Building Health and Resilience in 9‑1‑1
Public safety telecommunicators are devoted to assisting others every day, so it is essential that they take good care of themselves in order to better handle the challenges of their work and mitigate the impact of this constant exposure to trauma. In addition, studies show there may be negative health effects from shift work, stress, lack of exercise or poor eating habits.
The resources in this section may help individuals recognize signs of possible trouble and be proactive about building positive habits and striving for good mental and physical health.
APCO’s 9-1-1 Wellness Summit Open for Registration
March 2-3, 2025 | Portland, OR
Co-located with the APCO Western Regional Conference 2025
Gain valuable insights into stress and trauma management at the 9-1-1 Wellness Summit. Learn how these factors impact you and your team while acquiring practical tools to maintain optimal well-being. Enroll today and unlock the key to personal and team health.
Jumpstart Your 2025 Health and Wellness
Our Health and Wellness Committee has created an End of the Year Reflection worksheet. As you fill it out, you can reflect on the past year and make resolutions as you plan for the new one.
New from the APCO Health & Wellness Committee!
PSC Magazine Articles
These articles have appeared in recent issues of APCO’s PSC magazine, a member resource.
March/April 2024
May/June 2023
November/December 2023
January/February 2023
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March/April 2022
March/April 2021
July/August 2020
November/December 2019
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Newly added!
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End of Year Reflection Worksheet
Our Health and Wellness Committee has created an End of the Year Reflection sheet. As you fill it out, you can reflect on the past year and make resolutions as you plan for the new one.
Mental Health & Well-being
- 2 Minute Mindfulness Exercise by the APCO Wellness Committee
- 911 dispatchers and PTSD: Why dispatchers face mental health issues
- Managing Conflict in Meetings
- 7 Leaders Share Insights About Work-Life Balance
- Techniques 911 dispatchers can use to manage stress
- Telecommunicators & Mental Health (CDE #36488)
- The impact of 911 telecommunications on family and social interactions
Specific to Telecommunicators
- Comparison of Law Enforcement and Dispatch Stress
- Dispatchers Can Experience PTSD Just as Much as Other First Responders
- Hazards of Being a 911 Dispatcher
- Life of Constant Crises Takes Emotional Toll on 911 Operators
- PTSD and Depressive Symptoms in 911 Telecommunicators
- PTSD Report: Duty-related trauma exposure in 911 telecommunicators
- Therapy Dog Helps Emergency Dispatchers Cope With Stress
- Wellness and Peer Support Program Implementation in a 9-1-1 Communication Center.
- Columns by Dani-Jean Stuart:
- If You’ve Ever Said, “This Shift Is Killing Me,” Part 3 August 2016
- If You’ve Ever Said, “This Shift Is Killing Me,” Part 2 July 2016
- If You’ve Ever Said, “This Shift Is Killing Me,” Part 1 March 2016
- Don’t Worry, Be Happy October 2015
- Ten Things to Do When Dispatch is Deader than Disco August 2015
- Who Takes Care of Us? – May 2015
- Let’s Talk About Those 10,000 Steps – May 2015
- Health, Satiety and Meditation – April 2015
- Let’s Talk About Stress – March 2015
- The Killer Chair … and How to Vanquish It – February 2015
- It’s About Balance AND the Calories – January 2015
