Season 1 Episode 6 Erika Lakey, "Those 911 Girls"

What does it look like to chase excellence in a 911 center without letting the pursuit of perfection get in the way? In this episode, host Lori Henricksen sits down with Erika Lakey—veteran dispatcher, trainer, and co-founder of Those 911 Girls—for a conversation about what it really takes to grow as a 911 professional and build a culture where the whole team is moving forward together.Erika's path into emergency communications wasn't exactly a straight line—advertising, water parks, and a few unexpected turns brought her to a long-term career dispatching in Central Florida. She shares how discovering Lori's high school 911 dispatch program in Las Vegas lit a fire under her to raise the bar in her own agency and push for something better across the state of Florida.The conversation covers a lot of ground. Lori and Erika dig into why curiosity and lifelong learning are non-negotiable for 911 professionals, how understanding the "why" behind policies makes you better at the job, and what it means to become a trainer who shares knowledge generously instead of gatekeeping it. They talk about building depth across a team so the center isn't held hostage when one person walks out the door.They also get real about the obstacles—staffing shortages, tight budgets, limited training funds—and get practical about working around them through scholarships, virtual training, PTO swaps, and cross-agency collaboration. And because the job doesn't stay at the console, Erika speaks candidly about boundaries, mental health, hobbies, and the importance of friendships outside public safety.Erika also introduces Those911Girls.com, a growing resource hub that aggregates free and paid training, scholarships, conferences, and professional development tools for 911 professionals—with plans to expand into state-specific pages. If you know of local opportunities worth adding, she wants to hear from you.At its core, this episode is a reminder that excellence isn't built in a single shift—it's built day by day, through consistent effort, shared knowledge, and a genuine commitment to the people on your team and the communities on the other end of the line.Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/comms-coach-podcast/