The 911 Stars Program

Across the country, thousands of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) are staffed by dedicated operators. These professionals face daily challenges as they fulfill their critical responsibility to assist those in need. The 911 operators have saved countless lives, living by the philosophy of "Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome" as they act swiftly to protect our communities. Unfortunately, their remarkable efforts often go unnoticed, shared only within small circles of coworkers and family. Aside from occasional social media posts or the rare opportunity for operators to be featured in local news, there is no effective platform to highlight their accomplishments. This limitation also prevents camaraderie from developing within the 911 field.

As 911 professionals, we lack a standard system to recognize operators for their actions, and it's puzzling that such a system has not been proposed until now. While we seek recognition as first responders, we haven't established a way to celebrate our accomplishments. In the true spirit of emergency communications, this is a problem that needs to be addressed. Organizations like APCO and NENA have honored 911 telecommunicators, but that recognition often stops there. Private companies, such as RAVE and RapidSOS, also acknowledge the hard work and dedication of telecommunicators, but their efforts are limited as well. As 911 professionals, we truly need more camaraderie. After researching how the military honors its members, I realized there's no reason we can't implement similar practices among the thousands of telecommunicators across the country. We share a bond akin to those united by combat, experiencing situations that many outside our industry cannot understand. However, we currently lack a method to articulate and share our experiences beyond the confines of our workplace.

I developed this program based on two key principles: 1) it should be a tool usable by any Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), regardless of its size, scope, or mission; and 2) it must be provided for free, as budgets are often tight and dispatch services tend to be an afterthought. My goal was to create a resource that fosters camaraderie within the 911 industry, something that can be shared between a 30-year veteran of New York City 911 and a recent newly hired operator working at Marshall County 911 in South Dakota. 

While reviewing the syllabus for my RPL class, I identified the final project as a significant task. The project must "benefit the public safety communications industry and/or APCO at the state, regional, or national level." This is when inspiration struck me. I noticed that PSAPs and call centers are enhancing their social media presence by recognizing their personnel. However, what intrigued me the most was that they are doing this without a clear structure or network to consult when they have questions. Since such a resource is currently unavailable, I aim to develop one that everyone can utilize for years to come.

The 911 Stars Program aims to establish a standardized awards and recognition system for 911 professionals. Although agencies have traditionally acknowledged their personnel in their own ways, PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) and centers need to adopt a unified curriculum to create industry standards. Currently, there is no single program that allows 911 professionals to share their achievements with others beyond their home agency. As 911 professionals, we need to foster greater camaraderie and a sense of community, similar to what exists in law enforcement and firefighting. Across the country, thousands of PSAPs are staffed with dedicated operators who face immense pressure daily as they strive to help those in need. These professionals have saved countless lives, often embracing the philosophy of "Improvise, Adapt & Overcome" to act swiftly in critical situations. Unfortunately, the reality for many of these operators is that their efforts often go unrecognized or are only known within a small circle of coworkers and family. Aside from occasional social media posts or the rare instance of being featured in local news, there is currently no effective platform for sharing these operators' accomplishments. This limitation also hinders camaraderie within the 911 field.

After researching the 911 field, it's clear there's no consistent system to recognize operators' vital actions. This is where 911 STARs can make a difference, providing the recognition needed. Agencies should be proud to achieve accreditation or join elite programs like ACE or Project 33, yet they often overlook operators' contributions, leading to burnout from a lack of recognition. Implementing 911 STARs can help by acknowledging operators through both their agencies and the industry via social media. As we enter a transformative era in telecommunications and emergency call-taking, many 911 professionals want to transition from clerical roles to being recognized as true first responders. For too long, they have seen firefighters and police officers receive numerous accolades while being left with little more than a "thank you."

The 911 Stars Program aims to establish a standardized system for recognizing and rewarding 911 professionals. While agencies have always been responsible for acknowledging their staff in their own ways, Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and centers must adopt this curriculum to establish industry-wide standards. Currently, there is no cohesive program that allows 911 professionals to share their achievements with colleagues outside their home agencies. As 911 professionals, we need to foster camaraderie and a sense of brotherhood, similar to what exists in law enforcement and firefighting. Across the country, thousands of PSAPs are staffed by dedicated operators who are pushed to their limits daily as they fulfill their mission to help those in need. These professionals have saved countless lives and adhere to the philosophy of "Improvise, Adapt & Overcome," acting quickly to safeguard the public. Unfortunately, the reality for many operators is that their efforts often go unnoticed or are only acknowledged within a small circle of coworkers and family. Aside from occasional social media posts or rare features on local news, there is currently no effective platform to celebrate these operators' accomplishments. This lack of recognition also hinders camaraderie within the 911 emergency response community.

The solution to the challenges operators face in sharing their accomplishments, the need for a standardized award system among Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), and the goal of fostering camaraderie in the 911 field is the implementation of the 911 STARs program. Once agencies adopt the 911 STARs program, it will lay a foundation for 911 professionals to recognize one another's contributions and raise public awareness of their work. After implementation and adherence to social media guidelines, 911 professionals across the country—and potentially around the world—will be able to share and celebrate their colleagues' achievements. As 911 professionals, we are entering a new era in telecommunications and emergency call-taking. There is also a strong desire among 911 professionals to be reclassified from their current positions as clerical or support staff to be recognized as true first responders. For decades, these dedicated individuals have witnessed fellow first responders, such as firefighters and police officers, receive numerous awards for their actions. At the same time, they themselves were often left with nothing more than a simple "good job" or a thank-you from those involved. Now is the time for action and change. These brave men and women must step out of the shadows and into the spotlight to be recognized as the true first responders they are.

The 911 STARs program aims to promote collaboration among agencies through social media and advocacy. While centers must adopt the curriculum, operators must also encourage participation. This free program seeks to unite operators without creating divides based on funding or socioeconomic status. As 911 professionals, we lack a standard way to recognize our actions and celebrate our accomplishments. We need a system, especially now, as 911 STARs can provide the support we need. I researched how the military honors its ranks and found no reason we can't do the same among telecommunicators. We share unique experiences that few can understand, but we lack a way to showcase them outside our workplaces.

The 911 Standardized Telecommunicator Award and Recognition (911 STARs) Program is an awards program for centers of any size or mission. It aims to honor Public Safety Telecommunications Operators who go above and beyond their regular duties. The 911 STARs program recognizes and rewards telecommunications operators for commendable acts while on duty.

Nomination for Award Recognition     A. Any staff member can recommend another employee for an award. However, the committee will not accept nominations made by one staff member on behalf of another. When a staff member submits a nomination, they must specify which award they are suggesting. If they do not, the Committee Chairman will return the submission for clarification. B. The committee must review all award submissions quickly and share them among members. Submissions should be sent to the general email address, and the sender should request a read receipt to confirm receipt. C. Each award will come with a certificate, which will be added to the employee's performance record.

Awards Committee    The organization overseeing the 911 and emergency communications operations will create an Awards Committee to review incidents and recommend awards. The committee should include: 1. The chairperson, chosen by the staff, who is of a lower rank than the Director of Communications. 2. The Director of Communications or a ranking official responsible for overseeing 911 operations. 3. The senior Operator at each rank or their chosen representative. Seniority is based on time in the role. All positions on the committee will have term limits. When a member is promoted, leaves the agency, or steps down from their role, a vacancy will be announced and filled immediately by the next ranking member or by a vote of the agency staff. The agency will also create a general email address for award nominations, such as Awards@Dispatch.Gov. The chairman and ranking official will monitor this email.

The Awards Program will consist of the following 21 Awards: 1. Life-Saving: For direct actions in the saving of an individual's life, CPR 2. Medical Assist: For direct actions sustaining life, Childbirth, and severe bleeding control 3. Military Service: Designation for Military Service 4. Valor: To recognize great courage in the face of danger 5. Gallantry: To recognize one's bravery, spirit, or daring 6. Merit: To recognize one's worthiness or excellence 7. Natural Disaster Designation: To recognize ALL members of the center actively working during a Natural Disaster 8. Division Citation: To recognize ALL members of the center for a major event 9. Unit Citation: To recognize a Large group from the center for a major event 10. Squad Citation: To recognize a Small group from the center for a major event 11. Distinguished Service: To recognize an individual from the center for a major event 12. Honorable Service: To recognize an operator(s) for their actions in the line of duty 13. Exceptional Service: To recognize an operator(s) for their actions outside their normal line of duty 14. Good Conduct: Awarded for every 5 (completed) years of service without major discipline 15. Operator of the Year: The Operator voted on by the center as the OP of the Year 16. Ancient Order of the Octopus: To recognize an operator for their efforts to improve morale and encourage a good work environment 17. Individual Achievement: To recognize an operator for actions not meeting the above criteria 18. Civilian Acknowledgment: To recognize an operator on behalf of a private person outside of regular duty 19. Professional Achievement: To recognize an operator for achieving a professional designation such as CPM, CPE, RPL, or PhD 20. Educational Achievement: To recognize an operator for achieving a high educational level, such as BA/BS/BSE or MA/MBA/MLS 21. Instructor: To recognize an operator for achieving the level of instructor, such as CPR/ETC/911

Life-saving For direct actions in the saving of an individual's life This award is designated for operators and their direct actions in saving a person(s) life. These actions must be immediate lifesaving measures, such as providing CPR instructions with a confirmed save or bleeding control (tourniquet)instructions to a person who is alone.

Medical Assist For direct actions sustaining life, Childbirth, Severe Bleeding Control This award is designated for operators and their actions in saving a person(s) life. These actions must be life-saving measures, such as providing childbirth instructions or bleeding control (tourniquet) instructions to a 2nd party caller. If the actions taken by the operator are deemed as life-saving by the issuing authority, refer to the above citation.

Military Service Designation for Military Service This award is designated for operators currently serving or are veterans of the armed forces. A gold star will be placed on the center of the ribbon if the operator is deployed for an extended period while employed at the PSAP.

Valor To recognize great courage in the face of danger This award is designated for operator(s) whose actions in the line of duty stand out due to their boldness or determination in facing great danger. Actions that meet the criteria for an award of this level must be of the highest regard; however, they must not be directly life-saving.

Gallantry To recognize one's bravery, spirit, or daring This award is designated for the operator(s) whose actions in the line of duty stand out due to their dashing courage, heroic bravery, and noble-minded behavior. Actions that meet the criteria for an award of this level must be of high regard, however not directly life-saving or of an extreme nature.

Merit To recognize one's worthiness or excellence This award is designated for operator(s) whose actions in the line of duty stand out due to their quality of being particularly good or worthy, especially as to deserve praise or reward. Acts that meet the criteria for an award of this level must be of high regard, however not directly life-saving or of an extreme nature. (If a life was saved due to the operator's actions, see citations 1 or 2).

Natural Disaster Designation To recognize ALL members of the center actively working during a Natural Disaster This award is designated for the operator(s) and their actions in the line of duty during or in response to a Major Disaster Declaration. These actions are concurrent to any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought), or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude. This citation should be presented as a group's, not an individual's, actions for all operators who actively worked during the disaster. Any individual operator deserving of recognition shall be awarded an individual citation (See 11).

Division Citation To recognize ALL members of the center for a major event This award is designated for operator(s) and their actions in the line of duty during a major incident. This citation will be presented to all organization members to recognize them as an entire department.

Unit Citation To recognize a Large group from the center for a major event This award is designated for operator(s) and their actions in the line of duty during a major incident. This citation will be presented to a large group of operators to recognize them as a team.

Squad Citation To recognize a Small group from the center for a major event This award is designated for operator(s) and their actions in the line of duty during a major incident. This citation will be presented to a small group of operators to recognize them as a team.

Distinguished Service To recognize an Individuate from the center for a major event This award is designated for operator(s) and their actions in the line of duty during a major incident. This citation will be presented to an individual operator to recognize their actions.

Honorable Service To recognize an operator(s) for their actions in the line of duty This award is designated for the operator(s) and their actions in the line of duty during an incident. This citation will be presented to an individual operator to recognize their actions.

Exceptional Service To recognize an operator(s) for their actions outside their normal line of duty This award is designated for operator(s) and their actions outside the line of duty. This citation will be presented to an individual operator to recognize their actions while not at work, such as performing CPR as a layperson.

Good Conduct Awarded for every 5 (completed) years of service without major discipline This award is designated for operators who have served five complete years without significant discipline. This is to be awarded every five years and designated as such. A gold star will be fixed to this ribbon at ten, fifteen, twenty, etc.

Operator of the Year The operator voted on by the center as the OP of the year Fellow operator votes on this award and their direct supervisory staff (non-administrative staff) select an operator of the year. Nominations must be completed before Dec 31st and to be awarded before Feb 1st of the following year.

Ancient Order of the Octopus To recognize an operator for their efforts to improve morale and encourage a good work environment This award is designated for the operator(s) and their actions to promote morale and encourage a good work environment. This is meant to acknowledge substantial actions in this field, such as securing funding such as a scholarship for the organization or completing a project to enhance the well-being of operators. This is intended for moral and not for operational achievements.

Individual Achievement To recognize an operator for actions not meeting the above criteria This award is designated for the operator(s) and their actions that have reached a level of recognition but do not meet any of the above-listed criteria.

Civilian Acknowledgement To recognize an operator on behalf of a private person outside of normal duty This award is designated for the operator(s) and their actions that have reached a level of recognition but do not meet any of the above-listed criteria. This is meant only for the recognition of an operator on behalf of a civilian acknowledgment. It is strongly recommended that the person making the nomination be present in the audience when the award is presented.

Professional Achievement To recognize an operator for achieving a professional designation such as CPM, CPE RPL, or PhD This award is designated for operators with a professional designation such as CPM, CPE RPL, or Ph.D. This acknowledges their hard work and dedication to pursue a professionally based education. This is not intended for operators who have completed CMCP NENA Excellence in Dispatch or courses that are less than six months long and do not require recertification or renewal.

Educational Achievement To recognize an operator for achieving a high educational level such as BA/BS/BSE or MA/MBA/MLS This award is designated for operators with a higher education level. This award is intended for operators who have received a degree higher than an associate degree and completed the coursework after being employed by the center.

Instructor To recognize an operator for achieving the level of instructor such as CPR/ETC/911 This award is designated for operators who have achieved the title of instructor. This is to recognize an operator's level of experience and knowledge and has been recognized by an outside authority as an instructor.

Agency Participation and Costs The initial resource needed for this program is agency participation. Agencies that choose to use the accompanying award ribbons should purchase them from VanGuard, using the recommended ribbon bars, racks, and any related accessories listed in the citations and ribbon section. The certificates provided with the program are PDF files and may be edited as needed. However, it is strongly recommended that agencies make only minor changes, such as adding agency names, titles, dates, and other required information. The cost for each agency to begin using the program is relatively low. It should be viewed as a basic operational expense rather than an optional luxury. In addition to purchasing any physical items needed, participating agencies are required to recognize operators on social media when they receive a 911 STARS award. Each post should include the hashtag #911STARS.

Recognition Travels With You The 911 STARS Program is designed to be affordable and universal. If an operator receives an award from one participating agency and later transfers to another participating agency, that award stays with them as part of their professional record. This allows the operator’s new agency and co-workers to better understand their past experience, accomplishments, and level of service. It also helps show how that operator’s background may benefit the new center.

Pride Builds Professional Camaraderie The goal of the 911 STARS Program is to build pride, camaraderie, and shared recognition among 911 professionals. Operators should be able to proudly display their achievements on their uniforms while also recognizing the accomplishments of others. Similar to military service ribbons, these awards help tell a professional story without needing an explanation. When a 911 professional attends a conference, training class, or meet-and-greet, they should be able to see what others have achieved and understand their experience. Whether an operator is from California, Alabama, or anywhere else, the program creates a common way to recognize dedication, service, and accomplishment across the 911 profession.

Simple Recognition For Everyone Agencies can use the program in the way that works best for them. If a center chooses not to use ribbons, that is okay. If a center chooses to use only certain awards, that is okay. If a center does not want to hold a formal ceremony and instead recognizes staff through social media, that is okay too. The goal is to make recognition easy, flexible, and accessible for everyone. This program is intended for all public safety communications centers, including large PSAPs, small PSAPs, ECCs, 911 dispatch centers, primary and secondary PSAPs, and public safety telecommunication centers. No matter the size, mission, staffing level, or budget, every center can use 911 STARS to recognize the hard work and achievements of their 911 professionals.