The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Public Education & Training Committee held two breakout sessions on NG9-1-1 Public Education during the NENA Development Conference in Orlando Florida on February 5-8, 2012. The sessions focused on developing a 9-1-1 public education program on NG9-1-1 in order to identify current resources available as well as establish priorities for NG9-1-1 educational materials that can be developed by NENA and other partners.
The sessions were facilitated by Christi Eskew with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, Sonya L. Clauson with Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network and Sherri Griffith-Powell with L.R. Kimball. The facilitators kicked off the first session by discussing NG9-1-1 and why there is a need for educational campaigns.
Several areas, including North Central Texas Council of Governments, shared examples of current programs utilized to educate public officials, at the local, regional and state levels on the importance of funding NG9-1-1. An NG9-1-1 informational booklet is available on the NENA web site and is being used by Ms. Eskew as part of her educational program.
The first session utilized input from attendees to create a list of target audiences. In addition to elected officials, one of the first groups targeted was public safety employees. It was noted that as the true first responders, they need to be educated on NG9-1-1 in order to field questions from 9-1-1 callers and the public. They also will be the audience for NG9-1-1 training as that is developed.
The second session recapped the information covered in the first session and continued with a short brainstorming session to identify some key messages for an NG9-1-1 public education campaign and to identify potential partners in that campaign. The session was much more of a working session with great participation from attendees. Several of the attendees volunteered to form a committee to continue working on the NG9-1-1 educational campaign.
If you are interested in being a part of the NG9-1-1 education and training group to help establish a recommended guide for implementing a public education plan for this critical issue, please contact Sherri Griffith-Powell at sherri.powell@lrkimball.com.
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