Echo of Connections

Welcome Shannon Seulement!  She has 34 years as a police dispatcher and plenty of stories to share. I am thrilled to share my mentor and trainers experiences with all of you. 

14 mins - longevity 

15 min - team environment 

16 min - importance of briefing together and then facing person 

17 min - from teacher to dispatcher in 1989 

19 min - shocking parts of being new dispatcher-  callers with mental health

20 min - Thanksgiving murders 

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Meet Conner O'Leary, the amazing story teller, who shares his journey from the Marines to Police Officer.  He takes us on his journey as he finds his way into police work and eventually becomes a K-9 Handler.  Conner’s first deployment with K-9 Kirby is a heroic tale told with cinematic appeal.  

We hope you enjoy his fabulous storytelling.  Bring on the questions and comments! 

Thanks for listening!

Thanks for Listenin...

Strengthening Your Mental Armor 

Join us as we talk to Stephanie Conn, PhD, author of Increasing Resilience in Police and Emergency Personnel, Strengthening Your Mental Armor, and founder of First Responder Psychology.   Stephanie shares her experiences as a daughter of a police officer, her path as a dispatcher/call-taker, her years as a police officer in Fort Worth, on her way to becoming a clinician and researcher specializing in...

Tina Pardee is a 16 year police dispatcher who wears many more hats. She is a mother of 2 children, who managed single parenting during her kids teen years.  She married a police officer and along the way became an instructor in many areas. 

Tina is the administer of the Perfex Test for the hiring process.  She trains the field training officers on how to work to maintain the State of Oregon’s FTEP standards, as well as a Field Tra...

Tony Biglan, PhD, is a Retired Senior Research Scientist from Oregon Research Institute and President of Values to Action.  https://www.valuestoaction.org/. 

Join Gabe and Dawn as we learn from a leading figure in the development of prevention science, Tony Biglan. He has over thirty years of research to identify effective family, school, and community interventions to prevent the most common and costly problems of childhood an...

Tony Biglan, PhD, is a Retired Senior Research Scientist from Oregon Research Institute and President of Values to Action.  https://www.valuestoaction.org/. 

Join Gabe and Dawn as we learn from a leading figure in the development of prevention science, Tony Biglan. He has over thirty years of research to identify effective family, school, and community interventions to prevent the most common and costly problems of childhood an...

We are thrilled to present Tanner and Mandy Bazer as we talk to them about family life in emergency services.  Listen to the amazing strategies they employ to help each other and their family stay grounded, through shift work, SWAT calls, and FTO training.   Mandy recognizes when Tanner needs his time hunting.  Tanner knows when it is time for Mandy to have a SPA Day.   Here's to staying connected through the trauma of police ...

Heroes at Work

Gabe listens and asks questions as I take him back to 1998, where I was a four year call taker. The Thurston High School shooting was my first big event in law enforcement. Gabe was surprised by the technology and logistical issues, as was I looking back ;).    After the worst call of my four year career, I didn’t know what to expect.  I felt the emotional rollercoaster most of us experience but, I did not understand ...

We welcome Helene Dubov, a Clinical Social Work/Therapist, to Echo of Connections.   She gives us the background on EMDR therapy  basics on how it started and how it works.   Helene gives us an overview of the process and the foundation needed for using EMDR.   

Trauma, what is it?  Helene gives us an easy answer to remember. Helene recommends EMDR for processing trauma in a way that integrates the mind and the body.   We ...

Dawn just got back from training in Florida presented by Labor Relations Information System (LRIS).  Dawn discusses labor laws that protect employees health related issues as taught by Will Aitchison from LRIS.  After hearing LRIS guest speakers share their expierence and knowledge on how to help employees with the stress Dawn a better understanding on what helps us thru  trauma public safety employees deal with on a day to day bas...

Our first very special guest, Tracey Komisar joins us to share her 29 years of working as a dispatcher at 911 and police dispatcher.  She shares her most difficult call of her career, a school shooting,  along with her ability to compartmentalize to make it through big incidents.  Tracey and Dawn explore their recent revelations after Dawn attended training with Dr. Stephanie Conn.  Dawn and Tracey share how Dr. Dr. Conn's boo...

Gabe and Dawn try to talk about their origin story, but get distracted by 2020.  2020 is full of wild fires, protests turning to riots,  siege of our police department, covid shut downs, and moving out after a 27 year marriage.   Lots of big changes overshadowed our origin story to create the mayhem of this episode.   We hope you enjoy!  

Our next episode is coming out June 3rd with our special guest Tracey Komisar!  She s...

Gabe and Dawn Hansen team up to discuss trauma and building resilience in emergency services.  Dawn has worked as a police dispatcher for 28 years.  Gabe was born into a life of crazy shiftwork, stressful work, and being in the center of true crime as it unfolds.  Gabe has observed the effects of trauma on Dawn and as a result on him as well.   We team up to find out why we have survived and how we can help others survive to thrive...