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.

Wellness and Peer Support Program Implementation in a 9-1-1 Communication Center

The Peer Support and CISM APCO workgroup under the APCO Wellness Committee examined over thirty agencies of varying sizes and geography who had submitted details in 2021-2022 about their centers and their peer support programs. View the 2021-2022 analysis.

This workbook offers guidance to public safety agencies on the development and implementation of wellness programs, especially those geared towards peer support, that can be implemented partially or in full depending on the needs of the individual agency.

View peer support guide

New from the APCO Health & Wellness Committee!

Presentations

Health & Wellness at APCO 2024

Planning on attending APCO 2024? Check out all that APCO has to offer at this year’s annual conference & expo.

Wellness in the Emergency Communications Center Track
Wellness Program
Sunday, August 4

  • This Is the Soundtrack to My Life
  • Championing Well-being and Community Engagement
  • Cumulative PTSI in a Dispatch Environment
  • Zero Suicide Kits
 Sunday, August 4

  • 5K Run/Walk at APCO 2024
Monday, August 5

  • A Skyward Shift: Designing PSAPs for Emotional Resilience
  • Undoing the Damage of the Compartmentalization Culture
 Monday, August 5 & Tuesday, August 6

  • Mindful Meditation Session
  • Chair Yoga Session
  • Sound Bath Session
Tuesday, August 6

  • Boosting 9-1-1 Staff Performance, Retention, Mental Health
  • I’m all Wellnessed out!
 Sunday, August 4, through Wednesday, August 7

  • Quiet Room
Wednesday, August 7

  • 9-1-1 Comms and Critters with 42-PU
  • Imagine Listening
  • Build, Empower & Inspire Your Peer Support Team
  • Staying Afloat in 9-1-1
 There is no additional cost to participate.

911 Wellness Summit

Presentations from APCO’s 2024 911 Wellness Summit are available on the 911wellness.org website.

PSC Magazine Articles

These articles have appeared in recent issues of APCO’s PSC magazine, a member resource.

March/April 2024

  • Mind Games
  • Coping With Crisis CDE #67608

May/June 2023

  • Proactive Telecommunicator Wellness
  • Strategies for Stress
  • Wellness Tech for the Telecommunicator
  • How Can We Cope? Dealing With the Stress That Follows a Critical Incident
  • Physical Fitness

November/December 2023

  • Building Toward Burnout

January/February 2023

  • Raising Awareness of the Impacts of Working in Emergency Communications
  • Technology Tools for Telecommunicator Health
 March/April 2022

  • Occupational Identity and Well-Being: Ideas From Telecommunicators
  • Everyday Peer Support: Chronic Stress in the ECC
  • How to Alleviate Stress in 10 Days
  • The Great Eight

March/April 2021

  • Stress in the ECC

July/August 2020

  • Stress Continues to Plague Telecommunicators

November/December 2019

  • Health and Wellness for the Holidays

General Health

Diet and Exercise

Mental Health & Well-being

Recognizing and Mitigating Stress

Night Shift

Specific to Telecommunicators