COVID-19 has stressed our local public safety departments’ budgets and people. Public Safety staff are essential and that means they are showing up whenever they are called, no matter what’s going on in our world.

Well guess what, that is stressful… see, all our public safety partners must do their daily jobs with ZERO margin for error. That is on a normal day, and now, dealing with COVID-19 and Civil Unrest, not only are they expected to walk the line day in and day out, but now they’re doing with a heavier weight on their shoulders.

So how do we take care of our employees and keep professionalism and excellence intact while still mitigating the risk of the job?

As leaders in Public Safety, we are constantly defining scopes and goals for our organizations and mission. New information, additional intelligence, changing political landscapes, and increasing public expectations requires adjustment to our vision and focus almost overnight.  For public safety in America, this year has transitioned from dynamic to volcanic, and has added deep complexity to our mission and goals.  In such an environment, SMART goals seem a novel idea that might work “next year”.

But what about SMART Training?  During this season of grief and unrest, can we deliver training to our team that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relatable, and Timely?

In today's increasingly changing world, most PSAPs struggle to recruit and retain qualified Telecommunicators.  The most successful PSAPs are implementing robust training and communication programs.