Dispatching and Surviving Traumatic Events

Class Title:

Target Audience:

Dispatchers, Call Takers, and Supervisors

Sponsoring Agency:

OPOA and the Willamette Valley Communications Center

Date and Time:

Cost:

 $130 (your tuition provides for a one-year membership to OPOA for qualified persons)

Training Location:

Polk County Fire District 1 (rear of building)

1800 Monmouth St.

Independence, OR 97351            

Instructors:

Jan Myers, Public Safety Wellness Consultants

WVCC Staff

Contact Information:

Attire:

Business Casual

Lodging Information:

Parking Information:

Supplies Needed:

This class focuses on dispatching traumatic events and then coping with the aftermath of trauma. In the afternoon of October 27th, three case studies will be provided by Willamette Valley Communications.  WVCC will present the 2015 Polk County Deputy Involved Vehicle Crash, the Keizer Police Department/Marion County Courthouse Incident in 2005, and the 2012 Clackamas Town Center Shooting (with permissions from Clackamas County dispatch). Presenters will identify what went well, what needed improvement and recommendations to attendees when handling these events.

Presenters will provide testimony regarding their personal struggles in coping with the events, what resources were available to them, how management and supervisors assisted them, and their recommendations to the class.

On the second day, Jan Myers will provide a full day of training on trauma and self-care.

Jan Myers is a sitting Board Member of the 911 Wellness Foundation. She worked as a 9-1-1 Dispatcher for 12 years; her experience included working as a training officer and tactical dispatcher. She is a Master Instructor with CA Peace Officer Standards and Training {POST} who taught and or facilitated the development of numerous telecommunications courses in CA, OR, and CO, and co-founded the West Coast Post Trauma Retreat {WCPR}, a 6-day residential treatment program for first responders experiencing post traumatic issues. She assisted the State of CA in the development and production of several dispatch training videos, including the most recent, "Dispatchers: Career Resilience". While working as a Class Training Coordinator {Telecommunications, Corrections, Parole & Probation, and Police academies} for DPSST, Jan assisted in the development and implementation of the first Oregon State Police Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), and facilitated the development of the first ever Line of Duty Death resource guide for OR law enforcement agencies.

Jan assisted in the development of the National Emergency Number Association's (NENA) Standard in Acute, Traumatic, and Chronic Stress Management. Jan holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and is currently an Alcohol and Other Drugs Counselor for Sonoma County (CA). She intends on continuing to assist first responders and military members to better manage their professional and personal lives. Her goal is to mitigate the stigma of first-responders asking for the help they oftentimes need and always deserve.