As a leader in 911 it’s easy to lose focus of our mission. There are so many worries and distractions to get your attention: employee retention, budgets, civil liability and managing overtime. Certifications and training take a back seat, and as a result we put our people at risk by not equipping them with the training and certifications they need to do the job.
As leaders we must take a stand and arm our people with the skills, knowledge and resources to save lives, otherwise we put public safety at risk and set ourselves up for failure.
Case in point: On February 2nd, Tim, a 911 dispatcher of the Galax Police Department took a call concerning a toddler that was not breathing. Tim was not certified in CPR, nor Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD), therefore not qualified to give instructions. Tim was in a dangerous position—a point of choice. He could stay within the bounds of policy and refuse to give direction or he could jump in and give direction hoping to save a life.
Tim jumped into action and gave direction, going against policy. Thank goodness, the toddler survived. But, what would have happened if the toddler would have died? What would have happened if the child would have had complications from the instructions given? Would Tim have been given a reprimand or would Tim have been fired? What kind of lawsuit might be initiated had the situation ended differently?
We leaders need to see a bigger picture, and give our people the skills, resources, knowledge and backing so that their decisions are easy, protected by law and spot on every time.