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Comms Coach Podcast
Welcome to Comms Coach, the podcast that delves deep into the world of training and quality assurance for 9-1-1. Your host, Lori Henricksen, is a veteran in the field with more than 30 years experience as a dispatcher, trainer and high school teacher who started one of the country's first 9-1-1 Dispatch programs for High School students in Las Vegas, Nevada. In each episode, a lineup of expert guests dive into the critical aspects of emergency communications training, quality assurance and improvement. They share valuable insights, techniques, and best practices to help today's trainers and the next generation of unsung heroes. So whether you're an experienced dispatcher, leader, trainer or simply curious about how to set up and run training or QA programs in your center or school, get ready to embark on a journey of knowledge, growth, and inspiration. This is Comms Coach, building the strength behind every call.
Comms Coach Podcast
Season 1 Episode 2 Halcyon Frank
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How did someone "accidentally" fall into 911 dispatch and end up becoming one of its most passionate advocates for professional development? In this episode, host Lori Henricksen sits down with Halcyon Frank, Director of Training and Development for the Denise Amber Lee Foundation, for a conversation that challenges how the industry thinks about continuing dispatcher education.
Halcyon's path into dispatch training wasn't exactly planned, but it shaped a perspective that's hard to argue with: 911 is a true public safety career, and it deserves to be treated like one. She and Laurie get honest about the wild inconsistencies in dispatcher training across the U.S., where some agencies run 12 to 14-week academies and others offer a single day, or nothing at all. They talk about why ongoing training keeps getting deprioritized despite short staffing, tight budgets, and a workforce that's already stretched thin, and why that mindset is a problem the industry can't keep kicking down the road.
The conversation gets practical fast. Halcyon breaks down how virtual training, micro-sessions, briefing room moments, and even two-minute videos can start building a culture that actually values learning—without requiring a budget overhaul or a full restructure. She also gets into why refresher training for seasoned dispatchers isn't optional, how "drift" from best practices happens quietly over time, and how individual telecommunicators can develop real subject matter expertise in crisis intervention, mental health, domestic violence, fire, EMS, and more—even when their agency isn't offering formal support.
The episode closes with something worth sitting with: your education and your skills belong to you. No one can take them away. Whether you're brand new to a headset or you've been running a comm center for years, Halcyon makes a compelling case for taking ownership of your own growth—and why that investment pays off for everyone, including the people calling 911.
If you work in dispatch, train dispatchers, or lead a communications center, this one will make you rethink what professional development can look like in your world.
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