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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 2 Episode 6: Whitney Moore, Branding in 9-1-1
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Most 911 centers never think about branding. Whitney Moore thinks that's a mistake—and this episode might just change your mind too. Host Lori Henricksen sits down with the Communications Manager at Northwest Emergency Communications Center in Texas for a conversation about what happens when a dispatch center decides to take its identity seriously.
Whitney's center wasn't always what it is today. It started as a small single-agency PSAP, and somewhere along the way her team made a decision: they were going to build something people were proud to be part of. That meant more than a new logo. It meant figuring out who they were, what they stood for, and how to show that to the people inside the center and the community on the other side of every call.
The how is what makes this episode worth your time. Whitney partnered with a student-led PR agency out of TCU to develop a modern visual identity and months of social media content. She added a headset to the patch and created challenge coins—small moves that turned out to mean a lot on the floor. She built a brand neutral enough to represent multiple partner agencies without making anyone feel like an afterthought. And she leaned into something most centers wouldn't dare try: radical transparency, publishing QA metrics, satisfaction survey results, and performance data publicly, even when the numbers weren't pretty.
She and Lori talk about why all of this matters beyond aesthetics. A strong brand attracts the next generation of telecommunicators. A consistent social media presence lets a center shape its own narrative instead of leaving it to whoever's complaining online. And when dispatchers see themselves reflected in something they're genuinely proud of, it shows up in morale, retention, and the way they carry themselves on the job.
If you lead a comm center and you've never thought about branding as a leadership tool—this episode is your starting point.
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