More than 100 public safety labor organization leaders gathered in Las Vegas on Thursday for the first day of the inaugural NEP Services training conference, Adapt or Die: Controlling the Narrative to Win the Hearts and Minds of Those We Serve. The two-day advanced communications training allows leaders to take charge of their media, build an audience of supporters, and control the narrative on issues affecting public safety in their community.

As he kicked off the conference at The Mirage Hotel, NEP Services Vice President Mark Treglio told the attendees why they need to control the media narrative about their organizations in order to survive in today's cutthroat media and political environment.

“Why are we all here? We're here because we recognize the need to build power and build authority," Treglio said. "By building power, it's about growing your audience in your jurisdiction. When we're building authority, we're making sure you're the expert on public safety in your community. Communication is going to happen -- you're going to have to have a plan in place. We have to be able to be aggressive."

The first day of training featured a keynote address by Codey Gandy, a former United States Marine now serving as a leadership instructor, strategic advisor, and 1st Responder Training Lead for Echelon Front – a leadership consortium founded by former Navy Seals Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Gandy gave the fire fighters and police officers in attendance an overview of the leadership traits he learned in combat and illustrated how the attendees can use those skills to combat false media narratives about their organizations.

"I just want to show you guys and teach you guys lessons that I've learned from my time in the Marine Corps, and from the Echelon Front perspective, the tools and tactics to control the narrative," Gandy said. "If we wait for others to control our narrative, how's that story going to pan out? Is it the same as ours? Absolutely not."

The exhaustive two-day advanced communications training wraps up Friday, with a full day of interactive seminars with industry leaders covering crisis communications, media relations, and many more topics.