Memphis 9-1-1 Magazine November 2022

I S H 9 P 1 M E 1 M

2022

issue twenty- one

Official Publication of the MPD Emergency Communications Bureau

MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS BUREAU

ABOUT US We are one of the busiest 9-1-1 centers in the country.

We receive over 630,000 9-1-1 calls and more than 500,000 non-emergency calls each year.

ECB Monthly Mission This front-line led publication seeks to

The MPD Emergency Communications Bureau (ECB) is the primary Public

inspire and motivate ECB telecommunicators by highlighting employee accomplishments.

Safety Answering Point

The selected stories and content are

(PSAP) for the City of

shared with the intent to disseminate

Memphis; and the only

useful information about the Bureau,

provider of Law Enforcement

Memphis Police Department and the 9-1-1 industry as a whole.

dispatch services for the Memphis Police Department.

Furthermore, we aspire to increase transparency and communication

We consistently meet the national standard by answering 95.4% of our 9-1-1 calls in less than 20 seconds.

between management and the floor; and improve overall employee morale.

This issue has so many smiles and so many great things inside!

November 2022 FALL ISSUE

Count the Smiles Contest Open to All. Rules: Start on the cover. Go through each page and count the number of people smiling in the photos. The first person to email me with the correct number of smiles found in this issue will receive a prize. There are so many smiles in this issue that if you even come close, we'll let you have it. Thank you for reading and thank you for your contributions. - Deranecque

THE ECB LIBRARY IS OPEN! PAGE 46

table of contents

4 FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DESK MICHAEL SPENCER 6 EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH SPOTLIGHT BRITTANY RICHARDSON 8 VETERAN'S DAY FEATURE JOLYN CARROLL 11-17 CONFERENCE REFLECTIONS

PAGE 7 Are You In? Grizzlies Challenge !

20 EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH SPOTLIGHT JULIA ROBINSON 24 VETERAN'S DAY OBSERVATION MICHAEL MANN 28 WELLNESS RECOVERING FROM BURNOUT 35-38 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

ECB Monthly Team Chief Administrator Mike Spencer Editor-in-Chief Deranecque Sims / Editor Erica May Contributor Sam Stamper , Contributor Linda Hollingsworth

42 CHARLIE SHIFT FIRST FRIDAY

FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DESK

Michael Spencer, ENP Emergency Communications Administrator Memphis Police Department

CHANGE IS GOOD Hello ECB Family,

For the first time in history Memphis Fire and Memphis Police will be on the same CAD system. This will allow for better communication and improve officer safety as well as the safety of our firefighters and paramedics. - Mike Spencer

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the city of Memphis. Never forget how important the work is that each of you do. Although time passes quickly and another year is coming to a close, our mission is unwavering and consistent. I know that many of you are giving 110% and I don’t want you to think it goes unnoticed. You are the lifeline for citizens and our officers and you do an amazing job.

Keep it up! To our first year dispatchers, I want to thank you for your perseverance and tenacity. I tell every class that this is not a hard job it’s just a hard job to learn. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a challenging and difficult job, it is a job that requires a strong and confident foundation of knowledge. The longer you are here, the easier it gets to make 1000 decisions each hour. I hope these words make more sense as you move into the released stages of your training. I want to thank our training team for your tireless efforts. It takes everyone working together to get our trainees to this level. As this year ends our priorities have not changed. We will continue to focus on hiring training and retaining. We have a great chance to reach our staffing goals in calendar year 2023. Reaching that goal remains a priority and unlocks so many opportunities for improvements and meaningful changes. Stay focused but think about what comes next.

Speaking of changes…there will be a lot of them in the ECB over the next 12 Months. We will have four new supervisors promoted by the first quarter of next year starting with Xan and Tarrashea being promoted November 2022. Congratulations! I want to thank everyone that applied for the position. I know it is not an easy decision to contemplate taking on new challenges at any stage of your career. I was excited to see so much interest. We will continue to look for ways for every employee to feel engaged, challenged and utilized.

We are now in the second pay period of our soft lunch on UKG. This has been a learning experience for all of us at every level, but I am still 100% confident that this will improve our operation. This new system allows employees access, transparency and oversight of their pay and benefit time accruals.

With that transparency comes some responsibility. Please make sure you are checking your timecard daily. This soft launch means that we are still paying you from the traditional legacy payroll system.

Once we see the legacy system and the UKG system in line we will transition over completely to the UKG system. I want to thank all the supervisors for their willingness to jump in and embrace this change. I also want to think Mangers Stiger and Sims for their involvement in this complex roll out. We still have a lot of tweaks to make it fit our work rules but we have come a long way in three weeks. The UKG and City of Memphis teams have been receptive and responsive throughout this process.

MIKE'S MESSAGE We are also upgrading our CAD system over these next two months. This new system will bring tons of improvements and efficiencies. We will be pulling several of you from the floor to help provide feedback, suggestions, and configuration recommendations as we move towards a new system. I am excited to announce that the Memphis Fire Department will be joining us on this new platform. For the first time in history Memphis Fire and Memphis Police will be on the same CAD system. This will allow for better communication and improve officer safety as well as the safety of our firefighters and paramedics. We have been on the current platform for 24+ years.

This new system is an upgrade from the current vendor but it is an entirely new platform on a new architecture. It will allow us to update our maps in realtime and leverage commercially available datasoures that will help us improve our operation. Find out more about the platform here and be on the lookout for more information from Technology Manager Dewanda Montague.

Our renovations at 201 Poplar are complete and we are happy that our October 2022 class was able to begin their classroom training at that site. The transformation has been amazing and many of you that worked there for decades will not recognize it. We plan to utilize that site for more training and back up planning over the next 12 Months.

I want to thank everyone that contributed to this edition of the magazine. I always learn something about our employees/co-workers as I read this publication. I nominated Deranecque and Erica for an Ovation Award for the work that goes into this publication. I have no idea how they didn’t win but we will try again next year. I am amazed at how polished and informative this newsletter is and appreciate everyone for the contributions. We also nominated Manager Lovejoy and the HR team for streamlining our hiring process. Being able to start classes every 2 ½ months was a huge accomplishment and it will be at the center of our hiring goals. However, the ECB didn’t leave the Ovation Awards empty handed. Managers Sims and Stiger won an Ovation Award for their work on the MPD UKG/Telestaff implementation committee. They attended countless training and configuration workshops. I promise you that you will never understand how complicated our work rules are until you are trying to explain them to an outside third party.

It has been a hot summer so far and I hope everyone is staying healthy and hydrated. God Bless each of you and your families and thank you for the service you provide to our officers and citizens.

In closing, thank you again for everything. You are doing some of the most important work in the City of Memphis. I will leave you with the "3P" Work Ethic challenge that Charlie Shift encourages each day. If we want to meet our mission, we need everyone to be Present, Professional, and Productive. We should all encourage and support our co-workers. Always show empathy and understanding to the citizens and officers we serve in every interaction. Stay focused and committed to the mission.

Mike

Employee of the Month

Brittany Richardson

Brittany Richardson Brittany has been a dispatcher for five years. Public safety runs in her family as she is the daughter of a police officer.

Brittany is a trainer. This is her second time being nominated for employee of the month and her first time winning.

When she is not working she enjoys watching reality TV and spending time with her sons.

What is your all time favorite ECB memory?

When I won "celebrity" day during NTW! I was "BRI-YONCE!"

I once took a call about an unresponsive What is your toddler. That call didn't have a happy ending, and I still think about that baby.

most memorable call?

As a dispatcher, I would definitely say my most memorable call would be the officer-involved shooting.

If you could change one thing about the job, what would it be?

-The mandatory overtime

The Employee Engagement Committee Presents The Grizzlies Challenge The City of Memphis is challenging the ECB members: To Be Present Have High QA Scores Have Excellent Call Answer Times and To Have your Overtime Counted!

Who will have the best stats and win the grand prize? The winner will get to bring three guests of their choice to watch the Memphis Grizzlies live at the Fed Ex Forum in a suite.

VETERAN'S DAY FEATURE

Jolyn Carroll ERCO Jolyn Carroll has been a member of the U.S. Army Reserves for 15 years.

She has been deployed five times, including 3 combat tours in Iraq.

DEPLOYMENTS

JOBS

· I have three Combat tours all to Iraq between 2003-2009. The first two deployments were a year and the third was 15 months long.

· 2003 - 2005 I was a Signal Support Specialist, my primary job was to work on every kind of tactical radio, antenna and COMSEC (encryption). In addition, I also did a lot of IT work (servers, imaging computers, creating user accounts/emails, verifying users completed mandatory training and have the proper credentials to access government systems.

· My fourth deployment was in January 2021 thru October 2021. I went to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. · My last deployment took me to Europe from December 2021 to June 2022.

· 2007-2009 As an Army Airborne Command and Control (A2C2S) operator, I operated the system that allowed Commander’s to talk and see their troops on the ground while they were conducted missions. When there were no A2C2S missions I was trained as a UH-60 (Black Hawk) gunner and provided VIP escorts for a 2-star general. · 2021 – 2022 we worked with the Host Nation Armed Forces to ensure that American Forces (not just Army) were leaving a positive impact in the countries we were visiting. We also worked with and out of the U.S. Embassies to provide Humanitarian Aid to the Afghanistan and Ukrainian refugees.

What advice do you have for civilians?

My advice for people who have family members in the military is go visit them. During my career the responsibility has always been put on me to visit family. It would have been nice for family to come visit me sometimes.

A 22-year-old service member and a 22-year-old civilian are at two very different maturity levels and handle responsibility differently. So I believe young people who are not sure what path to take regarding education/career should sign up for 2-4 years of military service.

Here's why: o You are given a roof over your head o They pay you while you figure it out o You’ll gain life experiences o You have nothing to lose but so much to gain.

From all of us at Memphis 9-1-1, Jolyn thank you for your service to our city and our country.

2018 Military Ball

Supervisor Karonda Kirkwood- Umoh and Manager Jesse McCord along with other Shelby County 9-1-1 professionals complete the week-long Center Manager Certification Program.

Discover the Leader in You APCO’s Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) Program is designed to: Elevate professionalism Enhance individual performance, and Recognize excellence in the public safety communications industry Participants may be managers, supervisors, agency executives or others whose work and life experiences have motivated them to learn the necessary skills to successfully lead organizations within the complex and ever-changing environment in which public safety agencies operate.

Drawing on resources from renowned leadership professionals and distinguished academic sources, the program allows participants to explore topics that include: Management versus leadership Models/theories of leadership Leadership styles Public safety leadership issues, and Executing and managing change

Dr. Steve Edwards and me.

He is an Awesome instructor.

CPE Class 12. Our smiles tell it all.

A little fun and lots of smiles during a break

This past July, I attended APCO's CPE 2-weeks capstone course in Daytona, Florida. It was not all fun in the sun, although I did get a little bit in. There was lots of reading, writing, thinking, and engaging in conversation and discussion. We had to articulate suggestions, ideas, and solutions daily. I had to commit to the lessons and the learning. I enjoyed every aspect of the CPE certification - from the online learning to the in person capstone to the amazing professionals that are now friends. I shared a lot and learned a lot more about myself, leadership, expectations, and boundaries. I am proud to have the Certified Public-Safety Executive certification. It's more than letters after your name. It is commitment and focus, leadership and awareness. It is definitely one of the most unique and rewarding learning experiences that I am truly grateful for.

~ Deranecque Sims, ENP, CPE

Conference Reflection

I had the pleasure of presenting an education session at this year's APCO conference in Anaheim , California. I was very moved that Memphis and Shelby County was there to cheer me on.

Administrator Spencer was the first one to walk through the door! I let everyone in my session know that Memphis 9-1-1 is resilient. Some people even told me that they want to come visit Memphis now.

When I wasn't in class, Katrina and I were walking, laughing and eating. She made me walk to DisneyLand from the hotel. I was like... " Naw, let's catch an Uber."

- Erica May

Conference Reflection As always, I enjoy going to the conferences to attend classes and network with other Telecommunicators. This one was special because it was my last one and the reason I was able to attend is because I won Supervisor of the Year. It was a great opportunity to explore and learn about the changes occurring in 9-1-1, emergency communications and public safety.

Sightseeing was very enjoyable and relaxing. Supervisor May might disagree because I refused to get an Uber to Disney. It was within walking distance. So why would you call for a ride? We made it there in a timely manner, but she did ask could we sit down and rest. Go figure!

-Katrina Towles

Now, who's taking a rest?

TENA REFLECTION -Manager Jesse McCord

The Tennessee Emergency Number Association (TENA) Conference 2022 was held in Murfreesboro, TN this year. This was the second TENA conference I have attended in my career here, but I experienced a few firsts with this conference.

This was the first time I rode with my fellow employees to a conference. The city allowed us to borrow 2 vehicles to drive over with.

Ashley, Boswell and Hazel Merriweather drove the borrowed Ford Fusion since they went up 3 days earlier to take the NENA Center Supervisor Course. I drove the borrowed Dodge Durango with Ebony Jasper, Shaneqwa Green, and Regina Winfrey.

Michael Mann drove the bureau’s Ford Fusion with Cassandra Berry and Ina Phelps.

I personally had a great time discussing TV shows, music, and other non-work-related things on the drive there and back.

This was my first time at conference as a speaker and with an industry recognized certification. When you check-in, they give you your name plate to hang around your neck. In addition to this, if you have them, they provide ribbons to go on your name tag to show that you have completed certain industry recognized feats. I completed my NENA Emergency Number Professional (ENP) exam earlier this year so I received my ENP ribbon and they had the TN ENP’s names displayed on a big board near check-in for everyone to see. In addition to my ENP ribbon, I also received a Speaker’s ribbon because I was speaking at the conference presenting my “(Tele)Communications Across Generations” Course to the attendees.

This really meant a lot to me. I have worked so hard on developing our bureau’s “Diversity in 9-1-1” Course and to be able to deliver part of it to people from all over the state meant a great deal to me. Even though I had given this course in its entirety to multiple classes of new hires here at home, it felt very different giving it to other accomplished professionals in our industry. Everything went smoothly though, and multiple people approached me afterwards reassuring me that highly enjoyed the course and hoped to take the full course later in the year virtually when its offered.

I attended several courses while we were at conference. Three that really stuck out to me were “Surviving Stranger Things: Battling the Upside Down of 9-1-1”, “Overcoming the Imposter Within”, and a Roundtable Discussion with ECD Directors called “New ECD Director: How Do I Lead Myself?”. “Surviving Stranger Things: Battling the Upside Down of 9-1-1” was the super session on the last day of the conference and it stood out the most because we discussed balancing your life with your career and how hard it can be in our industry. I sat in on “Overcoming the Imposter Within” directly after presenting my course. I did not know much about imposter syndrome prior to hearing the presenter speak, but I walked away with a great deal more knowledge about the occurrence. Finally, “New ECD Director: How Do I Lead Myself?” was very informative and hearing the new Emergency Communications District Directors speak on their experiences leading an entire district vs. leading a small department or bureau, was very informative. Networking and transparency are highly important. Most of them said they could not have done it had it not been for their fellow Directors’ assistance.

Jesse facilitating his breakout session, Telecommunications for the Generations

The TENA conference is very important to me.

My first TENA conference back in 2015 was the reason I decided not to be an officer and focus on communications as a career. I was exposed to more than just our bureau and I saw this job as a career for the first time. I also learned that everyone in our industry was struggling with the same things that we are here. Ever since, I have fallen in love with this job in this bureau and have not thought twice about leaving. I hope to be able to share these experiences with other employees in the future. It would not have been the same had it not been for my fellow attendees who accompanied me this time.

-JM

Training and Quality Assurance Manager Sean Lovejoy is presented with the Distinguished Service Award during the TENA Conference.

TENA REFLECTION -PRD Cassandra Berry

I attended the TENA conference in September, and it was an amazing time. One of my favorite moments was the opening session with the keynote speaker Tracy Schmitt. She is awesome, and her excitement and energy filled the room. Her message was one of resilience and overcoming any obstacle no matter your circumstance in life. Some of us had the pleasure of meeting her to receive her book and to take a picture. Tracy is inspiring on many levels, and she is such a positive light in this world. I suggest everyone take the time to read her book Unstoppable You.

ECS Umoh & ESC Webster Classy in Class A

"Just smile and look busy."

CTS Julia Robinson, RPL

Employee of the Month Spotlight

Julia has been a dispatcher for 14 years. She is a senior trainer, union steward and a peer support person. This is her third time being awarded employee of the month.

Charlie Shift Supervisor Jameta Young and Administrator Spencer present Julia with her Employee of the Month plaque.

Employee of the Month

Mrs. Julia What is your most memorable call?

A 12 year -old boy called because he was home alone and someone had broken into the house. His mom has just left to go to the store. He stayed in the closet and did not say anything else after he told me where the prowler was inside the house. I told him that I would stay on the line with him and to stay in the closet until I told him to come out. I’ll never forget hearing the officers bust in the residence telling the suspect “Memphis Police, Get down!” They took the suspect out of the house and told the dispatcher to tell me to tell the boy to come out of the closet. I was glad to know that they got the guy responsible and that the child was safe.

CTS Julia Robinson

What is your all time favorite ECB memory?

One Monday morning on my way to work I said my prayers to God, asking him to not allow me to be complacent on my job and not 30 minutes after I got to work , now Manager D. Rogers called me in the office and ask if I’d like to be a lead person on the floor. They also presented this opportunity to PRD Gloria Steward and now SPRD Hazel Meriweather and we ended up being Supervisors from May 2018-August 2018. That was a prayer that was answered immediately and a great experience and memorable time for me.

What advice would you give a newer employee that seeks to be successful in this role?

DON’T QUIT! It is going to get hard but it’s harder finding a job more rewarding than this one when you learn what you’re doing. Come to work!! Understand the severity of what we do and your vital role as a true FIRST RESPONDER, but look to develop a passion for what you do, as it is repetitious and will wear on you if you don’t care for what you do and care for yourself. Come in looking to make a positive impact on your communications center since you will be spending a lot of time here. On the lighter side, you’ll inherit a new “dysfunctional” family and will love every one of them in their dysfunction and find out you’re dysfunctional too!

Employee of the Month

Mrs. Julia What are some of the changes you have seen since you started?

On the job and in the industry I’ve seen and seeing the many faces, phases and changes in technology. We used to use map books!! We now have touch screen maps during presentations and can stretch the map as far as we need it to go. We can GOOGLE information. We’ve moved into NEXT GENERATION 911.

Citizens can even text to 911 now. On the job I’ve seen us add new layers of management to our supervisory layout.

For the first few years I kept hearing that we were going to move from 201 Poplar.

Those who started before me had been hearing it years before I started. We’ve moved to our OWN brand new location here at 79 Flicker. That was HUGE.

Julia Robinson, CTS

Can you recommend stress relievers to help you cope with the demands of the job?

Leave the majority of the job at the job.

Do the BEST you can for citizens, officers, coworkers, team and self in the moment.

I said majority because some of this will go with you where ever you go. You must find an outlet that works for you to keep you balanced. I engage heavily in prayer, lean on my family and my church family. Work out at the gym - all the stress leaves as you focus on YOU and getting to the other side of the workout.

What are you looking forward to most in the future?

I am at the seasoned age where retirement is on the horizon for me. I will have served on my first job for 26 GOOD years and served my city 18 EVEN BETTER years. If it’s God’s will I will retire in 2026. More preparation for that time of retirement is in progress now.

As far as ECB and what I’m looking for in the future, is for the generation that is coming along to bring fresh new ideas, along with those that are manifesting right now and making this service for our city, officers, and each other one of the best in the country .

Congratulations to Khari and his wife Alexa Tukufu on the birth of their son, Micah!

A Veteran's Day #BlastFromThePast Corporal Michael Mann United States Marine Corps 1995-1999

Miss to Mrs. Miss Karonda Kirkwood now: Mrs. Karonda Kirkwood-Umoh

Miss.

Deranecque Rogers now: Mrs. Deranecque Sims

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Would you like to learn more about certifications like the Emergency Number Professional (ENP) Exam and the Registered Public Safety Leader (RPL) ? Manager McCord hosts monthly interest and informational sessions. Stop by to learn how you can grow your career in emergency communications/public safety.

ECB Mentors THE FIRST COHORT

"Mentor leaders seek to have a direct, intentional, and positive impact on those they lead. At its core, mentoring is about building character into the lives of others, modeling and teaching attitudes and behaviors, and creating a constructive legacy to be passed along to future generations of leaders." - Tony Dungy

They're Stepping UP! These ECB employees completed the 8- hour class Mentoring For Success facilitated by corporate trainers Mary McClendon and Willie Johnson. Stay tuned and look forward to positive growth coming from the mentoring program.

"This is the best class I've ever taken at work!"

- Ina Phelps

Charlotte Hardy Guriece Williams Tracy Williams Shalisa Mathena Tarrashea Simpson Yalanda Matthews

Shaneqwa Green Markisha Thomas Ina Phelps Metrica Spears Cassandra Berry

What Is Burnout and How Can You Recover From It?

by Ken Coleman, Ramsey Solutions ramseysolutions.com/careeradvice

Burnout is a feeling of exhaustion, frustration or overwhelm that happens when stress and toxicity build up over time. It’s when we put so much effort into taking care of everything—without rest, recognition or results—that we drain ourselves of energy and sap our emotional and physical wellness.

Burnout can happen at your job, in your demanding relationships, when you’re serving as a caretaker, or when you’re faced with any other constant stressor that needs your attention. And when it takes every ounce of energy just to make it through another day, you’ll eventually go kaput and feel robbed of your sense of purpose. This, my friends, is burnout.

The symptoms of burnout affect every part of your life—your work, your relationships, your health and your overall outlook on life. With so much emotional buildup, burnout can make you feel disconnected, lost, hopeless or just plain miserable.

So, how did you get burned out to begin with? Well, burnout is a slippery slope and happens over time. Let’s look at some of the top causes of burnout—especially in your career.

SYMPTOMS OF BURNOUT Mental: Anxiety Depression Restlessness Frustration Lack of productivity Irritability or impatience No motivation Difficulty concentrating Feeling disconnected Hopelessness Overreacting to minor things Zoning out Overwhelm or feeling like you’re about to snap

Physical: Headaches Stomach issues Disrupted sleep or insomnia Low energy and fatigue Body aches Coming down with more illnesses than usual Feeling either jumpy or sluggish ++Remember, there could be other things going on in life that are contributing to these symptoms. It’s always a good idea to talk with your trusted doctor or mental health professional.

5 Causes of Burnout at Work 1. No Passion for Your Work When your job doesn’t matter to you, you begin to believe your work doesn’t matter at all. Then, you start believing you don’t matter. This is why a lack of passion quickly leads to burnout.

2. Toxic Workplace Being around poor leadership, gossipy coworkers or teammates who don’t trust one another (or all of the above) can quickly turn into a hostile work environment. No matter how hard you try to have a good attitude, that kind of negativity day after day will crush your spirit.

3. Boredom Maybe you still like your line of work, but you feel like you’ve hit a wall because you’re doing the same tasks day in and day out with no opportunity for growth. When you’re not challenged at work, motivation to even show up will be slim.

4. Feeling Overwhelmed You might be feeling the effects of burnout because you're being overworked. Staying late each night and wrecking your work-life balance is enough to make anyone’s health go downhill.

5. Feeling Underappreciated Let’s face it: Everyone needs to feel appreciated. That doesn’t mean you need constant awards, applause and pats on the back. But if you’ve gone months, or even years, without having your hard work recognized, that starts to hurt.

If you’ve been experiencing one or more of these common causes of burnout, don’t lose hope. Believe it or not, you can wake up every day excited to go to work—it’s called living the dream! If you’re willing to work for it, you can get there. Let’s walk through a few ways you can recover from burnout and be on your way to the dream job.

How to Recover From Burnout Recovery might take a while. If you’re truly burned out, your body and spirit will need time to heal. You can’t expect a weekend getaway or a good night’s sleep to fix problems that have been around for months or longer. Recovering from burnout is a process that will require effort, time and maybe more than one approach. Here are a few solutions to get you started on the path to healing.

ECM Sims & ECS Phillips were excited and ready for the United Way Trunk or Treat.

Smiling between frying funnel cakes.

Mgr. Stiger& ECS Meriweather pause during the Faith In Blue Family Day. Page Smile Count =6

PRD Micheale Currin paints the face of a Family Day attendee. She's good at this!

CTO Markisha Thomas & PRD Jenny Rice smile with ECS Towles, who stepped up and showed up during a major incident.

Softball Tournament Hester Sykes Memorial is a slow-pitch softball tournament played in honor of officers that have lost their lives in the line of duty or related. Playing in the Hester Sykes tournament this year, on the all women's team, was so much fun and so rewarding! "Signal W" played 8 games, only losing 2, and placing 3rd in the tournament against teams composed of MPD, MFD, SCSD and employees from other agencies in the Midsouth. At the end of the day, we all gathered at Kennedy Park for the same reasons - come together as one, remember the fallen, and have a good time. - PRD Jessyca Baker

Did Jessyca strike out or hit a home run?

VIP VISITORS Sgt. Tadario Holmes and their 2-year son Taion visit Shayla.

We

FAMILY VISITS!

Katie takes a break from the TAC office to visit with daughter, Regan age 12, and Jenny!

Kenneth stops by on his day off with his 2 year-old son Kylan.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Dispatcher Linda Hollingsworth and Manager Margaret Stiger visit Ripley High School to talk to the students about careers in 9-1-1.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Over the summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer for several community events.

One of my favorites was the Bring Your Child to Work Day. I volunteered on behalf of the Employee Resource Group with the City of Memphis. The children were divided into several groups and were exposed to some interesting things. During the day, the children participated in a mock city council meeting with a few council members and took a tour of the 311 area. The children also went on a tour of the Fire Museum of Memphis. While going through the museum, I noticed the area that is set up as a mini 911 call center. There are a lot of familiar faces in pictures displayed on the walls and even a call-taker space where the kids could listen to a prerecorded message.

After lunch, a representative from the City of Memphis Credit Union spoke with the children about the importance of saving money. Each child was also given a bank along with five dollars as an incentive to start saving. During the day the kids could participate in face painting, a photo booth, and lots of raffles. The children won anything from gift cards to restaurants, bowling places, and even a drone. Overall, I think the children enjoyed the experience and I must say I did as well.

Serving the citizens both professionally and personally always bring me great joy and a sense of accomplishment. I take pride in every opportunity to do so. Recently I, along with many other women in the city were recognized for our milestone years of service with the Junior League of Memphis. I’m currently in my sixth year with the league and I look forward to continuing to serve our great city.

-ECS Jameta Young

City of Memphis' Bring Your Child to Work Day

ECS Young makes numerous connections through her volunteer efforts. Proving that sharing is caring.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Future Dispatchers: PRD Shayla Holmes coordinated Jr. Dispatchers day. Middle school students toured the 9-1-1 center and learned about a career in public safety/emergency communications.

They're always taking pictures for that magazine.

CAPTION THIS

Just smile man. We would look good on the cover.

The Many Colors of

Alpha Shift

charlie shift 1545-2345

FIRST FRIDAYS We are committed to recognizing and honoring the employees who are making a meaningful contribution to our workplace.

SEPTEMBER 2022 RESULTS MOST CALLS TAKEN

TRAMAINE VORNES

1532 MOST CALLS TAKEN BY A DISPATCHER

kHARI tUKUFU

773

The monthly "3P" Award is given to the Charlie Shift team member who records perfect attendance, ranks high in call volume, quality assurance or is actively training and models professional behavior in the workplace.

"3P" award

KHARI TUKUFU

MEMBERS ONLY "Everybody can't gain entry into the 600 Club.

TOP CALL TAKERS

CLUB

PRODUCTIVE

tramaine vornes 1590

shannon kelley 1368

khari tukufu 719

SHERRIANE JONES 1345

pamela pope 732 royeesha ballentine 708

cori ringwald 1256

shantasia sellers 665

danielle honore 990

tyranei jeffries 644

Members of the 600 club have taken a minimum of 600 (911) calls for the month.

TOP CALL TAKERS among dispatchers

1.

khari tukfu 719

2. royeesha balletine 708 3. yentl evans 584

Quality & Quantity ** All dispatchers with high call volume also received satisfactory QA scores for the quarter . Proof that you do not have to sacrifice quality for quantity.

4. xan minor 538 #FIRSTFRIDAY

5. jessyca baker 532 PRODUCTIVE

Quality Assurance is an aspect of professionalism.

Charlie Shift QA Leader

Shamanda Davis QUALITY ASSURANCE Royeesha Ballentine Emily Beilstein Melinda Johnson Shelly Burrow Omari Edwards Kendrisha Goods Linda Hollingsworth Breona Burnett Lakayla Matthews Shantasia Sellers

Janee Lewis Shannon Kelley Cori Ringwald Tramaine Vornes Brittany Richardson Julia Robinson Jessyca Baker Danielle Honore Dao Tran Ariel Wade

Tedra Sweeten Khari Tukufu Francisco Lozada Xan Minor Ashley Reeves Bradley Stevens Sherriane Jones Kacey LLoyd

#FIRSTFRIDAY

THESE TEAM MEMBERS WERE PRESENT

BER M E T P SE

Omari Edwards Julia Robinson******* Shannon Kelly Tramaine Vornes Royeesha Ballentine Yentl Evans Lauren Melton*******

NO LATE OCCURENCES

Ebony Jasper Jillian Graham Linda Hollingsworth Dao Tran Khari Tukufu Ariel Wade Danielle Honore

NO SICK OCCURENCES

Shamanda Davis* LaKayla Matthews* Devan Norton Juan Perdomo Sherriane Jones Andrew Byrd

FULFILLED OVERTIME DETAILS FULFILLED TOUR EXCHANGES

PROFESSIONALISM ON DISPLAY

Ariel Wade Jessyca Baker Khari Tukufu #FIRSTFRIDAY

PASSION PROJECTS

OUR NEW WORK LIBRARY

The ECB Library has been started. It is located in the cabinet in front of BCT01.

The start-up collection currently consists of 18 books and/or training guides.

These resources are available for us to use while at work. If you would like to donate a resource to the library, please see me for the process. This is something we can build and grow together.

- Manager Jesse McCord

Please donate these types of books: personal/professional development books training resources class materials/study guides, etc NO FICTION

The Start-Up Collection includes: CIT Training Packet 2 Supervisor Training Books NENA ENP Body of Knowledge ( for the Emergency Number Professional Exam) Dispatcher Stress Book

Professional Development

FREE Virtual Conference December 5-8, 2022 Dare to Be Great: The Era of the Headset

Back in 2020 we were hit with a global pandemic. 9-1-1 professional continuing education took a hit, but out of the pandemic, a new hope was born. This form of hope was a virtual event that brought the Thin Gold Line together for training, FREE training, education, support, and asked everyone to Dare to be Great. It is now 2022, much has happened since then, and we continue this path of greatness.

The era of the headset is upon us and Dare to be Great, a virtual event for 9-1-1, by 9-1-1 is back. It is an honor to do this, and bring to you, the best speakers, and Industry Partner leaders that truly support and believe in you. Let's make this the best one yet and break an attendance record for public safety virtual events. This event is FREE and has unlimited registration and viewing. Even if you cannot attend LIVE, you can still register and watch the playback.