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ON THE ROAD
by: Wayne Fortin |
I recently visited our TIP of Yuba and
Sutter Counties, CA Affiliate. I was the guest speaker at their
monthly Continuing Education Meeting, and I was honored to
present graduation certificates at their graduation.
Our Yuba and Sutter Counties Affiliate, like our NW
Florida Affiliate is an “all volunteer” affiliate. Although they
serve a large geographic area and respond to many TIP calls,
they don’t have paid staff. Amazing!
One of the aspects of this Affiliate that really impressed
me is that they serve all of the emergency agencies and
hospitals in the area . . . all 35 agencies. That speaks to
excellent reputation that TIP of Yuba and Sutter Counties
enjoys. In fact, one of the speakers at the graduation was
Sheriff Parker, the Sheriff of Sutter County. He described TIP
as “the best” organization in the region.
Throughout the evening, it became clear to me that Lou
Binninger, the TIP Crisis Team Manager, and the TIP volunteers
strive for excellence. They are proud of their reputation for
being “the best.” While I was there, Lou gave a 15-minute
presentation to his volunteers on how to provide emergency
responders with a WOW experience. Here are the 6 ways Lou
suggested on how TIP volunteers can turn a “good” TIP call into
a “WOW” call. A “WOW” call is one which gets the attention of
emergency responders and which they will remember . . .
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. . .
Listen with discernment, i.e., “What is really
going on here”
. . . Look beyond the obvious victims
. . . Give clients written resources which are relevant
to their situation
. . . Leave a business card with important names and
numbers (doctors, coroners . . .)
. . . Be bold. Jump into the situation when others are
reluctant or afraid to do so.
. . . Be on time. When a volunteer is late to a call it
leaves a “bad taste” with emergency responders. |
Lou pointed out these are all “little
things” but taken together they make a big difference.
I am very proud of our TIP of Yuba and Sutter Counties
Affiliate. They are not satisfied with mediocrity or with
providing an “OK” service. They are striving to be the
best they can be for their clients, and to be the best
organization in their area.
Lou Binninger can be contacted at
loubinninger@gmail.com. |
Wayne Fortin, Founder |
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