Oct - Texas Chapter of NENA

Texas NENA Transfer
"A Newsletter for 9-1-1 Professionals"
October 2015
In This Issue
A note from your TX-NENA
President
A note from your TX-NENA
Vice-President
A note from your TX-NENA
Central Regional
Coordinator
A note from your TX-NENA
West Regional Coordinator
A note from your TX-NENA
North Regional Coordinator
A note from your TX-NENA
Panhandle Regional
Coordinator
Texas NENA 20142015 Executive Board
President
Beth English
972-412-6148
[email protected]
Vice President
Jason Smith, ENP
Dear Jason,
Below you will find articles from across the state of Texas. For
more information regarding TX-NENA, the officers that serve TXNENA or many of the other organizations listed herein, please visit
our webpage at www.texasnena.org or our Facebook page.
(We understand your time is valuable and appreciate the time you
spend with the Texas NENA Transfer. It with the same respect we
strive to provide you with correct information. We are resending
the Texas NENA Transfer for October 2015 with a correction
made and our sincere gratitude offered to you for understanding. Thank you, Transfer Editor)
TX-NENA President - Beth English
What a great time of year this is! It's been so nice with the cooler
than normal temperatures it ALMOST makes me want to get out
and exercise! Well, not really but it sounded good.
Your Texas NENA board hit the ground running this year with so
many new plans for training and outreach. I'm really excited to get
moving on it. Some of the things we are working on include:
 GIS ESRI training for each region for those who understand
GIS but not its application to 9-1-1, and to move towards
the creation of standardized NENA data state-wide
 Working on developing partnerships with the Rio Grande
ARC users group as well as the South Central ARC users
group
 Creating an interactive map for the website that displays
the regions and contact information for each Regional
Coordinator
817-704-2525
[email protected]
Secretary
Maria Lemonds, ENP
972-547-5350
[email protected]
s
Treasurer
Gracie Martinez
817-820-1187
[email protected]
Past President
Toni Dunne, ENP
512-970-7066
[email protected]
Regional Coordinators
North:
Kelle Hall
214-559-9359
[email protected]
South:
Sergio Castro
956-682-3481
[email protected]
East:
Brian Hagen
409-384-5704
[email protected]
Panhandle:
Pamela Frisk
Meetings with directors and other officials to convey the
benefits and importance of NENA membership
 Creation of a Social Media committee to get the messages
out to our members
 Creation of a Technology committee to keep the
membership up to date on new technology and its uses
 Promoting awareness of the training scholarships
available through TX NENA
 New pre-conference courses
As you can see we will have a very busy year ahead of us. For any
of you who might be interested in becoming a volunteer for a
committee, please contact your Regional Coordinator and put your
name out there. We will be happy to put you to work!

And speaking of volunteering...we are going to need conference
committee co-chairs for next year and now is the time to sign up.
We need someone for each of the following committees:
 Educational Sessions
 Entertainment
 Gifts
 Hotel Liaison
 IP Hall
 Opening/Closing Session
 PSAP Tours
 Registration
 Silent Auction
 Sponsorship
 Volunteer/VIP
So, if you are great with numbers, we have a place for you. If you
are the best party giver, we have a place for you. And if you've ever
wanted to become more involved and meet more people, have we
got the place for you! Don't wait...join us now!
TX NENA strives to provide its membership with the tools needed
to do the job. But something just as important as the training or
the opportunities to volunteer, is the networking found in TX
NENA. There are so many people that are far more knowledgeable
than I am; sometimes to the point that I wonder where I've been
all this time! But it's comforting to know that even if I don't know
the answer, I know someone who does and I can call on that
person anytime. And that goes for everyone. If you are in need of
some information, a little mentoring, or even just someone to vent
to about your day, you can always find someone in your TX NENA
family. So don't hesitate...if you need something, call on your
family!
Here's to hoping you have a great fall!
Beth English
TX-NENA President
806-372-3381
[email protected]
Central:
Julie Harmon, ENP
512-916-6024
[email protected]
West:
Frances Jimenez
915-562-3911
[email protected]
Texas 9-1-1 Trainers
TX-NENA Vice-President - Jason Smith, ENP
Though it has been five months since we said good-bye to
Galveston, it still feels like it was just yesterday that we were
walking out of the awards ceremony and heading home for a
quick rest. Now, plans are well underway for the 2016
conference. I want to send a "HUGE THANK YOU!" to all those that
made the 2015 Conference a success. A lot of hard work and
dedication went towards getting the conference in order, and I feel
confident that the same methods will be applied in making the
2016 conference the best to date.
I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone
that supported me in my nomination for TX-NENA Vice
President. After being elected to the North Region Coordinator
position at the 2014 conference, I was approached by a respected
colleague stating that this was only the beginning, one day soon
you will be President.
The thought produced that nervous, doubtful laugh followed by an
"um, sure." A year later here I am, now serving as your Vice
President.
To learn more about TNT
and to register for the
next meeting, visit their
website at:
texas911trainers.org
9-1-1 Public Educators
of Texas
My adventure with TX-NENA began in 2010. Kim Ward and I were
honored with the opportunity to Chair and Co-Chair the
Registration Committee. Neither one of us knew what to expect
from the experience but when the dust settled and the conference
came to an end, a door opened for future possibilities within the
Chapter.
My experience with the Chapter has taught me one
thing: networking is key. Serving on the Registration Committee
for three years allowed me to develop friendships with not only
those that were working the conference, but with those that were
attending. As the years have gone by, unfamiliar faces with timid
hellos have turned into friendly smiles extending a hug or
handshake. Now, the yearly conference feels more like a yearly
family reunion than anything else.
This whole experience started by taking a chance and
volunteering. Whatever has prevented you from getting involved
with TX-NENA, I say take the opportunity and make an effort.
Whatever your passion may be, from volunteering at conferences,
serving on a committee, or teaching, take the chance. The
experience is something you will never forget and you never
To learn more about the
9-1-1 Public Educators of
Texas (PETs) and to
register for their next
meeting, visit their
website at:
know...one day soon your nervous, doubtful laugh will see you as
Vice President.
www.911pets.org
Your TX-NENA Board is ready to serve! I am looking forward to
working with an outstanding group of people who all bring a vast
wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. Staying true to
our Strategic Plan, we will bring to our members what they
deserve...nothing but the best with the best of our abilities.
Texas
Telecommunicator
Emergency Response
Taskforce
Reach out to your Board members whenever possible and share
your thoughts, ideas and talents. To the new members, don't be
shy. Take advantage of the opportunity to get to know what all TXNENA can do for you, as we are more than just a state chapter of
NENA.
We are a family.
Jason Smith, ENP
TX-NENA Vice-President
For more information,
visit their website at:
TX-NENA Central Regional Coordinator Julie Harmon, ENP
www.tx-tert.org
Telecommunicator
Alliance of Texas
A resource for education,
advocacy and mentorship in order to enhance
their success in Public
Safety.
Conference Begins Oct. 4, 2015 in Austin
For more information,
visit our website at:
The NENA Development Conference is coming to Austin this year!
This conference will be held at the Double Tree, October 4th-7th,
and promises to be keep the most savvy and experienced 9-1-1
professional busy. NDC 's pre- conference courses , Quality
Assurance: A Roadmap to Achieving QA/QI in the PSAP and
Understanding Database in NG911, give attendees the opportunity
to jump start the week studying relevant topics that are central to
a successful organization.
www.tcallianceoftexas.org
Texas NENA Emergency
Number Professional
Texas ENP Challenge
Strive for Greatness!!
NDC's working sessions begin Monday and target audiences that
are both operational and technical, in nature. Attendees will
participate in hands-on work groups that have specific goals and
address key topics.
For those interested, make sure you look at the "Know Before You
Go" information that is specific to each group. Tips such as "Review
Working Group Charter" or links like the "Acronym list for NG9-1-1"
are provided to give participants supporting information that is
pertinent to the group's topic. Attendees will leave these sessions
with a list deliverables.
For more information,
visit our website at:
If the working groups don't sound
appealing to you, the
www.texasnena.org
Critical Issues Forum starts
Wednesday, October 7-8, 2015. The
discussions will be centered on the
challenges of location and location
accuracy in an NG9-1-1 environment.
The Education Summit is
also a great investment of your time. These training courses earn
you points towards your ENP certification or recertification.
To sum it up, NDC in Austin is a fantastic opportunity to get
involved, make a difference, and establish valuable professional
relationships.
If you can't make it this year, NDC is in Columbus, OH, October 912, 2016.
Julie Harmon, ENP
TX-NENA Central Regional Coordinator
TX-NENA West Regional Coordinator Frances Jimenez
Turnover Turntable
No One Plans to be a Telecommunicator for a Living
Talk to anyone that has been in the 911 industry for any amount
of time, and they will tell you that it is a calling. No one plans to be
a Telecommunicator for a living.
As a classroom icebreaker, I ask students to introduce
themselves, explain how they learned about the job, and to
describe where they plan to be in 5 years. We're talking about
new-hires that should be bright-eyed, gung-ho, and ready to learn
everything they can about 911. Instead, I get:




"I got this job to get my foot in the door with <the City, the
County, or insert any other agency here>."
"I'm here until I can get into the <law enforcement, fire
academy, or insert any other first responder agency
here>."
"The benefits package is good."
"I transferred here from <insert other department here>
for a pay raise."
And when asking where they plan on being in 5 years:


"Hopefully by then I'll have my degree in <insert profession
here>, and I can get a job doing that."
"Let's see how I like this job, it depends".
You get the idea. It saddens me, because I love the 911 industry
so much. I live and breathe it. I care about the health and wellbeing of the Telecommunicators. The kids at the elementary
schools and organizations where I've educated call me the 911
lady.
So, I make it my personal mission to plant that 911 passion seed
into the students. Then I foster it as much as I can until they're no
longer in the classroom. I explain that this job isn't for everyone,
that the hours will be challenging but manageable, and to expect
their good work to oftentimes go unnoticed. This job is for the
servant that wants to serve, the person that cares, and the
guardian that wants to protect.
Eating Our Young
A few years ago, I remember telling my then Training
Supervisor/Mentor about a bright young gentleman that had that
twinkle in his eye when he started. Only a few months later - I
can't even remember if he'd even passed probation yet - he
already seemed burned out and tired. The twinkle was gone.
She wasn't surprised. Not only did she already know, but she told
me that her go-to expression was, "I lost them". I knew exactly
what she meant.
Just last week, while introducing himself, a visiting out-of-town
instructor bluntly told the 18 students that he would likely never
see 50% of them again. The expression on their faces was that of
disbelief.
I've visited many PSAPS, been to multiple conferences, and had
the pleasure of learning from numerous colleagues and peers.
Turnover and burnout are not unique to any 911 PSAP. In fact, it's
less common to find a PSAP with very low turnover.
Last year I was discussing this subject with a colleague of mine
from another state, and I asked her what she thought was the root
cause of this. "We eat our young," she told me. Then she pointed
out that hiring requirements are minimal: have a high school
diploma or GED, be able to type, be sane, and don't have a record.
Do you remember how naive you were at 18 years old? Or even
22?
"And then we throw them into the fire". The job has the potential
to be stressful in almost every way possible: physically, mentally,
and emotionally. It can be taxing on your personal and family life,
can wreak havoc on your metabolism and circadian rhythm. And
we are taught, almost through osmosis, to just deal with it.
And to think, in 2015, some states still do not have any hiring or
training requirements at all.
So, How Do We Fix It?
I spoke to a supervisor from one of our agencies this afternoon. I
always ask how my "work-children" are doing. One of their
dispatchers had been hired in May and already left to take a
civilian position at another law enforcement agency in town. She
was putting her Criminal Justice degree to use.
"Sometimes, an agency can do everything right, and we still lose
'em." I told him. I know that he is a fair supervisor; his agency has
great leadership, good pay and benefits, is healthily-staffed, and
has a good facility and equipment. So, how do we fix it?
Here are some textbook theories I found on how to prevent
turnover:







Hire the right people
Offer benefits packages and fair wages
Provide access to continuing education
Offer performance feedback and praise good efforts
Involve employees in decisions that affect their jobs
Staff adequately to avoid overtime
Nurture and celebrate organization traditions, such as
Telecommunicator week
In addition, here are my universal personal beliefs that can help:




We need to get involved with the community early on educate our youth, first responders teachers, and
community that 911 is a valid, important career path.
Be nice. Yes, be nice. Be nice to callers, to first responders,
to supervisors, to peers, and tp management. And be nice
to the trainees! Our treatment towards them can make or
break if they stay. And yes, we want them to stay
Set the example. Be a leader, even if you aren't a
supervisor. We are social by nature, and people are always
watching each other. Perform your duties well, conduct
yourself ethically, positively, and professionally. Successful
people nurture success in others. It will rub off on
someone.
Encourage lives and hobbies outside of work. Seems
impossible, right? If you have 30 minutes to watch your
favorite sitcom, or play around on Facebook, you have 30
minutes for a hobby. Garden, walk the dog, pick up the
sport you "used to" play. Don't let work be your life.
Do you have any ideas on how to prevent high turnover? I
would love to hear your input, email me:
[email protected].
Frances Jimenez
TX-NENA West Regional Coordinator
TX-NENA North Regional Coordinator - Kelle Hall
News from the North: In the Spotlight
This quarter's North Region Spotlight focuses on Terrell Police
Department Communications Supervisor Tina Hoobler. Tina was
hired by Terrell as a full time dispatcher in November 2011. She
was quickly promoted
to Communications Supervisor in August of
2012. Tina's previous exper ience includes time
at the McKinney and Greenville Police
Departments. She started her career in
Alabama at Walker County E9-1-1 in 2004.
As a former lead specialist at McKinney PD,
Tina Hoobler
Tina brought a new perspective to Terrell's
Communications Division and implemented
new procedures she felt were missing, such as in-house training
and general organization. She said, "I felt it was imperative to reestablish a foundation of who we are in the scope of public safety
communications to Terrell Police Department, Terrell Fire
Department and the City of Terrell."
Tina tells us she enjoyed her time working at McKinney PD and
still has many good friends there. During her time at McKinney,
she learned many things from those friends: how to be an
effective trainer, how to be firm, and most importantly, how to be
fair.
She said her mentors include Manager Andrea Kirkconnell and
Floor Supervisors Randi Wiggins, April Bryant and Sammye
Cotton. While working for Bonnie Davis at Greenville PD, she
learned you can be a "take charge supervisor" and still be a nice
person.
Tina describes the City of Terrell as a small, diverse city
surrounded by the interstate and several state highways which run
through town. The population is approximately 16,000 but
services a much larger population due to commuter traffic.
"With huge corporations which employee thousands, our
population increases by 50% during the normal work week," Tina
says of the dynamic population numbers. Terrell and the PD have
seen tremendous changes over the past 2 years and she feels
fortunate to be involved and getting to see the growth first hand.
When she started in Terrell, she couldn't help but notice the police
building had been built decades ago and was in need of
repair. Police fleet vehicles were old with high mileage; the radio
system was from the 70's (she adds she is not kidding) and it was
on its last leg. The CAD software was outdated and all in a small,
dark Communications Center.
It didn't take long before Tina would experience the
professionalism and camaraderie found in the patrol division, CID
and administration, the tenure of employees is amazing. She says
of this camaraderie, "my co-workers grew up together; went to
school together; and go to church together. They have a personal
vested interest in the safety of this community and it shows."
Tina can be found wearing a huge smile when she talks about her
work home. She could not be happier. She has grown close to her
police and fire families and works hard to maintain the trust and
respect needed to be a successful supervisor. She cares deeply for
each of her staff and has the utmost respect for the job they do.
Exciting things are happening at Terrell PD. A new, 12 million
dollar state-of-the-art police headquarters building will be move-in
ready in the fall of 2016; the patrolmen now drive a fleet of new
Tahoe's. Other updated technology includes a Motorola digital
radio system in addition to the aforementioned CAD software.
Tina says, "We are very excited about what the future holds for our
department and the city."
With the support of the Police Chief and Division Captain, the
accomplishments of Terrell PD's Communications Division over
the last two years are amazing. Like so many agencies across the
state, they've been under staffed, yet they continue to be reliable,
diligent and focused on the good works they do.
Tina says, "encouragement and respect are a large part of my
leadership style. All the while pushing our team to higher
standards and goals. It's not about me as the supervisor, it's about
us as a team."
She says it shows in their recent accomplishment of the
Communications Division being awarded the Terrell Police
Department's "Unit of the Year" in 2014 for the first time in the
history of the department.
Employees of the Terrell Police Departments Communications
Division include:

Mary Terry, Communications Officer, Masters (11 years w
TPD) CTO, TCIC Associate Trainer, TAG Coordinator, Local
Chapter United Way Committee member,
Telecommunicator of the Year nominee, COG 2013; Texas
Silent Hero nominee and winner, 2013; Civilian of the Year
nominee, City of Terrell, 2014; and Unit of the Year team
winner, City of Terrell, 2014.

Lora Morris, Communications Officer, Advanced (7 years w
TPD) - CTO, Forms Procurement, Fire Liaison. Civilian of
the Year, City of Terrell, 2012; Telecommunicator of the
Year nominee, COG 2014; and Unit of the Year team
winner, City of Terrell 2014.

Donna Gilmore, Communications Officer, Masters
(combined 15 years w TPD), CTO, TAG team member, and
Unit of the Year team winner, City of Terrell 2014

Shawn Tidwell, Communications Officer, Advanced (4
years w TPD). 9-1-1 Professional of the Year, COG 2013,
and Unit of the Year team winner, City of Terrell 2014.

Marcella Cobb is expected to complete her training in
August, 2015.
Tina moved to Terrell after her daughter graduated from high
school to be closer to her mother and siblings and doesn't regret a
minute of her decision.
We are proud to have Tina representing the North Texas region.
Kelle Hall
TX-NENA North Region Coordinator
TX-NENA Panhandle Regional Coordinator Pamela Frisk
Panhandle Tidbits from the Top of Texas
Training
The Panhandle Region hosted many training classes in the last
few months.
Tina Chaffin from Tarrant County 9-1-1 visited us and conducted
training for 30 panhandle telecommunicators on active shooter
incidents.
We brought in PowerPhone to present their classes on Domestic
Violence Intervention, Suicide Intervention and Hostage
Negotiations for Telecommunicators. All three classes were full!
The Panhandle is certainly committed to the continuing education
of our employees. We continue to offer many opportunities to
encourage them to experience new training as well as affording
them the opportunity to polish and refine their existing skills.
Public education
Our public education events have been in full force. Over the last
few months, the Panhandle Public Education T.E.A.M. handed out
approximately 9,000 items during six different events. We visited
all of our PSAP's and gave out appreciation gifts for National
Telecommunicators Week!
Showing off the gifts during NPSTW
The Panhandle region was well represented at the 2015 TX
APCO/NENA Public Safety Conference in Galveston.
Congratulations to Leticia Truex from the Potter/Randall 9-1-1
District on her award for becoming the 2015 NENA Public
Educator of the Year!
Leticia Truex - 2015 TX-NENA Public Educator of the Year
Thanks to many of our panhandle team who volunteered time and
effort to the conference!
Cellphone Sally, Leticia Truex & Pamela Frisk
Casting a wide net for public education at the TNT/PET booth in
Galveston
The Panhandle Regional Planning Commission partnered with
Potter-Randall 9-1-1 to co-host "9-1-1 Brings You Human
Trafficking Training and Awareness."
This event included training for both law enforcement officers
and 9-1-1 telecommunicators on human trafficking awareness
taught by Dr. Tomi Grover from TraffickStop.
From the traffickstop.org website:
"TraffickStop is an educational endeavor that connects
community organizations focused on human trafficking in the U.
S."
Additionally, services of a technical trainer for the office of Victims
of Crime and a certified instructor for the Texas Commission on
Law Enforcement (TCOLE) are available.
Their goal is to establish a bridge to connect non-governmental
organizations (NGO), medical professionals, service providers,
educators, homeless networks, and others to law enforcement
and other governmental agencies.
The event was highly publicized by all of our local television
stations, our local newspaper and local radio celebrities.
Dr. Tomi Grover getting the message out during a local on-air interview
Several local businesses sponsored the event giving their time,
food, supplies and money supporting the week's events. We
finished up the week of events with a free night out at the local
baseball park. Telecommunicators were given a tailgate party and
free admission into the Amarillo Thunderheads' baseball game.
Good food, good times with good people tailgating
Pictures with Storm, the Amarillo Thunderheads' Mascot, during the game
And last but not least, the Panhandle Regional 9-1-1
Network has been working on several high impact
technology projects this summer.
First, we are upgrading the PANCOM network to provide
more bandwidth for our 9-1-1 traffic. Additionally, we are
replacing generators at five of our PSAPS. We also plan
upgrades to routers in order to handle the upcoming text-to9-1-1 project. And finally, we continue to diligently work on
preparing data for migration to the Enterprise Geospatial
Database Management System (EGDMS).
Things are busy in Lubbock
by Michael Grossie
The District has been busy implementing text-to-9-1-1 for each of
the primary PSAPs. We are using the GEM 9-1-1 client from TCS to
aggregate text messages and route them to the appropriate
PSAP. After evaluating both the web-based delivery and the TTY
method, the District felt the web-based method offered the better
experience. There has been much testing and troubleshooting
done to make this possible. There is now work to be done as we
incorporate text messaging into a wireless testing program!
Construction News
Construction continues on our new administrative facility, which
includes a data center and training center that can double as a
backup PSAP. Completion is now expected to be the end of
September 2015. Weather has created a lot of delay. Though we
are thankful for the rain, it does wreak havoc on construction
projects!
Lubbock Welcomes New Team Members
In other news, we are pleased to welcome two new District
employees! Maria Flores joined the team as our new
Administrative Assistant. She has worked for many years in call
centers for both insurance and financial institutions.
Maria Flores
The other member to join our team is Byron Lanham. Byron has
joined us as our Network Technician. He comes to the District
from NTS, a local telephone and fiber provider, where he was
involved in the maintenance of phone systems, network design,
fiber network operations, and sales.
Byron Lanham
Lubbock would like to welcome these two new, outstanding team
members.
Maria and Byron, both, share our vision of providing the best
possible 9-1-1 service to the people we serve.
Pamela Frisk
TX-NENA Panhandle Regional Coordinator