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Experience the Energy Again: Highlights from Virtual Academy’s Gold Flame Conference 2025
Did you miss the Virtual Academy’s Gold Flame Conference 2025? This year’s two-day virtual experience brought together public safety professionals from across the country for training, insights, and inspiration designed to strengthen every level of the comm center.
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Held on November 11th and 12th, 2025, the Gold Flame Conference delivered a full schedule of expert-led sessions, engaging discussions, and practical takeaways you can apply immediately. Between the energetic morning show and the hourly sessions that followed, attendees walked away informed, equipped, and renewed in their purpose.
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Here’s a look at what you missed:
Day One:
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Authentically Accountable
This engaging session explores the critical role of understanding, authenticity, and accountability. Participants will learn how to embrace authenticity to build trust, foster accountability that creates safe and supportive environments, and understand themselves, others, and their differences.
This session will address one of the most common issue facing communications centers around the country today. The largest workforce in America today is made up of “Baby Boomers”, by 2029 most of them will have reached retirement age, leaving behind a wide range of experiences and knowledge. The only way to successfully work through a multi-generational workforce is to acknowledge there is an issue. Whether it’s new training methods or changing leadership styles, or even harvesting the experiences of tenured employees, we will begin the conversation and offer some ideas to successfully navigate these changing times.
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Wellness Through Legacy
Today, we’re going to explore a concept that extends far beyond our daily responsibilities: creating wellness through legacy. Every action we take and every decision we make contributes to something greater than ourselves. In the high-stakes world of 9-1-1, those choices can truly be a matter of life or death. But legacy isn’t only about the calls we answer, it’s about the leaders we choose to be and the lasting impact we will leave on our teams, our communities, and the profession as a whole. Ask yourself, what kind of legacy do you want to leave? Will your legacy be one of acceptance, accepting poor behavior and low standards, or one where excellence, pride, and purpose are not only expected, but nurtured, and celebrated?
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The Resilient Responder: Women Leading Wellness in 911
The discussion will cover the unique challenges faced in the 911 world and how you and your peers are leading efforts in self-care and supporting 911 Centers.
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Culture At The Speed of Trust, “How Psychological Safety Creates Trust”
Trust is not built overnight, but in the daily micro moments of interaction. Culture at the Speed of Trust equips leaders with the tools of positive leadership and psychological safety to create teams that feel safe, valued, and inspired. Participants will learn how to strengthen trust, lead with positivity, and foster accountability without losing compassion. This course offers more than strategies, it offers a blueprint for transforming culture so that every voice is heard, every leader lifts others higher, and every shift thrives.
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Silent Struggles: The Weight of Trauma Behind the Headset
Public safety telecommunicators often carry invisible weight. Grieving personal losses, managing unresolved trauma, or running on emotional empty, all while answering the call for others. This session explores the silent battles behind the headset and the courage it takes to show up when you are hurting. We will unpack what it means to help others while healing yourself, how to identify when you are not okay, who you can turn to, and why it is vital to prioritize your wellness. Because at the end of the shift, it is not just about getting through—it is about making it home emotionally and mentally whole.
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Protecting Your Peace
This is a candid, hopeful class led by Dawn Shumway that combines personal story with practical skill-building. In this class we will discuss major life crisis moments and chronic stress— touching on some experiences Dawn's endured including domestic violence, suicidal ideation, and trauma we see and hear while in 911 —to a life rooted in resilience and joy and being proud of who you are. This class covers: Real-world coping strategies Dawn uses daily to protect her peace; Tools to manage intense emotions and intrusive thought, Boundaries and communication techniques for work, family, and friendships; Small habits and mindset shifts that restore joy and confidence. This session is part storytelling, part skill practice, and part guided reflection — designed for people who want realistic, doable ways to feel safer, calmer, and more present in their lives.
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If Sleep Were a Drug: Building Resilience Through Rest
Emergency communications specialists work at the intersection of chaos and calm—often running on caffeine, adrenaline, and compassion while neglecting their own rest. This session, led by Dr. Leah Kaylor—FBI Sleep Expert and author of If Sleep Were a Drug —translates neuroscience into practical strategies. Participants will leave with actionable tools to improve sleep quality, manage fatigue, and enhance resilience.
Day Two:
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Peak Resilience and Antifragility - Creating Peace of Mind amidst Stress
Our bodies and minds are designed for high performance but when confronted with cumulative and/or acute stress, do you come out feeling exhausted and worked over? Would you like to handle difficult periods and situations without feeling drained? Do you want to improve your ability to handle high acuity incidents? Here you'll learn about how to become antifragile - using our exposures to better ourselves. You'll also learn the improvements you can make to build, maintain, and improve resilience. Leave feeling motivated to implement tools that can bring you to your best self both in and out of work.
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Triggers, Trauma, and Telecommunicators
This round table therapy-style discussion entitled aims to provide a safe and compassionate space for telecommunicators to find insight, peace, and spiritual wellness in the aftermath of their most harrowing calls. Led by an empathetic grief coach, an ordained minister, and a seasoned dispatcher and trainer, tthis session will guide participants through a transformative journey towards healing and self-discovery. By intertwining psychological and spiritual approaches, this discussion seeks to address the emotional wounds that telecommunicators carry, offering solace, understanding, and a renewed sense of purpose.
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Beyond the Checkbox: Turning 911 Wellness into Real Change
This panel brings together national wellness leaders from NENA and APCO to share strategies that move wellness from intention to impact. Learn what’s working across the country and leave with practical steps to create lasting, meaningful change in your center.
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Calm in the Chaos: Brain-Friendly Wellness Practices for Dispatchers
The dispatch console demands focus, rapid decision-making, and an ability to stay composed when every second matters. This interactive session explores practical, science-based strategies to care for your mental health while you work—no extra time or special equipment required. Learn how your brain and nervous system respond to stress and discover quick, discreet techniques to down-regulate in the moment, protect against burnout, and maintain better performance. From mindful micro-breaks to grounding exercises you can use between calls, you’ll leave with a personalized toolkit to support your mind and body without missing a beat on the radio or phone.
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Heroes on the Frontline: Balancing Stress, Relationships, and Technology in 911
An open conversation on the emotional, relational, and professional challenges of 9-1-1 work—and how to overcome them.
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Stronger Minds, Stronger Leaders: Building Mental Resilience in Leadership
This interactive session equips leaders with strategies to build resilience and foster mental health awareness in the workplace. Using live polling, chat-based discussions, and guided reflection, participants will define mental health, burnout, and compassion fatigue in leadership contexts. They will examine the organizational impact of poor mental health, explore practices that hinder or support well-being, and discuss resilience strategies that can be applied immediately.
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Mastering Your Money – A Journey to Financial Wellness for Telecommunicators
Financial Wellness for Telecommunicators is an alternative and practical new approach to wellness in the 9-1-1 industry. This presentation will focus on the essential steps to building a functional personal budget. We will also discuss how to construct a plan to get out of debt, how to build an emergency savings fund, and begin retirement planning to promote long-term stability. Financial stress can be controlled!
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​“The Point of No Return: Leading Beyond Burnout, Failure, and Fear."
Find purpose beyond burnout and fear with strategies to rise, rebuild, and lead with renewed confidence.