic events they handle on a regular basis.
To help 9-1-1 professionals cope with all these stressors, the 911 Training Institute has produced a short video series called “Sustaining 911 Resilience During COVID-19”. These videos are developed and presented by Jim Marshall, Director of the 911 Training Institute and a licensed mental health professional. Each video addresses one aspect of the COVID-19 stress challenge and offers a solution, empowering dispatchers to survive and thrive through the pandemic.
These videos are free to view by all, and can be accessed on the 911 Training Institute’s YouTube channel. You can view all the episodes by visiting this link: Sustaining 911 Resilience During COVID-19.
For more information, please contact us via email at info@911training.net.