This isn’t just training.

It’s Transformation and its starts with being First Call Ready.

First Call Ready is a professional development and mentorship platform created to support growth within the 911 profession.

It provides training, leadership development, and real-world guidance designed to strengthen confidence, communication, and performance in a demanding and ever-evolving field.

Through mentorship programs, educational content, and the First Call Ready Podcast, the mission is to elevate the culture of emergency communications by offering:

  • Practical tools for personal and professional growth

  • Support navigating the challenges unique to 911

  • Modern insight into leadership, teamwork, and mindset

  • Resources that help individuals advance in their careers and show up at their best

First Call Ready exists to empower those who serve in 911, helping them grow, lead, and thrive throughout their careers.

Ashley Valenzuela

Director of Marketing & Impact

I’ve been in 911 communications since 2018 and hold both an undergraduate and graduate degree in administration of justice, recently moving into a supervisor role. Along the way, I started The Raspy Dispatcher, which began as a YouTube channel and grew into an LLC focused on sharing practical, real-world insight about the dispatch world.

Stepping into this new venture, I knew I couldn’t do it alone. First Call Ready was built with an incredible support team, taking everything I’ve learned and turning it into resources for aspiring dispatchers, support for those already in the field, and clearer guidance on a job that can be hard to navigate from the outside.

Our goal is simple: make this profession more accessible, better supported, and a lot less confusing for the people who want to be part of it.

MEGAN WILSKE

Director of Engagement & Development 

With more than 26 years in law enforcement, I’ve served in roles ranging from Dispatcher, CTO, Tactical Dispatcher, Explorer Advisor, and Instructor, to supervisor, manager and executive leadership. Each assignment offered new opportunities to grow, serve, and contribute to the teams and communities I care deeply about.

Having navigated countless critical incidents and trauma-filled calls, I’ve learned that resiliency isn’t optional, it’s essential. That belief fueled my commitment to coaching, mentoring, and leading with empathy. As I transitioned into management, it became clear that the 9-1-1 industry needs stronger development, support, and training at every level. That purpose-driven work ultimately led me to the incredible team at First Call Ready.

Today, as part of Executive Management, I’ve expanded my expertise beyond 9-1-1 operations into police records, Real Time Information Centers, and Property and Evidence. Providing the dispatcher perspective to all department operations has been one of the greatest honors of my career. Having a seat at the table to collaborate, influence, and elevate the role of professional staff continues to be the most rewarding work I’ve undertaken.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, am an Emergency Number Professional (ENP), and completed NENA’s Center Management Certificate Program (CMCP). I also hold California POST Instructor, Dispatch Supervisor, Records Supervisor, and Police Manager certificates, and have facilitated numerous conference presentations on promotional preparation and PSAP leadership.

Whether you’re considering a career in 9-1-1 or have spent months, years, or decades behind the headset, remember: you set the tone every day. Take care of yourself and your team—your impact reaches farther than you know. Keep shining!

DOMINIQUE MATHIS

 Director of Leadership Development & Innovation

Over the past 21 years, I’ve served in various roles within public safety

telecommunications, including call taker, dispatcher, supervisor, instructor, mentor, leader, and now consultant and trainer. Each seat I occupied revealed something profound about strength, humanity, and the unseen burdens carried by the people who answer the call. My lived experiences, both personal and professional, fueled my determination to break cycles, challenge norms, and champion the individuals whose voices steady the world in its most fragile moments.

In 2018, I was honored as the Florida Sheriffs Association Dispatcher of the Year. That moment remains one of the most meaningful in my career, not simply because of the award itself, but because it represented the heart and dedication of every telecommunicator who has ever sat behind the headset and given everything they had to someone they would never meet.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Student Education from Miami Dade College and a Master of Science in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from Florida International University. I am currently pursuing my Doctorate in Instructional and Performance Technology, where my work focuses on strengthening performance, engagement, and support systems across mission-critical professions, such as ours. This academic path has deepened my

commitment to developing training and leadership approaches that genuinely uplift and equip frontline staff.

My passion has always centered on people, their well-being, confidence, growth, and stories. Telecommunicators are the true first responders, the steady heartbeat of public safety, and they deserve support that reflects the weight, complexity, and humanity of the role they carry every day.

KAYLA BACON

Director of Wellness & Professional Support

Growing up within the law enforcement community, Kayla Bacon was immersed early in the realities of public safety. With her father serving as a police officer, conversations about service, responsibility, and the human side of emergency response were part of everyday life. That foundation shaped her path long before her career officially began.

While in high school, Kayla served as a Police Explorer, gaining first hand exposure to the operational and emotional demands of public safety. At just 14 years old, during her first time sitting in a 9-1-1 dispatch center, she knew she had found where she belonged. That moment sparked a calling that would define the next chapter of her life.

Kayla went on to serve 11 years as a 9-1-1 dispatcher in both California and Oregon, working across agencies and communities while supporting callers, first responders, and fellow dispatchers through some of their most critical moments. Her experience spans the full spectrum of emergency communications—high-pressure incidents, long-term cumulative stress, and the often unseen weight carried by those behind the console.

Today, Kayla continues to serve the profession beyond the headset. She actively participates on national and state APCO and NENA committees, contributing to conversations that shape the future of 9-1-1. Her work is deeply rooted in a passion for dispatcher wellness and mental health, with a strong focus on sustainability, mindset, and pre-trauma education.

Driven by lived experience and a heart for the profession, Kayla is committed to creating spaces where dispatchers feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow—both personally and professionally. Her mission is simple but powerful: to help ensure that those who answer the call are cared for just as intentionally as those they serve.

Kayla has been married to her husband, Joey, for thirteen years and they have three incredible children together. When Kayla has some spare time she enjoys going to the movies and crafting.

Get in touch.

Interested in partnering with us? Have something amazing to share with the 911 community? Want to connect? This form is your all-in-one way to reach out for any exciting reason. We can’t wait to hear from you!