IPSA Webinar Week

The International Public Safety Association believes in providing mission critical, educational and affordable training opportunities to the public safety community throughout the year. 

Join us by participating in our first Webinar Week this August 14-18, 2017. Each day, Monday - Friday, IPSA will host a Free Educational Webinar at 10am Arizona Time.

Monday: Critical Incident/Active Shooter Awareness

Active shooter incidents in the workplace is a present day reality we all have to face. ASI's have occurred on military bases, police departments, shopping malls, airports and at many other soft targets. 

This webinar is specifically developed for potential victims of a workplace violence critical incident. The presentation will provide attendees - whether you're a first responder,  civilian employee or private sector professional - with an understanding of how their bodies and minds will respond during a critical incident and it will give them mental training tools to help them survive. The presentation is developed by law enforcement special operations personnel in conjunction with a psychologist specializing in combat awareness.

Videos of actual high stress incidents will be shown to illustrate how to use the tools to mentally and physically work through many situations. Ultimately this webinar's main goal is to teach people how to mentally prepare themselves for their natural stress response when faced with a life-endangering situation.

Tuesday: Why first responders need post action strategic debriefing 

First responders witness tragedy every day. Even the best team leaders have moments of wondering if their team is really ready for the next critical incident. In the line of duty, whether it be public safety like law enforcement or emergency response, or an industry with potential for dangerous accidents like construction or oil and gas, there will be the inevitable critical incident on the job. These can result in physical injury or even fatality, but also in a more difficult to detect, and often long-lasting, other type of injury.

Post-Action Strategic Debriefing addresses a critical incident immediately after, using a process devised from several different proven techniques - the military's after-action review, critical incident stress debriefing and counseling & therapy intervention techniques. This process focuses on preventing trauma effects from the incident as well as creating positive momentum for the team to be stronger.

Combining basics from industry post-action techniques and therapy techniques, this course teaches the Post-Action Strategic Debriefing (PASD)© method for developing individual and team strength and resilience, leading to better action preparation; how to debrief following action; and then how to work toward healthy recovery and team cohesiveness. Attendees will receive a workbook for future PASD© sessions upon completion of the course.

Wednesday: The Critical Role of a 911 Dispatcher within a Hostage Negotiation

Just like other first responders, the dynamic roles of 911 telecommunications is evolving. Today’s call takers and dispatchers are being held to a higher standard. There is a community-wide expectation of advanced training among the 911 telecommunications profession. Whether it’s being fluent in multiple languages, being able to provide CPR over the phone, being able to assist during violent acts, or – as this webinar will highlight – being able to serve on a hostage negotiation team.

This course will identify roles within a Hostage Negotiation Team in which 911 dispatchers are demonstrating immense success. We will discuss how the everyday roles of a telecommunicator make for a seamless transition to crisis negotiation teams and provide a critical missing link. This course will include training points, risk assessments, and review the FBI Action Imperative.

All first responders must register for this webinar, whether you’re on SWAT, fire/rescue, EMS or – of course a 911 telecommunications professional because it’s critical to know every aspect of how the teams who serve during any event operate.

Thursday: FAA Considerations for Getting Operational with UAS in Public Safety

Whether your agency has a UAS Program, is considering it or you're just looking to increase your knowledge, you should sign up for this webinar.

Policies and use cases for UAS Programs are constantly changing. It is incredibly challenging for agencies to keep up.  The instructors will briefly discuss the concepts of Airspace, Airman certification, and Aircraft (UAS are aircraft), as well as discuss operating requirements under either Public vs Civil legal frameworks, the relevant statutes that apply, the process to follow, considerations to be given when considering using UAS in public safety, and some handy tools and references for the UAS operators.

Attendees will learn about specific public safety use cases of UAS. Additionally, an overview of what is happening nationally in public safety and opportunities how you can be more involved as an individual, an organization and/or both will be shared. This webinar will provide valuable insights as to what is required to implement a new UAS Program.

Friday: How a cyberattack can bring down your department - and what you can do to identify, respond, recover

Imagine if your agency’s CAD was hacked and unusable for hours or days. How would your agency function? What if your entire communications network went down? What would you do if your agency was a victim of ransomware?

Why should public safety officials care about cybersecurity? Isn’t it something for IT to figure out? The answer is no. Cybersecurity and cyber threats impact all first responders and it’s important to understand the basics of cybersecurity and the impacts of cyber threats so you can effectively respond and eventually recover.

This webinar will focus on public safety cybersecurity and information protection from a strategic and management perspective rather than strictly a technology perspective. The cybersecurity threat to public safety is real and growing, and the scope of your cybersecurity approach should cover a broad set of public safety technologies including 911, CAD/RMS, radio and broadband communications, public safety data networks, devices like smartphones and public safety information such as personal/victim data (fire and police), public safety personnel data, and evidence. 

Reducing cybersecurity risk requires a comprehensive approach spearheaded by agency leadership vs. delegating all responsibility to IT personnel. Effective agency governance, planning, policies and training is critical.