It doesn’t take long standing in a 9-1-1 dispatch center before anyone can begin to feel uncomfortable. There are phones ringing, radio chatter, muffled voices, urgent instruction, time-sensitive decisions, all under the umbrella of knowing this business IS EMERGENT. There is an orchestra of noise that comes from a dispatch desk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, non-stop, infinitely, without cessation.  This can be – and quite frequently is – more than even the most seasoned responder can handle. Processing information, making split-second decisions, and taking decisive action is the daily grind for a 9-1-1 dispatcher. We, RFact, understand this intimately.

Dispatch centers are plagued with the same challenges, all over the country:

• Staffing shortages
• Low morale
• Emotionally devoid leadership
• Lack of ongoing training and assessment of employee performance
• Monday morning quarterbacking
• Passive-aggressive attitudes
• New hire cannibalism
• Decaying technological infrastructure
• New, poorly-implemented technology
• Lack of data-driven decision making

How do we know this? We have been there, worked there, been put in those situations, and have taken our lumps.

Rarefaction Consulting was born out of recognition of a genuine need in dispatch centers. We know what help is desired in a dispatch center, because we sought it out, and it didn’t exist. So what do you do when you need a solution and it doesn’t exist? We created it.

Rarefaction as it pertains to sound (communications/soundwave, get it?) is the physical component of a sound wave where the wave expands, allowing space for molecules to move. The RFact Team is a third party service, allowing “space,” aka time, effort, thoughtful system analysis and improvement, to supplement the [daily grind of the center/management], allowing SPACE (in the form of additional personnel and effort) for improvement to happen. Rarefaction can provide analysis, training, employee development, and system improvement from a qualified and experienced team of professionals at a fraction of the price of hiring an internal trainer or other “industry  expert” consultants.

RFact founders JP Cockrell and Kiel Lamar have proven our drive and ambition time and time again in our own careers. Beginning as front-line dispatchers and call-takers, we have promoted through every desired position within Fire, EMS and Law dispatch. We preach ongoing development and learning, and we mean it. We didn’t stop at managing our own centers, we want to revolutionize the way centers function, so we began investing in ourselves and personal development, pursuing knowledge and comprehensive understanding of what challenges we faced as Communications Leaders.

We have developed these challenges into modules:

• Working with a millennial workforce
• Motivation and Rewards in the Comm Center
• Learning about learning
• The value of a dispatcher
• Growing old with new tech
• Defining Success in your Comm Center

The unique and valuable spin on these modules are derived from personal experience.

Working the position

I don’t know about many of the other consultants out there…. But I have some battle wounds from my days in the hot seat. A deformed left ear from the constant weight of a headset. Some emotional scars, some stories, and some really great friends who lived through the same pain and showed me how to pull through.

Supervising peers

Yup. Dispatchers have a way of being critical of those around them…… It’s hard to provide course correction to someone who has suddenly becomes your biggest critic. Muttering a list of mistakes you made along they way.

Being embarrassed

We recognize not every decision was a good one, but we LEARN WELL. We can teach you what we have learned from our own mistakes!

Being overwhelmed in the trenches

After promoting to management, it is easy to forget what it feels like to be put to the test on a channel. The tough experiences and crazy busy times at the console are still near and dear to our hearts. We LOVE dispatchers, not because they hold prestigious or sexy roles in public safety, but because we recognize the personal toll it takes to commit to the job.

 

You expect me to do whaaaaa?

Monday Morning quarterbacking is easy. The decisions dispatchers make in seconds are often debated in circles Monday morning. A team of people gathered around the table often can’t agree on the “right” course of action. We have lived this OVER and OVER again. Let us help transition the organization priorities into easy-to-implement, quick action steps for dispatchers.

What does Success in your Comm Center look like? What are the goals for your center? “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Let The RFact Team help you identify and reach your goals. We are ready.