Workshops

 Supervisor Bootcamp:
Motivate, Engage & Strengthen

Are all members of your organization in supervisory roles acting with consistent leadership standards? The focus of this two day workshop is to define the roles and responsibilities of leadership in the 911 industry by building on the basics and fundamentals of being a supervisor in today’s communication centers. By helping ensure that all supervisors in your organization are leading with the same goals in mind, this workshop will help your staff develop the best practices and industry standards that can move your center forward in a positive way. 

Is every member of your staff prepared to be put into a supervisory role in your organization? There are many examples of junior staff being thrown into leadership and supervisory roles without any training or direction, typically due to a variety of staffing issues related to the “always-open” nature of the job. With this in mind, this workshop is geared towards both members in activating supervisory roles as well as employees that could be in that position in an “out-of-grade” capacity.

The employees in supervisory roles are often the face of your organization, and this workshop will put emphasis on everyday leadership skills that are equally as important as the more indirect knowledge base of theories of how to lead effectively. This specific class was built to move leadership in a new direction, with a basis of honesty and clarity. 

Topics include:

• The transition from line staff to supervisor

• Leadership fundamentals

• Liability issues for the supervisors

• Managing strong personalities

• Setting core values and mission statements

• Motivating the new and long-term employees

• Evaluations

• Problem resolution

• How to write professionally

• Remediation

• Performance Improvement Plans (PIP)

• Quality Control

• Training, Recruiting, and staff retention

Our instructors have over 40 years’ experience in the 911 and emergency management industry, and will engage your staff using mixed-media examples that will help them build the everyday skills needed to supervise effectively.

Following a class-wide verbal assessment by the instructor for the session attendees, certificates will be provided commemorating the successful completion of the session.

In addition to enrolling, options are available for you to host this class for your agency or your region. This workshop can be combined with other workshops to build a multi-day workshop to satisfy all your training needs.

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

This Series Includes:

Active Attacker

This well received workshop provides new skills for handling events that are considered "active shooter"/active assailant situations, including workplace shootings, school shootings, spill-over domestic violence, and other large occupancy building shooting scenarios such as shopping centers, sporting events, movie theaters, and hospital shootings. We have taught thousands of call-taking and dispatch professionals on the lessons learned and skills needed by 9-1-1 professionals during school shootings; this course goes to the next level and addresses all types of Active Assailant events. AEP is nationally renowned for our passionate research, and this workshop has a wealth of supporting media to learn from. We can only move forward as an industry with consistency and hard work, something AEP prides ourselves on.

What would you do if you received a call of a shooting at a local church, factory, transit hub, school or in the town square? Students will learn new call taking, planning, and dispatching skills that they can use immediately. We will not only share the lessons learned, but we will also work through our instructor facilitated problem-solving situations to better prepare any communications professional for quick action.

This eight-hour workshop is bound to be one of the best training experiences your staff ever attends. Trainers and Supervisors will learn how to accurately coordinate their staff and understand what notifications and resources may be necessary during events, whether large or small scale in nature. AEP is America's most trusted in-service training provider - we do the homework to present the most professional classes that students can attend. We believe in the attitude of “Lessons Learned” rather than "Shame on You" and we honor the agencies that have handled past events by sharing their accomplishments and their ideas for handling active shooter tragedies with quick, efficient, and compassionate action.

This workshop is intended for any 911/Emergency Communications Professional, and is designed with information in line with IAED protocols. Don't miss this opportunity to learn lessons, prepare for an active assailant event, and be better educated & prepared for a "high risk, low frequency" event.

This workshop, like every other block of education we put together, is taught from the perspective of a 911 professional actually in the call-taking or dispatching seat. We aim to provide actual dispatching tools from our experienced 911 professionals.

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

Target Audience:

Any call taker, dispatcher, trainer, supervisor, or manager.
Law, Fire and EMS responders are welcome to attend. Responders will learn lessons that will help their applications and become better prepared for an active shooter event, and how to work collectively with their communications centers.

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

The Art of Leadership

Leadership is a forgotten art. At American Emergency Preparedness, we know that a good leader has the ability to make the greatest possible impact on your center. We know that if a supervisor does not put their staff in a position to succeed, that supervisor will set themselves up for failure. Our program will make an instant impact in your center and give you the tools you need to manage your staff effectively. With the proper mindset towards employee supervision, you will make a difference in your center.

This eight-hour power block will cover:

• Defining supervision

• Empowering your employees

• How to define employee roles

• How to manage a younger staff

• Honest and constructive quality control

• How to discipline an employee

• How to conduct an honest review

In a high speed 911 center, knowing how to supervise your staff will lower stress levels, create confidence, and provide exemplary customer service for your constituents.

Put simply, a well-run center can save lives.

This eight-hour power block of instruction is the fourth part of our Bridging the Gap series:

Defining The 911 Professional: The First Three Minutes
Stress Reduction Strategies: The Hero’s Choice
The Art of Leadership
Tactical Dispatching

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

 Building Your Liability Shield

BUILDING YOUR LIABILITY SHIELD is a workshop proven to limit your department’s exposure to legal liability. At American Emergency Preparedness, we work to define liability and expose the simple techniques to help mitigate it. Attendees will learn the basics and fundamentals of federal and state law and how it is applied to the form and function of their daily duties. 

This eight-hour power block of instruction will cover the following learning objectives:

·      Officer Safety.

·      Basic Liability.

·      Legal Terms.

·      Case Law.

·      Define Active Listening Skills.

·      Excited Utterances and the Legal Impact.

·      What Not to Say.

·      Basic Call-Taking Practices that are Often Forgotten.

·      Scene Safety.

·      People-First Communication (“Drop The Labels”)

·      The Power of A Name During Initial Interrogation.

·      Complacency

American Emergency Preparedness has been working with legal experts and line professionals to give your staff the best practices used in today’s emergency communications centers. As a veteran dispatcher, Lead Educator Ted Bourgeois understands the need for 911 specialists to have persistent training to promote best practices daily. Complacency and burnout can have a direct impact on your personnel and your center’s exposure to legal liability. Defining clear core values and mission statements can keep a center on track through even the most stressful times. We have worked with hundreds of centers across the country to develop a proven methodology for creating an environment that doesn’t apply labels, but instead applies honesty and ethics daily.

Methods of Evaluation:

Students are evaluated with attendance and participation in class activities, breakout sessions, and their individual level of participation. Certificates will be provided upon successful completion of this course.

Course Evaluations:  

Instructor and course evaluations are implemented at the conclusion of class and are available upon request.

Learning Objectives:

Outcomes will be defined by in-class verbal assessments by the instructor on record. A testing component can be added to all AEP workshops.

Methods of Instruction:

This in-person workshop will use the following methods of instruction:

• Lecture

• Individual & breakout sessions

• Individual & group presentations

• Instructor and student Q&A

The following materials are used during in-class instruction:

• Multi-media displays and recordings.

• Dry erase boards.

• Course handouts and materials, to be provided at the class location.

Note taking is mandatory. Laptops and iPads are welcome, and materials for writing and note-taking should be supplied by each individual student.

Workshop Length:  

This is an eight-hour block of instruction. Breaks and lunch are defined by the host and implemented as such.

Minimum and Maximum class enrollment:

Maximum student enrollment is 40, and minimum student enrollment is 25. These figures are for per-person class enrollments; flat rate classes have no minimum.

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

 Complacency and Critical Thinking

The focus of this session is to define and recognize complacency in our everyday work environment. We work in an environment that can change and expand during any moment of your tour of duty. Complacency can slip into this setting for many reasons, and the effect it can have on your employees' critical thinking skills can adversely affect incidents your community faces, both large and small. We will define some of those reasons, and provide techniques that can help combat the many types of complacency in the workplace. Additionally, we will focus on critical thinking and the triage process in an environment that has staff members experiencing various levels of complacency. 

This eight-hour session will present ways to recognize complacency and the toxic work environment that it could create. With that in mind, we then help define the order of triage operations based on our industry’s best practices. We believe critical thinking is a muscle that must be continuously exercised, and that ongoing training is the best way to combat feelings of uncritical satisfaction.

Topics include:

• The effective decision-making process 

• Empowerment

• Personal accountability and ethical standards

• The vital roles of core values and mission statements

• “What’s my duty?”

• How to be a role model in your center

• How to use our curated tools and techniques to affect better outcomes in professional relationships with your co-workers, as well as the community at large. 

Our instructors have over 40 years’ experience in the 911 and emergency management industry, and will engage your staff using mixed-media examples that will ensure that your staff is prepared to take new lessons from the many types of incidents they encounter on a day to day basis. Following a class-wide verbal assessment by the instructor for the session attendees, certificates will be provided commemorating the successful completion of the session.

In addition to enrolling, options are available for you to host this class for your agency or your region. This workshop can be combined with other courses to build a multi-day training experience to satisfy all your training needs.

Class Length:

8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

Basic Life Support CPR AED

We happily provide CPR training services throughout New England! Contact us for more information or to schedule training.

The Basic Life Support (BLS) workshop provides healthcare providers and safety personnel with the knowledge and skills requires to respond to respiratory and/or cardiac emergencies with adult, child, and infant patients. Our workshop follows AHA guidelines and is typically required for healthcare professionals and first responders.

The workshop consists of skills demonstration, hands-on practice and case-based emergency scenarios which focus on both individual and team-based response. Our CPR courses provide individuals with the key critical thinking, problem solving, and team dynamic skills that are required to increase patient’s outcome and survival post emergency.

Upon successfully completed the workshop, the students will receive a Basic Life Support certification which is valid for 2 years.

AEP instructors will educate your employees on the following topics:

• How to recognize an emergency and perform a primary assessment

• How to protect yourself during an emergency

• What to expect when calling 9-1-1

• Legal Considerations

• How to perform effective Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

• How to safely operate an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

• How to respond to a Choking Emergency

INTENDED AUDIENCE

AEP offers two different CPR courses. AHA’s Heartsaver Course is appropriate for individuals who are not healthcare providers or professional rescuers but who desire, or are required, to be certified in CPR and the use of an AED:

• Private Industry/Construction

• Office Workplaces

• Teachers

• Parents

• Babysitters

This course is appropriate for ages 9 and older.

AHA’s BLS CPR/AED Course is appropriate for healthcare professionals and first responders who require BLS Level certification:

• Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS departments

• Emergency Response Teams in Business and Industry

• Adult Residential Care Personnel

As with all of AEP’s programs, our CPR AED workshop can be tailored to meet your specific needs. We offer supplemental topics including but not limited to Narcan/Naloxone Administration, the use of a tourniquet, and the use of an Epi-Pen.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

Crimes In-Progress:
Flipping The Switch

Do the members of your PSAP have the skills needed to handle the most critical calls? This eight-hour block of instruction will expose 911 telecommunicators to calls that define the risks and dangers of the emergency response, as well as the critical role 911 telecommunicators play in this dynamic industry.

This specific workshop was built to help dispatch centers prepare for High-Risk events, and to share critical skills for call takers, dispatchers, and trainers for situations that pose a risk to responders and their communities. Using research from emergency responder line of duty death data provided by a wide range of federal and municipal law enforcement agencies, this workshops examines past incidents and, in a group discussion setting, analyzes both the successes of the incident as well as areas where improvement could have been made. Skills learned during this workshop can be utilized immediately, and students of the course will feel confident in their ability to handle any news-worthy situation they may encounter on the job.

This session of instruction is a workshop to help build everyday skills for facing the most stressful events our profession has to offer. Our instructors have over 40 years’ experience in the 911 and emergency management industry, and will engage your staff using mixed-media examples that will give them the crucial skills needed for critical events. 

Topics include:

• Responder ambush events

• Warrants and search warrants

• Domestic violence events

• High risk/felony traffic stops

• Business and home robberies

• Vehicle pursuits- how to manage them and ensure scene safety

• Suspicious person calls

• Active shooter

• Large scale incidents

• Basic and fundamentals of critical thinking

Following a class-wide verbal assessment by the instructor for the session attendees, certificates will be provided commemorating the successful completion of the session.

In addition to enrolling, options are available for you to host this class for your agency or your region. This workshop can be combined with other workshops to build a multi-day training experience to satisfy all your training needs.

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

 Crisis Communications

The definitive guide to crisis call-taking and dispatching

There are over 45,000 reported suicides annually in the United States. For every completed suicide, there are 50 others that call 911 or a suicide prevention hotline as a cry for help before or during a suicide attempt. Additionally, dispatch centers are often the initial "first responder" when hostage events or barricaded suspect events occur. With these statistics in mind, dispatchers must know the delicate balance that they are responsible for during family emergencies and various crisis calls. In the ‘988-transfer’ world, communications centers still need to be trained for all types of recognition and referral.

American Emergency Preparedness have been working with clinicians and line professionals to give your staff the best practices used in today’s crisis situations. As a veteran, Lead Educator Ted Bourgeois understands the need for 911 professionals to be present for our most vulnerable populations. Veterans can be the forgotten victims in today’s society; their needs have to be recognized and fulfilled. 

​Our AEP Crisis Communications Toolbox will make you a more effective call taker and dispatcher, giving you the tools to increase responder safety and improve the chances of successful outcomes. As emergency communicators, we are vital caregivers in the public safety circle. What do we need to say to suicidal callers or depressed subjects? What do we need to know about ‘suicide-by-cop’ precipitators? How do we prepare the first responders with a complete picture of what they are responding to? How do we transition between being caregivers, information gatherers, and tactical response dispatchers in suicidal caller events?

​Topics Include:

• Myths versus facts of suicide and ‘suicide-by-cop’ events, and your responsibilities as a call-taker/dispatcher

• Terms to use or avoid with volatile callers

• Specific call-taking and dispatching techniques for responder safety

• Domestic/Family Violence: the dispatcher's vital role in information gathering

• The Exclusive AEP Crisis Communications Toolbox: What it is, and how to use it for suicide/suicide-by-cop scenarios, depressed and upset callers, domestic violence, and hostage taking/barricaded callers.​

There are a lot of role-playing and call-taking scenarios in this dynamic workshop. In addition to enrolling, options are available for you to host this class for your agency or your region. This workshop can be combined with other workshops to build a multi-day training experience to satisfy all your training needs.

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

Want to take this workshop on your own time? This workshop is offered as an online course via the AEP Online Academy. Enroll Today!

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

data in this workshop description collected from the CDC and NIMH.

 Customer Service

Foundational Concepts for You and Your Staff.

It All Starts with a Phone Call. This is one of our most popular in-service workshops. Members of your team will gain a renewed sense of why customer service is essential within public safety. This workshop will empower your dispatchers, call takers and records personnel to adopt a sincere and effective level of customer service for every caller. Using real-life examples and focused, in-person exercises, your staff will learn why effective customer service is an every day, every call mandate.

Participants will gain critical tools for how to interact with incoming callers from all sectors of a demanding industry. The workshop contains many relevant examples and excellent scenarios, and has become so popular that we have recently begun contracting with local agencies to train their entire workforce. This workshop can also be modified to fit to the specifications of your own agency's Community Policing program. With programming tailored directly to your needs, we will bring success to your team.

This workshop brings a fresh look at Community-Based Policing by highlighting the importance of what is often seen as a missing link – Communications and Records personnel. In our view, models for Community Policing cannot be effective unless they include your Communications Center and Records Department, and in such a way that involves all departments working together as a team. Create an inclusive representation of your community using our proven techniques. 

This workshop will be responsible for turning around any deeply-entrenched negativity that may exist within the personnel that work within your agency. We have received emails and calls from agencies nationwide praising this course for reinvigorating their staff members. Why not give this workshop a try and see the amazing outcomes in store for your agency?

In addition to enrolling, options are available for you to host this class for your agency or your region. This workshop can be combined with other workshops to build a multi-day training experience to satisfy all your training needs.

Workshop Length:
8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

 Defeating Drama

Creating a 911 center that utilizes optimal performance

We all know that drama and bullying can have negative effects on your mood and attitude. Unfortunately, that negativity can end up affecting your workplace performance, especially if that drama is occurring at your place of work. If a 911 professional is distracted by a negative culture or a drama filled environment, it can be a risk to responders and the community in their care. Studies have shown that workplace negativity has a long-lasting effect on employee satisfaction, engagement, performance, and staff retention.

This 1-day, 8 hour workshop will focus on how to confront workplace drama, bullying, and negativity in a productive way that empowers your staff to work through the issues that caused the drama in the first place. Once we have lessened or eliminated those distractions, we will demonstrate to students that they have the ability to lose the shadow that is cast by negativity and replace it with peak performance.

Topics included:

• Tools for defeating drama, bullying, and negativity

• What a "workplace infection" is.

• Supervisor responsibility and roles in a negative work environment

• Changing a negative culture and staying positive

• The many benefits of making the ‘Choice to Change’

• How peak performance improves workplace satisfaction and creates a climate for improved productivity and safety

Negativity, drama, and bullying all have their own specific traits, and we cover them all in-depth. Workplace drama has many victims, including trainees, trainers, and longtime staff members. We will showcase great examples of the benefits of creating a better work environment as well as the benefits to each student on how not to feed the negativity beast.

The workshop focuses on useful ideas on how to stay on the path of change both personally and professionally. We illustrate how to recognize and fight any negativity that you are tempted to bring into the workplace. Throughout the class, we remind students to be mindful of their behavior and how it can infect a work group or the entire dispatch center.

One of our most popular offerings, this workshop is fun, challenging, and informative. We will help to transform the bully or drama king/queen while also empowering potential victims within your workplace. We also provide tools for leads, supervisors, and managers on how to quell the drama and encourage and maintain peak performance.

In addition to enrolling, options are available for you to host this workshop for your agency or your region. This workshop can be combined with other workshops to build a multi-day training experience to satisfy all your training needs.

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

Defining the 9-1-1 Professional:
The First Three Minutes

The first few minutes of any emergency is where most people can make the greatest impact. AEP will give your company the best first step in any emergency.

The National Safety Council has stated one dollar invested on Emergency training will return two to six dollars towards your companies bottom line. 

This dynamic eight-hour block of instruction will help to create best practices that can be used for every day workplace safety. Our classes are tailored to your needs. We will meet with your staff to ensure we enhance your established protocols giving them the tools to better handle any emergency.

In this time saving and cost-effective training style, AEP will train your staff with the common-sense fundamentals to handle any emergency. In this course you will learn the best way to interact with the EMS system. AEP’S first and only goal is to teach you the basics fundamentals on how to handle any emergency.

Our topics will cover:

• The amazing impact a caller can make on a bad situation

• How to think critically

• Caller responsibility

• How a cell phone can save your life

• How to represent your location (location within a location)

• How to obtain and effectively relay a suspect description

• How to represent what is going on to the first responders

• How to set up consistent organized training for your company

It’s our professional opinion complicated protocols and procedures are very rarely referenced in the critical time of an emergency. Call takers are the tip of the arrow in an emergency response. Your initial interaction with the EMS system might only be for a minute or so. If you can represent what’s going on properly and quickly you can save a life. Be the difference in a positive outcome.

This eight-hour power block of instruction is the fourth part of our Bridging the Gap series:

Defining The 911 Professional: The First Three Minutes
Stress Reduction Strategies: The Hero’s Choice
The Art of Leadership
Tactical Dispatching

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

 Domestic & Family Violence

Call taking and dispatching for today's 911 professional

911 Call-takers and Dispatchers have an essential role in ensuring community and responder safety during Domestic and Family Violence calls. They are the essential link between a victim and public safety response, playing a vital role in all stages of the incident, including the apprehension and prosecution of a Domestic Violence suspect. The 911 professional must always be prepared for domestic and family violence calls, and must be prepared to prioritize them correctly and coordinate a safe response. This workshop from AEP will give your staff the basics and fundamentals to move your center forward towards achieving these goals in the safest and most professional way. 

​According to the Help SAVE Foundation, a woman is physically abused by her spouse every 9 seconds in the United States, with more than 10 million people affected every year. Additionally, 35% of emergency-room visits by women are for symptoms that may be the result of spousal abuse, however as few as 5% of these victims are officially categorized as such. It takes a great amount of courage for a victim of domestic violence to call 911, and the variations in the amount of moving parts associated with each situation means a call-taker must be able to gather the pertinent information accurately. There are a variety of ways that calls of family and domestic violence may be referred to a dispatch center, and a call taker or dispatcher must be able to correctly assess the situation and send the appropriate help. This workshop covers a wide variety of DV call types & scenarios.

Topics include:

• Information gathering during the initial call for service

• Asking questions that assist in the prosecution of the suspect

• What to expect from a traumatized caller

• ‘Excited Utterances’ and the role they play in the legal world

• How to combine compassion and empathy to get the best information.

• The Dispatcher’s role in responder safety during critical calls

• How to defuse the situation while responders are en route to a call

• Using the AEP Crisis Communications Toolbox

• Role Playing and Scenarios featuring reality-based family emergency calls

• Lessons Learned and case studies used to enforce the dispatcher's role

Using our time-tested techniques, learn how to calm abusive and assaultive subjects and gain necessary intelligence over the phone that will help responding officers and keep the situation safe. We will share the valuable questions that can be asked on the call that can lead to better arrests and to more successful prosecutions.

In addition to enrolling, you can host this class for your agency or your region. This workshop, as with all of our workshops, can be tailored to your center’s specific needs. We are providing industry standards to help your center be at its best. This workshop can be combined with other workshops to build a multi-day training experience to satisfy all your training needs.

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

 Fire Communications

The Do’s and Don’ts of Fire Communications
For both novice and advanced Fire Communicators

American Emergency Preparedness, utilizing the talent and experience of veteran fire communications dispatchers, has developed this class to address the ever-changing role of the fire service dispatcher. Dispatchers will find a wealth of great knowledge in this workshop and will find that this class is a great chance to enhance their knowledge and skills, whether they are experienced veterans of the fire board or new to the fire service. We have taken the most popular modules of our previous Fire Communications Course and combined them here in this informative one-day workshop.

We'll sift through the jargon so dispatchers will know what resources are being requested, and what those resources provide to an incident. A detailed review of fire service resources will include air tankers, water tenders, quints, air/light units and more! 

The workshop will also cover fire service terminology that a fire communications dispatcher will likely come across. For instance, there are new policies and procedures dispatchers need to know when a '2 In - 2 Out' system is implemented on-scene, or what to do if the Incident Commander makes a call for a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) during an incident. What is a “PAR” (Personal Accountability Report) and why is it used? Also, the workshop will examine requirements by outside agencies that will inevitably be involved in any large-scale incident, such as the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Topics include:

• Fire Communications procedures and tactics

• What are the "best" questions to ask in a fire emergency?

• Relaying Information: when to talk on the radio

• How dispatchers can save time and provide useful information to Incident Commanders

• Balancing a quick response with your best customer service skills

• Responder safety and knowledge of equipment

• What the firefighters on scene are doing with the information that you provide them

• Hazardous materials: More and more, hazardous materials are handled each day in your jurisdiction, and dispatchers need to be aware of both chemicals contained in structures and transported on our roadways, air, rails, and pipelines. We will provide a list of questions to determine what hazardous materials may be involved in an incident, and what information dispatchers may be able to provide to fire-ground commanders. Bring your CHEMTREC book!!

• Communications’ role in personnel accountability reports, lost firefighters, and operational retreat

• Incident Command System (ICS): A review of ICS with emphasis on the role of the Fire Service Dispatcher.

• Mutual aid requests for additional resources during a large-scale incident; also terminology, providing location and directions, managing outside resources and "turf" problems.

The workshop concludes with a hands-on exercise that will provide students with a scenario to practice Incident Command System (ICS) policies and procedures on a simulated incident. This workshop can be combined with other workshops to build a multi-day training experience to satisfy all your training needs.

Workshop Length:

16 Hours (2 Days)

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

information on ‘2-in, 2-out’ and RIT involvement collected from OSHA.

Homeland Security

Presented by American Emergency Preparedness

Best practices defined… 

In this dynamic eight-hour session AEP will define the needs of any communication center during a homeland security incident. Describing past successes and quality controlling past failures, we will engage in defining best practices. Our professional instructors will guide the attendees through the roles defined in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Incident Command System (ICS)/National Incident Management System (NIMS). We will expose basics and fundamentals needed for any incident of this type. This workshop focuses on leadership and communication during preparation as well as during the incident itself. Our skilled instructors will guide the attendees through the planning and documentation process. We look to give these session attendees the skills and tools needed for all aspects of these dynamic incidents.

Topics Include:

• Communication

• Leadership

• Defining incident types

• ICS/NIMS

• Documentation

• Planning and preparation

• How to develop best practices

• Policy writing

Workshop Length:

This is an eight-hour session.

Materials Needed:

Writing materials are needed; laptops and iPads are welcome.

Learning Outcomes:

Outcomes will be defined by in class verbal assessments by the instructor for the session attendees. Certificates will be provided upon successful completion of this workshop. Workshop and instructor evaluations will be part of the class handouts.

Notes:

This session is a workshop designed to challenge its students and help them define Homeland security incidents as well as create best practices for their center. Instructors are there to facilitate an all-inclusive classroom center where ideas are nurtured, and innovation thrives.

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

Stress Reduction Strategies: The Hero’s Choice

Strategies for Workplace Stress Reduction
for Emergency Dispatchers

911 call centers across the United States are staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with police, fire, and emergency dispatchers. Long shifts, complex and demanding calls, a fast-paced environment, and working in an emotionally charged setting can cause work-related stress for emergency dispatchers.

According to the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED), certified dispatchers should continually seek to maintain and improve their professional knowledge, skills, and competence and should seek continuing education whenever available. Despite the importance of self-care among both novice and veteran emergency dispatchers, evidence suggests that dispatch supervisors and workplaces in general have done little to actively promote a culture of self-care among dispatchers. This workshop is a good first step.

Emergency dispatchers provide help to people in need, but how often do dispatchers take care of themselves when facing personal challenges and struggles?

In this time saving and cost-effective eight-hour training block, AEP will train your staff with the common-sense fundamentals to combating work related stress. Using our HERO’S CHOICE Model, you and your team will learn the basic fundamentals on how to manage the effects of workplace stress to support a healthier, more sustainable workforce. This model has been developed by line dispatchers and professional clinicians.

The overall goal of the program is to cultivate stress reduction techniques in order to help dispatchers sustain the personal and professional vitality necessary in order to fulfill their responsibility to the public.

Our topics will cover:

· The honest facts about dispatcher stress
· Your ethical responsibility to the public
· Strategies to increase resilience, confidence, self-efficacy, and courage
· The impact of organizational culture
· Research-based approaches to Self-care

American Emergency Preparedness strives to empower dispatchers with the necessary tools and psychological capital to cope with adverse work experiences and the stress involved in their important role. Learn from the research, our professional experience, and other dispatchers in this workshop to become a positive force in your organization. Be a HERO.

This eight-hour power block of instruction is the fourth part of our Bridging the Gap series:

Defining The 911 Professional: The First Three Minutes
Stress Reduction Strategies: The Hero’s Choice
The Art of Leadership
Tactical Dispatching

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

Tactical Dispatching

Communication is the most important part of emergency response; we want to put your dispatchers in a place to succeed and perform at the highest level. 911 centers across America are the first line of communication in ninety-nine percent of all emergencies. The Police and Fire dispatchers start the response process, and the level of triage performance dictates the response that follows. At American Emergency Preparedness, we refer to this performance as Tactical Dispatching. The use of Tactical Dispatching should be an everyday thing for dispatchers around the country, and proper training for this skill can ensure that your employees are fully equipped to make a difference.

At American Emergency Preparedness we specialize in this focused communication training. Topics covered in this training block include:
- Triaging an emergency
- Initial dispatch
- Radio control
- How to use your radio tools
- How to use less verbiage to say more
- Critical thinking
- How your voice & inflection can de-escalate or even escalate a call

Additionally, we will discuss the intricacies of everyday emergency communications, off-scene triage during an active shooter scenario, and the dispatcher’s responsibilities in regards to officer safety.

We want to put your dispatchers in a position to provide the best possible environment for all responding field personnel.

This eight-hour power block of instruction is the fourth part of our Bridging the Gap series:

Defining The 911 Professional: The First Three Minutes
Stress Reduction Strategies: The Hero’s Choice
The Art of Leadership
Tactical Dispatching

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.

What If It Were Your Family?
Providing Excellent Customer Service 

Providing exceptional service to every caller

What if it were your family needing help in an emergency? Why would you offer them a different level of service or "go the extra mile" for them, only to give the average caller or responder a different level of service? Is it possible to use terms that you would use with a family member when you are dealing with an "every-day call for service"? How can we make simple but substantial changes in our wording, mindset and thought processes to drastically improve our level of service?

The idea of "what if it were family" will be a thread throughout this information filled class that will change the "mindset" of many of your staff members. It will also validate the commitment and service that many of your team members already embrace while offering them new and exciting tools and phrases to use.

This concept has received rave reviews so far and we are sure that your team members will respond to the WIIWYF (What If It Were Your Family) values. This workshop is refreshing and reaffirming; instead of demonizing current practices, it simply shows you a "better way" of doing things with modest changes in our questioning that lead to more favorable responses and interactions with both co-workers and callers. This workshop is an absolute game-changer for the 9-1-1 industry!

Topics include:

• Gathering better information from hysterical or uncooperative callers

• Handling mentally ill and suicidal callers

• What to say and what NOT to say

• Active listening techniques and listening and responding to "keywords"

• Domestic Violence call taking and Dispatching - Family & Responder Safety, you can make the scene safer!!!

• Asking clarifying questions (i.e., the difference between “he has a gun” and “he is threatening me with a gun”)

• Effective voice inflection skills. We will use simulations of scenarios in class to define best practices in call taking and professional conversation as a whole.

Breaking some simple bad habits can go a long way to instantly see better service and improve quality assurance scores. The workshop will examine strategies for information gathering, calming techniques and "connecting emotionally" with callers. The workshop will discuss our various customers and how we can meet or exceed their expectations. We will also discuss effectively communicating with our internal co-workers (fellow dispatchers) and how providing internal service is essential. This workshop is action packed, fast paced, and loaded with great ideas that any 9-1-1 professional can use right away.

The workshop will cover additional "hot topics" such as communicating with agitated subjects, speaking to those with mental impairments, and using creative, yet professional, information-gathering tools. We will utilize both great and not-so-great examples to illustrate both effectiveness or failure. For agencies that are using "scripted" or protocol-based dispatch systems, we will emphasize how to best utilize questioning sequences and how to employ various customer service phrases to enhance your quality assurance scores. Demonstrations of "clarifying questions" and "responder safety" questions will be demonstrated and utilized in scenarios.

This workshop uses case studies, audio examples, and stories that received national attention and cases where 9-1-1 professionals went above and beyond to offer assurance or assistance. This is a great opportunity to get your yearly re-affirmation of customer service training that will offer new and proven tools for providing the best possible service. This is a great way to get refreshed, renewed and rejuvenated!

Workshop Length:

8 Hours

Target Audience:

Any call taker, dispatcher, trainer, supervisor, or manager.
Law, Fire and EMS responders are welcome to attend.

All AEP workshops meet the criteria for Public Safety Continued Education hours.

To host this workshop, or if you have any questions, e-mail booking@ameri-prep.com or call (401) 344-0054 between 8am-4:30pm Eastern time.