Look at the history of changes and development in public safety communications over the last 50 years. The technology and techniques we are currently using will change and evolve again within five years. While there is constant change, the most important element within any organization is the people doing the work.

Mentoring is vital for ensuring that we have educated and engaged people in the workforce for the future. Part of our continuity of operations planning should include being intentional about developing and mentoring others, sharing information, and passing on knowledge as part of the process of effective succession planning.

Teach people to reach out, network with others and provide them with opportunities to share knowledge. Among the many challenges associated with the profession, high turnover rates contribute to loss of knowledge and a more inexperienced workforce.

Loss of our tenured employees means loss of institutional knowledge — these employees have a vast amount of multi-faceted knowledge and must take responsibility for passing on this knowledge base or it will be lost for the future generation of employees. They should “leave a legacy; your knowledge is your legacy.”

Covered by Christine Massengale