The future of public safety workforce development is emerging across the entire 9-1-1 career spectrum; from the moment a candidate applies to the support needed for a long, healthy career at the console. Explore how responsible, human-guided AI can identify and measure the right competencies for the role, reduce cognitive load, strengthen confidence and help create more sustainable career paths in emergency communications. With experience levels dropping and demands rising, AI offers a new path forward: identifying candidate strengths earlier, accelerating skill development, providing real-time clarity during complex calls and transforming operational data into meaningful insight for workforce retention, support, and wellness. Rather than replacing the human at the heart of 9-1-1, AI can serve as a multiplier for resilience, professional growth and long-term retention. Let's reframe the future of the ECC workforce and what it truly means to support telecommunicators from candidate to career.

Today’s teams are navigating constant pressure, rapid change, and emotional demands that often go unseen. When burnout emerges, leaders frequently focus on visible outcome (performance, behavior, or morale) without addressing the deeper factors driving them. Using the Iceberg Method, this session invites leaders to look below the surface to understand how beliefs, habits, culture, and leadership choices shape resilience, engagement, and long-term performance.

This session introduces the "5 Chairs, 5 Choices" model, guiding participants through framework focused on enhancing communication and decision-making. Each of the five chairs ”Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple” represents a different behavioral response to challenges. Through interactive activities and reflections, participants will identify their default behaviors and learn to choose more constructive responses.

In today's challenging climate, where public perception of law enforcement is often strained, cultivating passion for the public safety profession is more important than ever. This session explores how ECC leaders can inspire pride, purpose, and professionalism in their teams, especially as recruitment and retention become increasingly difficult. Participants will gain practical insights into how to build a resilient workforce, promote a culture of respect and accountability, and attract new talent by highlighting the impact and integrity of public safety careers.

Behind every 9-1-1 call is a telecommunicator whose mind and body are pushed into high alert, often multiple times within a single shift. This session explores different types of stress, including acute stress, cumulative stress, vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress. We'll explore how the fight-or-flight response is repeatedly triggered, what that means for long-term health and performance, and how stress uniquely affects telecommunicators compared to other first responders. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the hidden toll of this work, as well as practical strategies to build resilience and support wellness in the communications center.

This session offers a real-world look at how therapy dogs have been integrated into peer support and CISM efforts within a 9-1-1 center. Participants will hear firsthand how therapy animals can help reduce stress, build connection, and support retention and morale. You will walk away with practical steps for introducing therapy dog visits or programs into your own agency, including how to gain leadership buy-in and make wellness efforts feel personal and sustainable. Whether you're just beginning to explore mental health resources or looking to expand an existing program, this session offers a unique, compassionate approach to supporting the people behind the headset.

In this session, APCO will highlight the important work that is underway to support Emergency Communications Centers in wellness, staffing, recruitment, retention, and culture.  Included in this presentation is an update on the Incident Handling and Staffing Survey, which will be launched in 2026, as well as the modernization of the APCO RETAINS Toolkit.