California Emergency Dispatcher Association

Hey everyone,

Response to our First Annual Cruise has been AMAZING!

I just heard from our travel agent, who says all outside cabins we had reserved are FULL! We only have 8 INSIDE cabins left at an incredibly low rate – once those are gone prices will go up – SIGNIFICANTLY!

If you are even just THINKING about going – send in your information as soon as possible. Once the travel agent has both names/information/deposit your room is secure. Until then – it’s up for grabs!

Don’t be left on the dock! It’s going to be a really great time.

Kurt

GREAT NEWS CRUISERS!!!

We are getting an OVERWHELMING response for our 1st Annual CAL-EDA Cruise. If you are on the FB page as going – please make sure you get your deposit form completed and to our travel agent as soon as possible, as rooms are going fast.

If you have any questions, you can contact me or the Mike Murray, our travel agent. The information and forms are available on the website…www.cal-eda.org.

http://cal-eda.org/events_2011/cruise.html

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

Quite a bit of interest about the First Annual CAL-EDA Cruise to Mexico. And the news just got better for anyone who may have been on the fence. The deposit has been lowered to just $25!!!

That’s right – twenty five bucks saves you a spot on the cruise. You can make payments as you wish – check the website for information or contact our travel agent, Mike Murray, at murraysworldtravel@att.net or check the website for information

See you in Mexico!!!

Kurt

CAL-EDA’ first class for Fire/EMS Dispatchers was a success!! It was beneficial to police dispatchers as well, as it answered some of those ‘how come they do it this way….’ type questions. Keep checking the website for the next class – and more Fire/EMS classes are in the works!

The California Emergency Dispatcher Association (CAL-EDA) has some fun things planned for our members and their families coming up as the weather turns a bit warmer.

June 3, 4, 5, 6 – camping on Pismo Beach. Come join in some great family and friend time on the California coast. We will be camping right on the beach – it is sure to be a great time – but we need you to be there! Cost is just $10 per night and CAL-EDA is having a special dinner on Saturday night.

July 17th – Family Fun Day at Scandia Fun Center in Fairfield. CAL-EDA has secured a great deal for your family and friends, just $40 (which sounds like a lot, but it is for UNLIMITED Mini Golf, Laser Tag, Rock Wall, Lil Indy Racers, and waterbugs) AND also includes ALL YOU CAN EAT Pizza, Salad, Soda and Dessert! The day starts at 11:30 and we hope you can make it – it’s going to be another great day!

September 26th – the First Annual CAL-EDA Wiffle Ball Tournament will be held in Fair Oaks. Cost is just $50 per team (team is 3 to 5 players) and it is a double elimination tournament – which means each team will play at least 2 games. This event is DISPATCHER ONLY – meaning only Dispatchers can play – but everyone is welcome to come out and root on your team. Limited to 10 teams and we already have a couple slots taken.

All of this information is on our website, www.cal-eda.org or send an email to your Regional Rep for further.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. We hope to see you at some of these fun events as the weather starts improving.

Thanks for what you do !

Kurt

Hey everyone!

As we head into another National Dispatcher Week – and a week that positive attention is focused on our profession – it is time to recognize each other, and ourselves, for the amazing things dispatchers do on a daily basis.

California Public Safety Dispatchers are the best trained in the country. While POST requies 24 hours of CPT credit – I have found that most Dispatchers seek out much more training than that each year. With budget cuts and agencies not having the money they once had for training, more and more dispatchers are attending training on their own time, and on their own dime.  A tribute to professionalism. Read the rest of this entry →

As you all know, Dispatcher Week is fast approaching.

We would like to publicize your banquets and/or events on our website. If you would send information about your events to your Regional Director, we will put it out there for everyone in your region to see.

And – as we start to get information on Dispatchers of the Year – we would be honored to post that information on a special page. Please send that information to your Regional Director also.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Thanks,

Kurt

Hello everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that the next CAL-EDA Training Class just got POST CERTIFICATION!

That is right, the class being held on Friday, March 19th at the Santa Cruz Police Department, is POST CERTIFIED for CPT credit, as well as POST PLAN IV reimbursable!

Information about the class:

Dispatcher Cannibalism, or Must We Eat Our Young? is being taught by Joy Willis, the Communications Manager at SHASCOM. Joy is a dynamic, energetic, fun instructor who will make you think!

Friday, March 19th 0800-1700
Santa Cruz Police Department
155 Center Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

The class is $25 for CAL-EDA members, $50 for non-members. This class can be used as your free class if you have that available to you. If you want to attend for FREE – you can join the association today!

Much more information is available on our website, www.cal-eda.org or you can send an email to our Training Director, Priscilla Gomez at pgomez@cal-eda.org.

We have worked very hard with POST at making this happen, and this news is excellent for all Dispatchers!

Thank you very much, I hope to see you in Santa Cruz!

Kurt

Another milestone for the California Emergency Dispatcher Association – we just added our 800th friend on Facebook.

According to POST, this is about 10 percent of the 8,000 Public Safety Dispatchers in California. We hope this number continues to grow, as the word gets out about the new Association, the classes and the events.

CAL-EDA has made some great strides in our few short months of existence. We set a very aggressive timeline to switch from CTDA to CAL-EDA within 8 months, and we met that goal. We held our first class in Los Angeles last week which was well received by everyone who attended. LAPD doesn’t usually open their doors to outside agencies to host a training class there – so we were honored that our first one was at LAPD!

We have our first fun event coming up in a couple of weeks, we are taking a group to see a taping of The Price is Right! Should be a very fun time for everyone.

We have worked with different companies who are willing to offer our membership discounts on goods and services – and we continue to work on adding to that list.

Our next class is Friday, March 19th in Santa Cruz, in our Central Region. The class is ‘Dispatcher Cannabalism – Why We Eat Our Young”. The class is taught by Joy Willis from Shascom – who is a dynamic, energetic instructor and we are lucky she will be helping us out.

Our membership continues to grow, and thanks to those of you who keep spreading the word. We have many more great classes and fun events planned throughout the year and are working on adding others. If you would like to help the Association, please let any board member know.

On behalf of the Executive Board of CAL-EDA, I want to thank you again for your professionalism and dedication to all of those we serve. Dispatchers are truly the first – first responders and set the tone for how an incident will play out. We are lucky in California we have the best trained, empathetic and professional dispatchers anywhere.

Thank you for the service you provide on a daily basis. Whether you know it or not, you affect peoples lives by doing the right thing.

Keep spreading the word – and we hope to see you at a CAL-EDA event soon! Join CAL-EDA today – the only statewide professional Association for Public Safety Dispatchers in the Country!

Kurt
President

On behalf of the California Emergency Dispatcher Association Executive Board – I want to take a minute to say “Thank You” for your sacrifice and service during this holiday season.

I am sure all of us, at one time or another, have had to miss time away from family and friends to work the holidays, or cover shifts so our co-workers could be home with their families. I’m sure you don’t hear it often enough, but thank you for your sacrifice during the holidays.

As we turn the last page on the 2009 calendar, and head into 2010, we are excited about the coming year. CAL-EDA was formed for ALL Public Safety Dispatchers – with many unique classes and fun, exciting events for Dispatchers and their families. But we need your help to make the Association successful. Join today, sign up for a class. Put together a Wiffle Ball Team – some good friendly competition is right around the corner. It’s easy – everything can be accessed from our website, http://www.facebook.com/l/94990;www.cal-eda.org. Join the Association by the end of the year and get a free class of your choice in 2010.

So, from all of us to all of you, we hope you enjoy what is left of this holiday season. Take time out for yourself and those who are important in your life.

As always, thank you for your professionalism, your dedication, and your service to the citizens of California.

I hope to see each of you at one of our events in 2010. It’s going to be an exciting year!

Kurt