NICE News Special Edition - Volume 2, Issue 8

	JIM PARK UPDATE MONTEREY COUNTY TELECOMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR: LISA CADDY SCORES ATTEND INSIGHT 2006 ERIE COUNTY NICE IN THE NEWS SHARE YOUR "NICE" STORY: WIN AN IPOD PUBLIC SAFETY RESOURCE CENTER NICE EVENTS




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MEET NICE TELECOMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR: LISA CADDY, SALT LAKE VECC

Lisa Caddy is a dispatcher with the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center

What makes an exceptional telecommunicator exceptional? Ask Nancy McKean, training manager for the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center (VECC), and she’ll tell you – it’s not the one moment of fame that comes with handling a life-or-death call. It’s the silently heroic and understated everyday efforts and contributions that often go unnoticed.

“I think all too often we look for one incident that someone handled and say, ‘that person is a great dispatcher,’” she said. “But I believe we need to look at the day-to-day activities that take place when no one is watching, the incredible things that people do.”

McKean says that Lisa Caddy, a dispatcher with the Salt Lake VECC, exemplifies that type of exceptional employee. As vital as she is as a telecommunicator, Lisa views her role within VECC in a much larger way.

“Answering 9-1-1 calls is very exciting, very challenging,” said Caddy. “Every time you give CPR instructions over the phone, you try to do it better. Each time you have a crying mom, you try to learn different ways to calm her down.” But, Caddy adds, “I don’t just come here to answer 9-1-1 calls or dispatch. I like to challenge myself to do not just what I was hired to do – but different things.”

McKean says that’s a big part of what makes Lisa unique. “I can’t say enough good things about Lisa,” said McKean. “She’s tenacious. She involved. If she sees a problem, she doesn’t moan or complain about it. Instead, it’s ‘what role do I have in it? What role can I play to make it better?’ I think that’s pretty rare in public safety dispatch because we see so much of what’s negative in the world.”

Lisa has only been with Salt Lake VECC since March of 2005. But, to hear McKean say it, Lisa has packed a lifetime of accomplishments into those seventeen short months. On her own time, Lisa took the initiative to complete APCO’s rigorous Communications Training Officer (CTO) and CTO Instructor programs.

Lisa explains: “Here at our agency we’ve adopted the APCO class as a standard to bring our training and evaluations up to a higher level.” APCO’s CTO courses cover such areas as adult learning styles, different approaches to training, performance evaluation, and a host of topics related to implementing effective PSAP training programs.

In her spare time, Lisa sits on VECC’s Horizons board, a committee established to provide training guidelines and advice, and has even volunteered to teach CPR to VECC employees. It was that experience that made her realize she had an interest in and a knack for training. “We used to outsource our CPR training,” said Lisa. “When they decided to bring it in house, a letter went out asking employees if they’d be interested in teaching CPR. I signed up and found out that I really liked training. So that’s what got me interested in teaching.”

Lisa says that training comes with its own rewards. “I remember what it felt like to be a new, insecure employee. I remember having a good trainer too. When you’re involved in training, you’re helping others become successful and sharing in that success. It’s very rewarding.”

McKean, who heads up recruiting, new hire training and ongoing training for VECC, says Lisa is a natural trainer. “Many of our trainees actually request Lisa as a trainer,” said McKean. “She has helped people who were not grasping concepts or skills latch onto them and become successful. She’s patient, driven, interested and personable, and she has an uncanny ability to motivate fellow employees.”

McKean says that Lisa brings a rare combination of conscientiousness and caring to her telecommunicator profession too. “There are people who work in this field who are simply here because it’s a steady job and it pays well,” said McKean. “Lisa is here because she has a passion for the work and for people. She genuinely cares about the callers and her co-workers. She’s a perfectionist, and I think that’s what makes her good at her job. In her mind, she’s never quite there yet. She’s always striving to become better.”

More poignantly, McKean adds, “You’ve got to have heart to do this job and do it well for a long time. Some people get burned out very quickly - but not Lisa.”

No one would agree more wholeheartedly with that statement than Lisa herself. “When people call us, they’re often calling on what might be one of the worst days of their lives,” she said. “You have to be able to take control of difficult situations, but you also have to be compassionate at the same time.” Lisa acknowledges that’s not always easy, and the day-to-day routine of handling critical calls can lead to burnout for some. But, she has her own personal remedy for that too.

For Lisa, as with many things, it’s a matter of attitude. “Some people will look at their fellow dispatchers who are new on the job and happy, and they’ll say, ‘well, they’re just new.’ My goal is to always keep that new employee attitude,” she said. “I’m going to be new forever.”