“The Power of Resilience: How to Beat Dispatcher Burnout” and “Sharing the Road: Empowering Direct Reports” Hosted by Massachusetts Communications Supervision Association

Recent studies have proven the link between handling traumatic calls of life-threatening nature and the onset of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Over the life of a 9-1-1 telecommunicator’s career, these symptoms— including emotional numbing, avoidance and isolation, and hypervigilance— can erode a calltaker’s ability to remain alert and impartial while also providing excellent customer service to callers in need. With the strategies and perspectives taught in this class, participants will be able to combat feelings of job-related burnout, curb their complacency, and continue making a difference in the lives of each caller.

—Understand the underlying cause of work-related chronic/traumatic stress

—Dramatically lower stress levels and manage burnout

—Limit their exposure to vicarious trauma

—Maintain a healthy balance between work and home life

For any leader in a 911 center, employee buy-in is absolutely key. Getting employees on board and
excited about policy and procedure ensures that they will come to work with a true sense of
ownership and internal motivation that can fundamentally change the atmosphere. To get your
people on board, though, they must first be empowered – truly empowered — to help shape the
direction of your workplace. In this class, we’ll dig into proven methods that leaders can use to share
the road with their people in real, tangible ways. The results can change everything.

Learning Objectives: 
• Distinguish impactful methods for empowering subordinates
• Characterize and cultivate “employee ownership” and be better equipped to create it
• Describe the collaborative nature of decision making in their comm center