"We Are the First, First Responders When You Pick Up That Phone..." - Diann Pritchard

Diann Pritchard has quite the story in emergency services.  She began her journey in emergency services working for a volunteer ambulance with a “hotline” that would continuously ring until it was answered. After obtaining the address and nature of the call, the ambulance service would call volunteers to respond.  The discussion of providing volunteer drivers with some medical training was just being discussed.  When Diann moved to Colorado (on the Fourth of July), she worked numerous jobs and became the second woman to join the Green Mountain Falls Fire Department serving as a Firefighter/EMT.  She was always curious to know what happened on the other side of the radio.  And so, when she read an ad for a dispatch position at the Cripple Creek Police Department, she seized the opportunity. Since then, Diann has moved up the ranks to become a Communication Center Manager and 9-1-1 Authority Board Member.In this episode Diann brings an insight on:Changes in emergency servicesDriving forces for protocols and standardizationManagerial techniquesTraining programs and leveraging individual learning stylesBenefits of mentor programsQuality assurance processes for smaller centersFirst responder classification for telecommunicatorsLeadership and lessons learnedDiann references:Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat Caroline Burau NENA’s Center Training (CTO) Program911 SAVES Act