Article Highlights
- The problem: Inadequate mental health resources for employees
- The solution: PowerLine, an ECC app
- The benefits: Provide well-being resources, improve ECC mental health, and track ROI
The problem: Lack of well-being resources for 9-1-1 telecommunicators
Throughout just one day, 911 telecommunicators respond to dozens, if not hundreds, of emergency calls. Regardless of whether a call is straightforward or highly traumatic, telecommunicators must remain calm as they help victims navigate emergencies and relay important information to first responders. Unfortunately, many agencies lack appropriate well-being resources to help telecommunicators handle the emotional and traumatic nature of these high-stakes calls.
As your emergency communications center deals with budget constraints and understaffing, you also struggle to provide adequate resources to support well-being for your 911 telecommunicators. Given the high-stress nature of working as an emergency telecommunicator, this combination of inadequate resources and overworking takes a heavy mental and emotional toll. Telecommunicators who suffer from these burdens can experience burnout or even PTSD.
When these overwhelmed employees inevitably exit the field, your agency faces high turnover and understaffing. Existing telecommunicators are forced to fill scheduling gaps by working overtime, perpetuating the negative cycle. In addition to hurting individual telecommunicators, this unchecked 911 telecommunicator stress and high turnover reduces productivity and impedes your agency’s ability to uphold service level agreements and meet stakeholder needs.
The solution: An ECC app
You can overcome these challenges by providing telecommunicators with comprehensive mental health resources. PowerLine by PowerDMS is a complete wellness solution designed to support telecommunicator well-being with customized resources, support networks, and complete anonymity.
Complete resource library
Any time employees feel overwhelmed, they can access PowerLine’s full library of wellness content to help them navigate 911 telecommunicator stress. PowerLine’s video, article, and audio content is specifically cultivated to meet the unique personal and professional needs of telecommunicators.
Network of peers
PowerLine provides telecommunicators with a nationwide network of volunteer peers so they can receive that much-needed (but often hard to find) social support. Using a specialized algorithm, individuals are matched with peers based on their rank and experience. Employees who prefer group discussions can instead use this ECC mobile app to connect to topic-specific, virtual discussion groups moderated by volunteer peers.
Consolidated agency resources
PowerLine also gives telecommunicators direct, in-app access to your existing agency wellness resources, such as local peer volunteers, clergy, or vetted therapists. Additionally, PowerDMS partners with professional clinicians to provide peer volunteer training and 24/7 access to an emergency escalation resource.
Data insights
As employees use this app for emergency communication centers, you can track anonymous departmental data and usage insights through PowerLine’s dashboard. This helps your agency measure how the app’s resources are being utilized in your agency by:
- Recognizing trends in downloads, logins, feature usage, and engagement
- Viewing user-rated scores of resources and peer volunteers
- Measuring the most-engaged topics, content, and tools
The benefits of apps for mental wellness
PowerDMS’s ECC mobile app lets telecommunicators anonymously access emotional well-being resources on their terms – anytime, anywhere. Due to the anonymity and ease of access that PowerLine provides, telecommunicators don’t have to suffer in silence for worry of judgment. Employees can feel comfortable seeking support from local resources they trust or nationwide peer volunteers that understand their struggles.
Additionally, anonymous usage data enables you to measure your return on investment and gain insights that inform future wellness initiatives. In doing so, you continue to support the improved wellness, morale, and mental health of 911 telecommunicators so your agency can provide the best levels of service possible.
Learn more
You can better support the mental health of 911 telecommunicators with the PowerLine employee wellness app. Schedule a demo today to learn more about how PowerLine can provide complete wellness solutions for your agency.