ECB MONTHLY : AUGUST 2020 INAUGURAL ISSUE

AUGUST Â 2020

ISSUE ONE

ECB MONTHLY Official publication of the MPD Emergency Communications Bureau

mission This front-line led publication seeks to inspire and motivate ECB telecommunicators by highlighting employee accomplishments.

The selected stories and content are shared with the intent to disseminate useful information about the Bureau, Memphis Police Department and the 9-1-1 industry as a whole.

Furthermore , we aspire to increase transparency and communication between management and the floor; and improve overall employee morale.Â

Cover Story Welcome Back Xan

features COVER STORY : WELCOME BACK

11

XAN MINOR

BEYOND THE BUREAU

6

STIS UNIT : SGT. LEE POTTS

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH : MAY 2020

4

JENNY RICE

NEW CO-WORKER ALERT

8

PRDT SPOTLIGHT : ARIA WILLIAMS

MORALE BOOSTERS

14

ALPHA SHIFT PARTIES ANDREA HEASTON & MELANIE JEFFERSON

ECB MONTHLY TEAM

PRDÂ Erica May, Editor MGR Deranecque Rogers, Editor-in-Chief ECA Michael Spencer, Chief Administratior

MIKE'S MINUTE

by Michael Spencer , ECB Administrator

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It doesn’t matter how many times I say it, it still wouldn’t be enough to communicate my appreciation for the job you do.

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to serving the public and our officers. It didn’t take America long to figure out what positions were truly essential. We have always known how important our job is, so this pandemic didn’t change our internal viewpoint much.

Continuing to work through this pandemic with new rules, new data, new procedures and a changing world around us was challenging and each of you are handling it gracefully.

I never doubted our ability to adapt to the changing environment because that is what 9-1-1 Dispatch prepares us for. This job prepares us to adjust to whatever is thrown at us and you made it look effortless. As all of you know, we are not out of the woods yet and unfortunately COVID isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

We had weeks of scheduled and unscheduled protests after the tragic and senseless death of George Floyd and MPD Communications handled them very well. I am very proud of the leadership on Charlie Shift for rotating those responsibilities around to multiple employees.

FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DESK

Employees have always expressed a desire to have more opportunities to work special details and the weeks of May and June allowed many of you to gain valuable first hand experience. Having two dispatchers work the busier events allowed us to fine tune how we handle large scale events. Training is great, but it will never be a substitute for real world experience. Thanks to everyone that contributed to the management/working of those events. Please take some time to document what worked best and what we can do to make it better on Communications next time. The MPD Command Staff complemented the Dispatchers every single night during and after the events.

I know that Communications is up for any future challenges we may face. Public Service is a calling. Be proud of the job you perform each day. I hope you know how many people’s lives you touch and change. Each of you play a role in saving lives each day. There is nothing more noble. Treat every caller and officer how you would want to be treated and let me know what I can do to make your job better. I honestly cannot thank you enough for the job that you do but I hope you know how proud I am to be a part of MPD Communications-- and I will continue to do everything I can to improve our operations.

ECA Mike Spencer , CMCP

"It didn't take America long to figure out which positions were truly essential."

AUGUST 2020 |3

MAY 2020 EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

JENNY LEE RICE INTERVIEW

PROFILE

24 YEARS OF SERVICE

IN HER OWN WORDS

Jenny Lee Rice has worked for the Memphis

Police Department since 1996. She was voted Dispatcher of the Month in May 2020 and was

How was training for you ?

awarded Dispatcher of the Year in 2008. She attributes her success to being able to " leave work at

Training was good, we were not under

work" and that she actually enjoys the company of her

the APCO guidelines at that time. We

co-workers. When she is not working she enjoys

had two weeks of class room at the

traveling and listening to live music.

academy and then we were put on the floor. First we learned call taking, eight hours a day. Once we were released, we did four hours a day dispatching and then four hours call taking. We had one year to learn our job, not a certain number of DORS. We didn't have remedial. We just kept showing up until it clicked. All of us made it. I still like the way we were trained the best. This is a hands on job, and the way to learn it is in real time on the floor, in my opinion. All of my CTO's have retired or resigned. I had one CTO that swapped shifts with Beverly Wolfe-Davis, so she was my substitute CTO on several occasions.

She had this ruler that she would bang on the desk at us, and I can still hear her saying "talk & type, talk & type". I was not good at multi-tasking in the beginning.

Interview continued on the next page

ECB MONTHLY | Issue 1 | PAGE 4

EXPERTISE

STATION B EXTRAORDINARE "Jenny Rice is so kind and one of the most patient people I have ever known.

Jenny is knowledgeable and thorough when it comes to this job and Station B. She doesn't just answer questions. She will walk you through tasks and will create examples for you to ensure you understand. Jenny is a real team player.

There have been times I have seen her move from call taker to radio position to another radio position. She doesn't complain and treats everyone with the same dignity and respect. She seems to be happier when her co workers are doing well and happy too! Jenny is a true professional and represents the entire bureau well. She assists anyone and everyone, doesn't matter if you are old or new. She is a true Gem." - Words of PRD Charlotte Hardy

PAGE 5

JENNY RICE ... CONTINUED

What do you like most about your job?

I like that I leave work at work. Nothing is piling up for the next day or when I return from vacation. There are no deadlines to meet, no take home work, no checking emails, etc. Secondly, I like the people, my co-workers. I have met some of the most interesting and unique individuals. I have made lifelong friends. I have learned so much from my coworkers and I hope they have learned from me.

What is the most challenging part of the job?

I struggle with feeling empathy. I think as dispatchers we have learned to have very thick skin so to speak, so we don't have break downs. Its a "Catch 22" for our position.

Tell us about your most memorable call.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

What is your all time favorite ECB memory ?

My favorite memories are from all the social functions we used to have. We had a retirement party where we all wore our bunny ears for Richard and he felt like he was Hugh Hefner. We have had epic holiday parties, house parties (some even at the BOOM BOOM room-Dirty D), karaoke, and just going out together. But my most favorite is when we all went out for someones birthday at one of the Classic's (Hitz or Soulz). Well our very own Lorna Griggs was dancing on the dance floor.

She had a drink in her hand and she fell to the ground. Let me tell you, she bounced right back up, did not miss a beat, and she did not spill one drop of that drink . We all had our mouths open in awe, and then laughed hysterically. I still laugh just thinking of this memory.

A male Hispanic called 911 saying he wanted to commit

What are some stress relievers you recommend

suicide. He was calling from a payphone (for those of you too

to help cope with the demands of the job?

young to know what that is : we put a quarter in a phone and it let you make a phone call, they were stationed all around,

Learn to leave work at work. Remember that we

like at gas stations, etc. LOL). His girlfriend had broken up

work to live not live to work and enjoy your life. Be

with him. He was upset and intoxicated. I decided to stay on the phone with him until police arrived. I was trying to be helpful by telling him "Jesus, there are more fish in the sea."

He told me very matter of fact - "I don't want a fish, I want a woman". All I could do was mute and laugh at myself.

Sometimes you can't use metaphors.

present with the people you love. And if need be, you can't shake something, there is no shame in talking with another person, rather it be a coworker or a professional. I also have a lot of bad habits (alcohol) that I would not recommend, but some days you just need a drink.

What are you looking forward to most in the future?

I am looking forward to my second act. I am excited to retire and start a new career. I am presently researching opportunities,(I like to spend money). I feel like dispatch is more for the young, I am ready to be more normal, no more shift work, holidays, and weekends. I have paid my dues.

TR33

BEYOND THE BUREAU

SERGEANT LEE POTTS

STIS:

SPECIAL

TRAFFIC

INVESTIGATION

SQUAD

story by Erica May

PROFILE

22 years with MPD 2 years in STIS 2019 Traffic Officer of the Year Certified Reconstructionist BS in Chemistry , Rust College Married with 3 adult children Cheers for the Tennessee Titans

AN MPD VETERAN

STIS

The Special Traffic Investigations Squad (STIS) is responsible for investigating crashes involving fatalities or serious critical injuries. STIS is also responsible for investigating crashes involving citizens over the age of 85.

TRAINING

Some of the training STIS officers receive include : basic crash course advanced crash course accident reconstruction vehicle downloading

Sgt. Lee Potts has been with MPD for was working uniform patrol in Raines organized crime unit, school security STIS officers are responding to more “extremely busy.”

almost 23 years. His first assignment Station. He has also been assigned to the and felony response divisions. critical and fatal accidents, thus they are

When asked why he thinks the number of critical accidents are increasing, he said he believes there is a lack of traffic enforcement from patrol officers, along with drivers speeding and the prevalence of “distracted driving”.

When not working active calls, STIS officers’ office work include investigating hit and run accidents and completing “packages” for critical and fatal accidents. A package is a compilation of reports the police are required to provide to the Attorney General with regards to prosecution. It includes the case summary, accident report and what charges the driver will face (if any) pertaining to the accident.

He notes the most difficult part of the job is giving death notifications. “It is always hard to lose a loved one unexpectedly and we are the ones that deliver the news.” When delivering death notifications, two sergeants must be present, they are required to have on their body cameras and the officers try to make sure the person receiving the news has someone with them. “We ask them to call someone to be with them before we even tell what has happened. We try not to leave people to process that information alone.”

Now Sgt. Potts is looking forward to retirement. He thinks the climate surrounding police/racial injustice makes it difficult for officers to effectively perform their job duties. He says people do not have the respect for the police they used to. “All police officers are being grouped together for the actions of a few. Police officers are afraid to do their jobs today. We are afraid to make mistakes for fear of being in jail or losing our jobs.

We’re moving towards a lawless society.”

For now he is still working -------- a lot. He works overtime because he has his heart set on purchasing a boat that he plans to enjoy during retirement.

Three reasons drivers leave the scene of an

accident -

according to Sgt. Potts

1. THEY DON'T HAVE INSURANCE. 2. THEY HAVE WARRANTS. 3. THEY JUST DON'T CARE.

Accident Reconstruction

HOW DISPATCHERS CAN HELP

Sgt. Potts wants dispatchers to know that STIS officers need all of the hospital transport information. He recalls a recent incident where the precinct dispatcher did not relay all the transport information to the traffic dispatcher.

He was only provided transport information on the involved party that went critical. By the time the traffic officers were made aware of the parties involved that were transported non critical , it was many hours after the accident. They had to spend the night going to the hospitals , retrieving that additional information to be able to accurately complete the report.

and Vehicle Downloading

An accident reconstructionist is able to use the information gathered during the investigation to reconstruct the scene of the accident. A lot of this is done by vehicle downloading. Many cars are equipped with a " black box" that captures data when the airbags are deployed. The data includes the speed of the vehicle five seconds before the crash and at the time of impact as well as steering and braking actions. The data can also tell if the vehicle experienced any mechanical failures and it also can also determine if the vehicle occupants were wearing seat belts.

Many insurance companies employ their own accident reconstructionists. Â They arrive at the scene performing advanced actions like measuring skid marks to determine vehicle speed.

Reconstructing the scene assists with pinpointing the cause of the collision and helps determine if there will be any charges brought against the driver who is found to be at fault.

If you could say one thing to drivers ,

what would it be ?

MEMORABLE CALL

There was a recent accident on I 240 near I 55 where a five year old girl was killed. The saddest part of this fatality is that her birthday was the next day. A tractor trailer driver made an inproper lane change. He did not have enough space and upon changing lanes struck the small SUV carrying the child. The child died on impact.

"SLOW DOWN"

new co-worker alert

welcome to Communications

PRDT ARIA WILLIAMS Start Date : April 13, 2020

Message To New Hires Although this job is demanding, it is also rewarding. You are an asset to the Emergency Communications Bureau and to the City of Memphis. We are here for you during the overwhelming times that you are most likely to experience as a trainee. YOU ARE NOT IN THIS ALONE!!

The Training Coordinator, CTSs, CTOs, Supervisors, and Managers will answer any questions you may have before, during and after your training. We welcome you and thank you in advance for your hard work and dedication. -SPRD M. Stiger

What inspired you to apply for the dispatch position ?

I wanted a position that would become more than just a job.

When I saw the opening for this position, I instantly thought " this could be my CAREER." I prayed about it and then just went for it.

Do you have any family members that work for MPD or law enforcement ?

No.

What do you think of the training program so far?

It is very well thought out. You are able to tell the people in charge of the program look at it from every perspective. They respect the fast and the slow learners; and are open for suggestions to improve the program.

FROM ECA MIKE SPENCER " Even if you are not a trainer, each new

What is the most challenging part of training ?

employee we hire is your co-worker. If they succeed and make it through probation, that puts you one person closer to that shift bid you want or that Christmas vacation you hope to bid for. You can help by being encouraging or just sharing a story of challenges you had when you were training. Being supportive and helpful is simple" . trainee spotlight selected by SPRD M. Stiger

For me it has been accepting the bad days. I don't expect things to come " right away". But when you are 3-4 weeks into training and still struggling, you start to feel that there is something wrong with your ability to learn. As a result of that, you begin to feel your livelihood is at stake. Some days trainees simply feel defeated and that can be draining.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not at work?

We have two small children at home so of course I love to spend quality time with them. But honestly my favorite thing to do is just sit inside of a room with no interruptions, no children , no chores -just the cool air , my cell phone and television.

Questions from the Floor YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS WE'VE GOT ANSWERS - ECB MGMT

1

Why do we have to sign in and out for breaks ? - PRD E. May It's for accountability, since we don't " punch" in and out. Years ago, we did not have any scheduled lunches or breaks. Our informal break system was " get in where you fit in." Unfortunately, employees took advantage of this. There were people that would show up to work , sign in and disappear for three hours. ( Seriously ) The union intervened and lobbied for everyone to get 2 (15) minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch. They were right because we needed to be in compliance with labor management laws. We attach the break sheets to the sign in sheets and keep them for three years. If any issue arises, and an employee states they were on break- we can refer to the sheet to validate their claim.

-SPRD M. Stiger, SPRD L. Blair & Mgr. D. Rogers

2

What is a " single shot" ? -PRD T. Simpson A single shot is when an officer is attempting to perform a suspect identification ( without the suspect being present) . The officer will show the victim a picture like a mug shot and must put it out over the air to mark the tape. SPRD K. Towles

3

Are F or FEM approved abbreviations for female ? T. Doty The Communications Training Manual is where all abbreviations are located. F or FEM are not approved abbreviations for female.

-SPRD M. Stiger , Training Supervisor

4

Why do police officers ask dispatchers to call the hospitals? Particularly, in cases where complainants are looking for their family members; wouldn't it be more appropriate for the officer to stand by while the complaint checks the hospitals? --- PRD T. Doty Management is taking this under review and will attempt to come up with a proper procedure regarding this situation.

- SPRD M. Stiger , Training Supervisor

Send me your questions. The managers and supervisors of the Bureau will work together to get you an answer. Together we can achieve understanding. - Mgr. D. Rogers

AUGUST 2020

ISSUE ONE

ECB HISTORY MOMENT When I began this job 32 years ago as a part of the hiring process for the 9-1-1 initiative, we had 5 radio positions and 12 call taking positions: North, South, (Big) East, (Wild, Wild) West, (chase everything) Traffic, 2 Station B operators, and 1 Service Desk operator (Yes only 1 operator ) You worked 4 hours of radio and 4 hours of phones. The consoles were huge monstrosities. You couldn't see over them unless you stood up. We had less than 20 call types.

Sounds simple doesn't it? To dispatch a unit, you had to physically input the information on the command line. For example: D.B344.1. A bit antiquated MANAGER BEVERLY WOLFE-DAVIS

nowadays when you simply point and click a mouse for everything or use your function keys. Those were the days. I wouldn't trade them for anything. Now lets talk about those Map books. Oh, maybe another time.

9-1-1 HISTORY The First 9-1-1 Call SOURCE : NENA.ORG 9-1-1 Origin & History

The three-digit telephone number "9-1-1" has been designated as the "Universal Emergency Number," for citizens throughout the United States to request emergency assistance. It is intended as a nationwide telephone number and gives the public fast and easy access to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

In November 1967, the FCC met with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) to find a means of establishing a universal emergency number that could be implemented quickly. In 1968, AT&T announced that it would establish the digits 9-1-1 (nine-one-one) as the emergency code throughout the United States.

On February 16, 1968, Senator Rankin Fite completed the first 9-1-1 call made in the United States in Haleyville, Alabama. The serving telephone company was then Alabama Telephone Company. This Haleyville 9-1-1 system is still in operation today.

- MGR WOLFE-DAVIS

COVER STORY

WELCOME BACK XAN In June 2018, after almost six years as a dispatcher, Xan Minor left the ECB to accept an offer with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an air traffic controller.After sixteen months of cross-country adventures, Xan returned to Communications ready to pick back up where he left.

Aviation has been an interest of Xan's since taking aviation classes at Woodale High School. “We would go on flying trips and play with simulators in the classroom.” – Xan said referring to his high school experience. The FAA hiring process was rigorous and included preemployment tests, multiple interviews and a security clearance. It took more than a year to receive an offer. Once he accepted the offer , he was off to Oklahoma City for training.

By erica may PRD XAN MINOR

"If you can dispatch for MPD , you can dispatch anywhere." - Xan

the experience

Xan describes training in Oklahoma City, OK as fast- paced and challenging. “The training was similar to being in college and doing classwork. We had lectures 5 days a week for 40 hours.” Out of 18 trainees in the class, 11 successfully made it through.

During training, Xan realized the job was not for him and decided to resign. He admits he didn’t take the training as seriously as he should have and began to lose interest in the position. Although his family (wife and two children) handled the change well, he began to miss being away from home without any breaks.

Before going home he visited his brother in Fort Worth, Texas. He made the decision to move there and and return to what he knows best---------dispatching.

He was able to secure a position dispatching police and EMS for Plano, Texas. Though he enjoyed the smaller call load and friendly co-workers, he did not like the shift structure. They worked twelve hour shifts for four days with three days off. The pay also wasn’t as lucrative as Memphis ECB. With those realizations in mind, he decided if he was going to continue dispatching, he wanted to do so in Memphis.

Xan credits Manager Sean Lovejoy with making his return seamless. After reaching out to Mgr. Lovejoy he was able to return first as an ERCO and then was hired full time in March 2020. He also recalls receiving a warm welcome by co-workers who greeted him with hugs and handshakes. Clearly, this was before COVID. (Lol) He was able to jump back in and get acclimated rather quickly. When asked how things are different this time around, Xan replied “Charlie Shift has a lot of new faces and the shift has gotten much younger in age. That’s a good thing in a way. Also, I see the Bureau has hired more males because when I left there were only two of us on Charlie shift. Now there are more than a handful of us.”

Having the chance to travel --and experience living and working in two different cities and states was a worthwhile experience. Because he left the ECB in good standing, he was able to return with ease. He and his family have settled back in Memphis and are doing well. When Xan is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, collecting shoes and firing up his grill. “One of my newest hobbies is grilling and that is something I’m trying to perfect. Hopefully soon I can become a Grillmaster.

Author's Note: Xan was one of my CTOs. He was very detailed and thorough in his training approach. On behalf of all the employees at the ECB, we are glad to have you back and thank you for sharing your story with us. – Erica

Q & A with Xan Minor What interested you in the FAA position ?

I was initially interested in the position due to the salary. Air traffic controllers can make well over 6 figures annually once they are properly trained and topped out at their salary, so that was one of the reasons why I decided to apply.

How is Memphis compared to the Plano PSAP? Memphis PSAP is much better because financially we are compensated a lot more than most major cities across the US. In most agencies in Texas they are starting off at $14.00 -$21.00 hr and that is sometimes with experience to do the same job and sometimes even more work such as learning fire department part of dispatching. I am going to be more biased towards MPD anyway because that is what gave me the foundation to be a good dispatcher and gave me the confidence to be able to handle dispatching anywhere. I remember several veteran Memphis dispatchers told me when I first started that if you can dispatch for MPD you can dispatch anywhere and that is very true!!

Looking to the future , what are you most excited about?

I'm excited to be back in Memphis overall and going back to school to finish getting my degree in Journalism. My dream job is to be a sportscaster and work for ESPN.

PAGE 14

POSITIVE PROMOTION

INTERVIEW

ALPHA SHIFT "WE LIKE TO PARTY" AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA HEASTON AND MELANIE JEFERSON You can tell something grand is about to happen anytime you see PRD Melanie Jefferson arrive to work one hour early. You can find her unloading her vehicle and setting up the break room in preparation for the night’s festivities. You don’t have to work in Communications long to take note of the epic parties that occur during the overnight shift. Some of their recent celebrations include a graduation party for PRDs Jazmine Eley and Miesha Devres- McCord, a huge 60th birthday celebration for PRD Karen Ollie and a baby shower for PRD Doris Carter.

The “unofficial” event planning committee consists of PRDs Andrea Heaston, Katina Hill , Karen Ollie, Melanie Jefferson and Tondra Hailey. Andrea Heaston heads up the Christmas celebration which has turned into a multi-night event complete with games, prizes, food and a Secret Santa gift exchange. Andrea got the idea from PRD Tamara Pelkey who spearheaded a holiday celebration on Charlie shift in 2016. “I really enjoyed what she did. She didn't get much help but just her willingness to do it out of her own pocket was very thoughtful and was very much in the spirit of the season,” says Heaston. Inspired by Tamara, the next year she headed up a holiday celebration on Alpha shift which included an inter-shift gift exchange.

“We had 19 participants across shifts. That same year I took a leaf out of Tamara's book and decided to do some trivia and give out candy and a few prizes. I was a heavy coupon-er back then so I had a few things to give away. I didn't ask for support or anything like that I just wanted to have something to keep the spirit up for the people at work during the holiday season.” – Andrea

The next year (2018) the celebration grew but to make it easier on herself she confined the gift exchange to Alpha shift. There were 23 participants. That year she received help from PRD Tarrashea Simpson who purchased items for the prize bucket. When Andrea started hosting the Christmas events she paid for all of the expenses “out of pocket”. By the time she asked for donations, she received overwhelming support and “buy in” from her co-workers.

The next year (2018) the celebration grew but to make it easier on herself she confined the gift exchange to Alpha shift. There were 23 participants. That year she received help from PRD Tarrashea who purchased items for the prize bucket. When she started hosting the Christmas events she paid for all of the expenses “out of pocket”. By the time she asked for donations, she received overwhelming support and “buy in” from her co-workers.

When I started doing the Christmas games it was all out of pocket for me. I think what got the participation and the "buy-in" was because people who didn't initially participate saw the effort put into it all and saw the fun we had. I never exclude anyone from playing our games either. You don't have to buyin to play, and I think that's what helped. Because each year it's gotten bigger and bigger with more people wanting to participate in Secret Santa and then the amount of support I got when I finally did ask for donations was incredible. I love my shift, they really came together with the support when I asked and it just made everything more fun and made coming to work during the holiday season less stressful because I knew we'd be having fun even with all the serious stuff going on. – Andrea When I send messages around, I always send what items people are contributing and I'm guessing no one wants to not see their name on the list for not participating when they see everyone else is, and everyone knows we will always have good food and great games to play with prizes. I think have the most open-hearted and mature people on our shift. - Melanie

THE BIGGEST CELEBRATION TO DATE Last year 2019, was the biggest year by far for the Christmas games. I opened up Secret Santa again and I got even more participation. We had 32 participants. Melanie Jefferson came to Alpha and donated quite a bit to the prizes for the Christmas games. This year I asked for donations and the outpouring from Alpha was amazing. I got monetary donations and physical prizes and we even decided to pot luck and throw a Christmas party on the night of the gift exchange. We were able to make the Christmas games much bigger than they had been the previous 2 years. In addition to bingo and trivia we added prize levels to allow everyone a chance to win at each prize level and make the games fair for everyone. I believe everybody won at least once. We added different kinds of games and made it so everyone got a chance to play something to their strength. It was exhausting but I had help from Melanie and Jazmin and Tarrashea to run the games when I was busy. That way we still got our jobs done and everyone got a chance to participate at some point during the night. – Andrea

KEEPING UP MORALE AND SUPPORTIVE MANAGEMENT We celebrate all birthdays, and that's thanks to Roz (SPRD Rosalind Phillips). When she came to our shift she started up the birthday club again with help from KO (PRD Karen Ollie). We all participate and pay our 2 dollars per month to fund the cake and ice cream. – Andrea

Our supervisors and our manager participate in our Secret Santa and even play a few games. They help us with the parties and the potlucks too. When Manager Heaston was on our shift, he started giving out positive observation reports for our call-taking each month and prizes for the best. The first Friday of every month---- roll call would be hilarious because he would pass out the white, gold, and platinum OBR certificates, and everyone would bow and take their prize from the prize bag. Manager Beverly Wolfe- Davis has continued to give these out but now we do it on the floor since we don't have roll call. She sends around messages so everyone can congratulate each other. – Andrea Every month we are given rewards and positive OBR's for our call times. This motivates us to answer all calls in less than 10 seconds. We praise each other in roll call when your name is called for having great answer times and no knock offs. Midnights have the best supervisors in the Bureau. We can go to any of our supervisors at any time and ask for assistance with anything and they will assist us with a helpful, positive and willing attitude. Our supervisors do not talk negative to us even when we mess up. They just show us how to improve. – Melanie

What advice would you give to other shifts or departments that struggle with morale, optimism and participation?

Keep suggesting different activities. Maybe have random game days no matter how small to where it will motivate others to participate. –Melanie If you want to start something just do it and see what happens. That's honestly what I did with the games on Alpha because I didn't know if it would be received well but it was and I'm grateful for it. - Andrea We all talk to each other on Alpha. We help one another and we don't exclude anyone ever. We know we have the support of our supervisors. They help boost morale because they also participate in everything we do. We remind each other that we all have loved ones and never want anyone to feel as if they are not supported by their work family. – Melanie We make an effort to stay connected and work together on our shift. We have our parties to break up the tedious and endless days. I believe the participation has grown so much because we continue to add new things and make it fun for everyone. We do our best to make our 8 or 12 or 16 hours here not as stressful as they could be otherwise. – Andrea

PARTY TIME Great Times on Alpha Shift

60TH BIRTHDAY BASH Tondra Hailey hosted a surprise birthday celebration for her friend and co-worker Karen Ollie , affectionately known as KO. With great attention to detail, Tondra decorated the break room and KO's console . The menu included a variety of salads, fruit, meatballs, and chicken.

'TIS THE SEASON Andrea and Tarrashea dressed up as elves in celebration of Alpha Shift's multi day holiday celebration.

LABOR MANAGEMENT

UNION UPDATES - Mendi Shull

Information for the next union meeting is below. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

August 18 • Tuesday • 6 PM CWA Office 2860 Price Rd Bartlett , TN We will also be having a separate meeting for those members on Charlie shift who are unable to attend the regular meeting by virtue of their working hours. The Charlie shift meeting will be held on the third Friday of each month, beginning

Friday, August 21st.

This meeting will be held in the conference room at the ECB and will begin at 14:45. We will reschedule the meeting on those months

Mendi Shull is an ECB CAD Tech , CWA union leader and a Shelby County 9-1-1 board member.

for which that particular Friday falls on a layover.

union stewards Alpha : Patricia Wright , Toya Dodson Charlie : Julia Robinson, LaQuange Watkins & Victoria Billingsley

FROM THE EDITOR What initially started off as a newsletter grew into a full-fledge magazine. This is because everyone submitted interesting and thorough content.

There are many positive stories to tell in our workplace and we haven't scratched the surface. I wrote all stories for this edition. Hopefully with your help, this will be the last time this happens. We should have reporters and story writers on each shift. This is a publication for the Bureau and every shift and segment will have the opportunity to be represented in each issue.

I want to thank Administrator

Continuing Education Due to COVID , NENA ( The 911 Association) classes are online. I took advantage of this and used

Spencer for giving me the go-ahead

one of my RDOs to take the

to produce the first magazine,

Advanced Dispatching class. It

Manager Rogers for all her

was helpful to connect with other

proofreading, editing and guidance regarding the content, structure and layout ; and most of all my

dispatchers from around the country and learn what they are

coworkers, supervisors and

doing in their PSAPs. I would

managers that cheerfully and

highly recommend those who are

willingly agreed to be featured. It is

interested to use this time (since

my pleasure to tell your stories.

- Erica May , ECB Monthly Editor

virtual resources are abundant) to take a class or two. - EM #NENAtrained