Editor’s note: In the August 2009 issue of Public Safety Communications, we published an article by Mark Boudreaux called, “9-1-1 Instructor for Hire: When West Trains East.” The article was a first-person account from an APCO Adjunct Instructor who traveled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide public safety telecommunications training at King Abdullah’s University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a brand new, state-of-the art facility on the coast of the Red Sea in Thuwal. Below, Boudreaux continues his story.

[nggallery id=6]Deep Worldly Thoughts
As I wrap up my six-month training venture here in sunny Saudi Arabia, I can’t help but bask in the revelation that issues in public safety communications are truly global. Yep, that’s what I typed: global! Sure, the languages might be different and terminology might be changed from “this” to “that,” but all in all we somehow manage to experience the exact same problems.

Although I came here to teach, what I have learned has been truly humbling. No matter where you are on this big blue marble, radio problems will forever be inherent no matter how cheap or expensive the system. From small bedroom communities to big metropolitan cities — Los Angeles to London, Texas USA to Thuwal KSA — no matter where you are in the world, problems, politics, triumphs and successes in the emergency response arena are quite the same. The one common bond we all cherish is the dedication of the most important aspect of who we are and what we do — our telecommunicators. Without telecommunicators, there would be no 9-1-1, and “when seconds count” would never have been conceived.

Project in a Paragraph
In April 2009, I was fortunate to be selected by APCO Institute to train and certify Saudi Arabia’s first group of 9-1-1 professionals at King Abdullah’s University of Science and Technology (KAUST), located in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. During my first three months, I set out to teach a team of Saudi gentlemen a plethora of public safety communications courses. The four core courses: APCO’s Public Safety Telecommunicator Training, APCO’s Fire Communications Training, APCO’s EMD Course and APCO’s Active Shooter Course. These were followed by six additional courses: LACN Crisis Negotiation for the Telecommunicator, Diversity Training, Stereotyping in the Workplace, How to Communicate with Your Supervisor, S.T.R.E.S.S. and Creating Bonds by Communicating Kindly.

The few chosen to become supervisors were additionally required to successfully pass APCO’s Communications Center Supervisory Training Course and Problem Solving for Supervisors. One lucky candidate also had to rise to the challenge of APCO’s Communications Training Officer (CTO) Course.

During my second three months, my hat had to change from teacher to manager. It was during this period that the Kingdom’s first 9-1-1 emergency calltaking and dispatching center would be in full operation.

The Sands of the Hourglass
During the initial three months of training, our average day (trainer and trainees) started at 5:45 a.m. and a one-hour, scary-but-awakening, 70 kilometer bus ride from Jeddah north to the KAUST campus in Thuwal. Next, eight hours of intense training, followed by two hours of coached physical fitness training. Each day ended with the dreaded one-hour gamble-on-your-life bus ride back to Jeddah. This was the schedule five days a week. Urgh!

At first, I really missed my cushy stateside job. The thought of rolling out of bed around 7 a.m. and hopping on my motorbike for the cool breezy half-mile journey to the office where a cup of freshly made New Orleans style coffee would be waiting for me … OK, perhaps my mornings back home don’t really start that way, but that’s the way it was in my dreamy, slightly blurred flashback.

Soon, I realized that the regimen of travel, training and exercise created strong bonds between members of the group. I listened as they began to study on the bus and in the gym. I heard “what would you do if …” scenarios and watched as blank tablets became filled with a lifetime of public safety information. It was also during this time that I began to learn more about Arabic customs, traditions, history and people. I have always held the belief that a teacher’s most valuable achievement is to learn, to experience, to grow and then to share true-life experiences with students. To teach otherwise would merely be reading from a book. Boring – ring … ring … “9-1-1. Where is your emergency?” (Oops! Sorry, got carried away.)

Training with the Amereekie
As training progressed, so did the actual construction of the academic and housing facilities on campus. We made periodic field trips to document the changes that were being made and to learn the intricacies of every nook and cranny of every building and breezeway. As I explained to these future professionals, “You must know the area that you serveintimately.”

With that the questions began. “Mr. Mark, what do you mean by this ‘intimately’?”

I explained, “As a driver knows his car, as a programmer knows his software, you must know every aspect of the campus and surrounding area so that a person need only describe what they see and you will know exactly where they are standing. You must have an intimate knowledge of this university’s campus in the same way … hmm … that a husband knows his wife.”

It was then that I received the harmonious “Ooohhh!”

This holistic approach to training (i.e., structured classroom, simulations and geographic) later proved rewarding.

With each course taught, the lessons became more enriching and, of course, more difficult. By this time more than two-and-a-half months had passed and the bonds created between teacher and students were as strong as the bonds that I share with my own staff back home. Teaching these gentlemen became as natural to me as teaching my own son, except 10 of him … with Arabic accents.

AnatoMyProblem
Keeping the most difficult course for last is a fundamental learning method on which good education is based. With the cornerstone of APCO courses in place, the communications-center-of-knowledge had but one major element remaining in its design: APCO’s Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) course. By now all of the students had what seemed like a lifetime of training using APCO Law Enforcement and Fire Guidecards (which are excellent, btw!). They had each successfully passed American Heart Association’s (AHA) international CPR/AED/First Aid certification course. So I figured that identifying a Chief Complaint and flipping to the correct card for instructions wouldn’t be that difficult. The week moved surprisingly well with lots of head nodding and note-taking. At the end of the week, I began to review the ‘seven systems of the human body’ and that’s when it hit me: I’m really in a foreign country. You see, as I taught about the body parts and intertwined my autopsy stories along with the audio files, videos and PowerPoint slides, I had grasped my students attention so well that they had no idea how to translate, how to interpret, what they saw and heard.

TAFTI… Thank Allah for the Internet! Soon I was drawing diagrams on the white board and writing from left-to-right as my trusted students searched the Web and used Arabic medical dictionaries to associate a right-to-left indication of what a liver is and does. The English language is so vast and contains thousands of words, many of which may have several meanings. I naturally assumed that everyone knew, and it was at that point that I introduced them to the ‘breakdown’ of the wordassume— in English.

Inshallah
Telecommunicator training complete. Check! Supervisor training complete. Check! CTO training complete. Check! Communications center ready for occupancy … uh oh. No check.

Like a camel with no legs, construction was dragging slowly across the dunes, and I mean slowly. Although the contractors were still nowhere near completion, the 9-1-1 center was required to be activated,Inshallah!I learned early on that the word “Inshallah” means “if God wants/wishes” and “Mashallah” means “by God’s will.” So, Inshallah we will activate the Kingdom’s first 9-1-1 center on time.

With three Cisco phones, maps taped to every wall, window and even door surface, and two Bravo push-to-talk radios, KAUST 9-1-1 was live. An office with windows overlooking the university’s construction in the distance was the home of the temporary communications center. Pen and paper substituted for the CAD (remember those days), and run cards were “time stamped” using the clock on the phone. Ironically, as I told our Arabic partners “this is how I started, too.”

Perhaps this cut-over wasn’t what I had envisioned. No sophisticated mapping software. No state-of-the-art CAD. Nonetheless, this was a true testament that the root of a good 9-1-1 system isn’t dependent on technology; it’s dependent on the training, desire and dedication of those who do the job — Inshallah!

Since the inception of the 9-1-1 system, we had anticipated the majority of calls to be received would be via mobile phones. As I mentioned early on, training involved knowing the geography. Without such knowledge, finding one person in the 15-square-mile campus would be like searching for a flea on a camel’s back. During the first week of service, a 9-1-1 call was received regarding a construction worker who “fell into a deep hole” and was reported to have “half his body crushed.” The caller spoke in broken English and knew no Arabic.

“What is your location on campus?,” the telecommunicator asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know.” was the reply he received from the construction supervisor.

Then the training kicked in. The telecommunicator questioned, “Look around and tell me what you see.”

“I see the water all around,” the supervisor replied.

“How deep is the hole the worker fell in?” the telecommunicator then asked.

The construction worker stated that the hole was around five meters deep (about 20 feet). That’s all it took. As the first telecommunicator began providing EMD instructions to the construction supervisor, the second telecommunicator notified KAUST Fire/EMS on the radio and advised the location as being “in the Harbor District at the construction for the lighthouse foundation.” Within minutes, the patient was located, extricated and in the ambulance. Mashallah!

Can’t We All Just Get Along?
It became quite apparent early on that the Security Command & Control 9-1-1 Communications Department (official title) was being groomed for a much higher purpose. Being a veteran in communications, I believe that training also involves the teaching, understanding and controlling of a multitude of personal ethical and moral standards that we have inside of us as humans. Of all of these traits, the most important is humility. No one human is “better” than another. We are respectful and confident, not arrogant and cocky. We may help save a life with the words that we use on the phone, but at the end of our shift we clean our own workstations and take out our own garbage. We greet everyone regardless of class, job or position with a smile and a positive salutation. We don’t litter. We live by the motto, “Always remember who you are and who you work for.”

KAUST 9-1-1 Communications soon became the appointed lead agency to organize meetings and determine and provide additional training as needed. Frequent meetings among all of the public safety agencies were necessary to ensure positive working cooperation. At first, the meetings were held weekly, then later biweekly after policies and procedures were chiseled in stone. Keep in mind that the composition of the agencies’ personnel was truly diverse in a multi-cultural sense. To join into a meeting was equivalent to entering the United Nations (UN). There were more accents spoken than can be heard at an international film festival. The fire department was home to individuals from South Africa, the United Kingdom (UK) and the Philippines, while the medical group had a combination of Arabic, Filipino and Asian staff. It was only the security department, as well as 9-1-1 Communications, that were composed solely of bilingual Saudi nationals. Soon KAUST 9-1-1 became the one-point-source for collection and dissemination of all data, both sensitive and general. Hmm … the communications center as the center of communications. Additional phones were installed within the temporary comm center to facilitate direct point-to-point communications from KAUST Fire, EMS, the International Medical Trauma Center, Security, Coast Guard and the Saudi National Guard.

It Is Black!
Even though KAUST had not yet begun academic classes, 9-1-1 calls were rolling in from the 1,000+ university workers and, more so, from the 60,000+ expatriate contractors who were working 24 hours around the clock to complete construction. During the first three months, over 1,600 9-1-1 calls were answered, processed and dispatched from the Kingdom’s first westernized center.

As the “job” side of what we do progressed nicely, it was now time to drill supervisory oil. In lesser terms, refine that which is crude. For those few in public safety who are “fortunate” (tongue-in-cheek remark) to be ranked among supervisory staff, you can attest that supervisor training (if you were lucky to receive any) taps only the surface of a mighty deep well. As I worked side by side each line supervisor, I took note of their strengths and weaknesses and provided healthy guidance. I found that one particular supervisor, Faifi, required mitigation in assertiveness. I explained to Faifi that a manager should be definite and direct. If you want something accomplished, say it. If you are asked a question, answer it. Be direct. There’s no room to “beat around the cactus.”

Faifi then asked me to provide an example. I asked him, “How do you answer a 9-1-1 call?”

He responded, “Well, it depends on what is occurring when the call is answered. You see if I answer a call and there is …”

“Wait! No! Faifi, be direct: ‘9-1-1, what is your emergency?’ should have been your answer.” I responded.

“Oh, I see, Mr. Mark. Ask me another,” he said with confidence.

I then pointed to a book and said, “What color is that?”

He looked at the book for a moment and responded, “Well, there are two different colors of blue, and black, and some red letters ….”

As Faifi rambled on, another supervisor entered the room. I looked over to the other supervisor and asked, “What color is this book?”

Without hesitation, he responded, “It is black.” With that, the lesson was learned.

As supervisors, there are times when we are mentors, and times when we are managers. We may teach to use discretion; however, when giving direction we must be to the point. There is no such thing as an excuse, only a valid reason.

Ra-Ra-Ra, Ra-Ramadan
Every country around the world celebrates its own unique holidays, some in very unique ways. In America, we celebrate our independence as a nation on July 4 each year by watching displays of fireworks and saying “oooh” and “aah.” We also show our appreciation for what we have as a country and as individuals on Thanksgiving Day by gathering with our families and friends and eating great food till our buttons pop.

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the most notable celebration occurs during the season of Ramadan. Ramadan lasts roughly for about a month, usually from August to September. It is a time of cleansing the mind, body and soul, kind of like the anti-mardi gras. It is a time to remember and pay homage to those who are poor, those who are hungry, and those who are, well, just without.

How is it done? How did it affect your worldly APCO trainer? Urgh! Well, during Ramadan all Muslims fast from before the light of the sun rises to after it disappears from the Arabic sky. Fasting means no food, no drink, no music (other than religious), no (uh-hem) sex and no bad words (which is quite difficult considering the other no’s). During this time, the average Muslim’s work day is reduced from eight hours to five or six hours, unless of course you are a 9-1-1 telecommunicator. Before you ask, yes I did participate 100%. Day shift was the most difficult, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We maintained three telecommunicators per shift minimum. Numerous EMD calls were received due to dehydration and low blood sugar, and the 115 degree desert sun had other affects on the university’s construction workers. The fasting increased tempers, causing a few fights and disturbances. After the sun set each day, we sat on the floor of the comm center in traditional Arabic style, ate dates, broke bread and celebrated.

“Oh, how boring,” you may be thinking. But really it was kind of neat. Because everyone was fasting (uh, suffering), everyone was going through the same experience and showed a much higher level of respect and kindness toward one another. Ah!

And the silver lining is that at the end of Ramadan are the Eid Holidays. Four days of party in the streets, gifts for the children, visiting family and friends, music all day and night, and food … delicious, exotic (to me at least) foooood.

It’s Good to Be Da King
The inauguration of the KAUST was scheduled for late September. Actually, it was scheduled to coincide with the first day of Eid. Days before the event, the Saudi Royal Guard and Saudi National Guard began sweeping the miles of roadway between Jeddah and Thuwal and every building on campus for incendiary devices. Each day leading up to the event saw more and more military uniforms, military vehicles and military checkpoints and, of course, really big military guns. You see, in attendance at the inaugural ceremony would be representatives of over 64 countries and 20 universities from around the world. And most importantly, King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud himself.

On the day of the big event, a temporary communications facility was established near the 2 million square meter inaugural tent. 9-1-1 CTO Faisal Al-Khonaifer was chosen to coordinate all military communications with emergency service communications. Ministry of Interior, Saudi Intelligence, Saudi National Guard, Saudi Coast Guard, Thuwal, Rabigh and Jeddah Police Departments and Saudi Special Forces were only a few of the agencies on site and providing communications representation. It was CTO Khonaifer’s duty to ensure cross communications and, more so, communications with KAUST emergency services among and between the 20+ agencies located within the high-tech observation and surveillance tent.

As morning slipped into afternoon, even more Saudi military forces were seen throughout campus, and the sound of helicopters in the air was a definite reminder that a spectacular event was preparing to take place. However, within the confines of the comm center, life proceeded as normal. From an emergency medical call that required EMD assistance to the dispatching of responders to alarms emitting from occupied villas, the duties of KAUST’s APCO-trained-and-certified 9-1-1 telecommunicators proceeded with perfection.

During the event, telecommunicator supervisor Faifi proved his skills with quick and decisive (“it is black”) decision making. Telecommunicator Zahrani paged out KAUST’s Fire/EMS to yet another call for service all the while monitoring radio traffic for current and relevant information from within the combined remote event communications tent.

As the evening progressed, radio traffic increased with the onset of a string of royal motorcades traversing through campus on secure routes and alternate routes, each reaching their destination at the inaugural tent at a specific time. For our APCO-trained, APCO-educated 9-1-1 professionals, the evening progressed with caution led by confidence. In the end, King Abdullah’s evening of grandeur flowed with absolute perfection as he welcomed, entertained and educated his honored and royal guests with respectable obliviousness of the nameless, faceless dedicated people who made it all happen.

Real Souvenirs
Upon leaving the Kingdom I was given tokens of appreciation, good-bye gifts, from each of my students as things to remember them by — although I did not need or want anything because I will never forget each of my students, my friends, my new brothers from afar. You see, what began as an adventure in APCO training ended up as a truly life-changing experience. To those friends who let me into their culture, their life and who are now members of APCO International, thank you.

• To Faisal Al-Khonaifer (Faisal), thank you for being a good father, leader and teacher.
• To Mohammad Faifi (Faifi), thank you for being a great friend, a wonderful roommate, a confidant, for introducing me to the Universe Café, Jarar Bookstore, numerous other places and for our hours upon hours of conversation.
• To Mohammad Al-Qahtany (KTany), thank you for your entertaining perspective on Arabic/Canadian/American life and for teaching me to be a better chess player by watching you beat me a lot.
• To Faisal Amoudi (Amooodi), thank you for being a great friend, for teaching me how to bargain in the shops, for introducing me to your wonderful friends who we celebrated Ramadan with.
• To Mohammad Anwar (Anwar), thank you for teaching me about Islam and Medina and answering the many questions that I had.
• To Kheder Zahrani (JZ), thank you for reminding me that youth is in the mind and to always set your goals farther than your reach.
• To Emad Bakr (Emad), thank you for teaching me to smile every moment of every day.
• And to everyone else, Abdullah, Ahmed Ghamdi (G), Ahmed Ghamdi (PG), Sarah Z, and of course Adel Wuhaib for giving me the opportunity to be part of your life, part of your culture and part of your hearts. Salam.

To my friends that I met from America:

• To Curtis Blake from Nevada, thank you for saving me from the scary bus rides in the morning with your scary SUV driving, and for being a great and trusted friend.
• To Pedro & Patricia Munoz from Baton Rouge Louisiana, thank you both for taking in stray expatriates, and for being loyal purple and gold fans: Go LSU!
• To Jim Wagner from Michigan, thanks for being so much like me minus my occasional potty mouth. I wish we had met early on in our adventure.
• To Gale and Maya, Mick and all of the others, thank you for our memorable Fuddrucker nights and of course all of the hugs this Southern boy needed.

Dear Mark

I arrived back in the USA in late October 2009. Much to my surprise, my wonderful staff and beautiful family shocked me with a welcome home party that I will never forget. Not long after, I received an e-mail from Faisal which read as follows:

To my brother and my friend Mark,

It has been nearly 2 weeks since you leave the kingdom, first I would like to say thank God that you arrive safely to your wife, your family and your home. In fact, I am not familiar to write such messages, you know me well. However, I have to mention some of the qualities, facts and the lessons learned from you while you were with me and because we live at the same place a brief period.

I have learned from you the meaning of religious tolerance when you talk about faith.

I have learned from you the meaning of honesty in dealing with others, when I saw you interact between the various people from the janitors to senior officials.

I have learned the meaning of your faithfulness in the work when I see you day and night working hard and faithfully for the implementation of your mission before returning to back home.

I have learned the meaning of your loyalty to your marriage when you talk about your love to your wife.

I have learned from you the responsible of the father when I was watching and hearing your chats online with your children and how you talk about them and their happiness.

I have learned from you how all religions are based on honesty and good of the people in different cultures.

I have learned from you how to be a role model in my life and reach a high levels and achievements.

I have learned how you’ve worked hard to provide all the amenities for staff.

I have learned from you how I to arrange my words and my write letters to the administration.

I have learned from you that for as long as I dreamed of since childhood, I always imagined myself to be a trainer to a group of students and after meeting you I got all the self confidence, now it becomes beautiful and one of the most important daily tasks.

I have learned from you to respect other religions and customs, when I saw you in Ramadan fast and read the Quraán.

When I read these words it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you APCO International and APCO Institute for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Thank you Ms Julie Troutman, who believed in me and thought that I was “perfect for this assignment.” Thank all of the wonderful APCO staff who sent care packages filled with excellent goodies. And, thank all of you in our APCO family for your faith and support.

Wa Allahiekum Salam (and Peace Be Upon You)!

Mark Boudreaux is the executive director of the Terrebonne Parish 9-1-1 Office in Houma, La., and an APCO Adjunct Instructor.