If you have been considering applying for APCO’s new Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) Program, now is the time to act. The application deadline is this Sunday, May 15, midnight ET.

APCO’s request for telecommunicator’s stories to publish on the NPSTW website yielded more than 50 entries and a wide variety of submissions – intense, amusing, heartbreaking ... and all true. We express our gratitude to all those who participated, as well as those who read, commented and passed along the stories. In addition, the following five entrants were randomly selected to receive Visa gift cards:

Kyle Boeddeker, CENCOM, Kitsap County, WA
Theresa Horn, Prince Georges County Communications, MD
Wesley Hutchens, Forsyth County Emergency Services, 9-1-1 Communications, NC
Ericka Masters, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, FL.
Stephanie Phelan, Shreveport Fire Department Communications, LA

Read all of the stories on npstw.org and look forward to another way to share your stories, coming soon on PSC Online.

The Public Safety Broadband Summit begins on Monday, May 16 with a breakfast at 8:00 a.m. leading into one of the best programs we’ve ever put together. We are fortunate to have three highly-influential leaders to address our audience: Congressman Frank Pallone, the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, and FirstNet CEO Mike Poth. Not to be overshadowed, however, is a slate of excellent presenters that will highlight the exciting changes that broadband technology is bringing to public safety. View the full program here.

 

 

Phoenix Police Communications, Ariz., has met the minimum training standards for the APCO International Agency Training Program Certification and has been awarded certification as of April 25, 2016.

Brazil Business Today Plans for a broadband network exclusively for first responders are progressing, but not fast enough, some say. FirstNet, the public-private partnership running the effort, is collecting proposals now and could take years to stand up the network.

Mission Critical Communications In its second meeting, the Project 25 (P25) Compliance Assessment Program (CAP) advisory panel members outlined next steps for the P25 interoperability program, sometimes disagreeing with vendors over the best way to move forward.

560KPQ The public no longer has scanner access to 9-1-1 police calls in Grant County. The Multi Agency Communications Center (MACC) in Grant County, Wash., has encrypted all its law enforcement frequencies to block people from listening to radio traffic on scanners or through smartphone apps. The agency’s Jackie Jones says the primary reason for the move is to protect police.

EMS World Stark County, Ohio, officials plan to purchase a computer software protocol and training that could turn every emergency dispatcher into an emergency medical dispatcher (EMD).

RCR Wireless News FirstNet is relying on the value of its excess capacity to attract partners that will either bolster their own networks or lease access to others, with the caveat that public safety traffic is prioritized and able to preempt other users on the network in emergency situations.

Marin Independent Journal Supervisor Steve Kinsey expressed concern that, as conceived, the planned "next generation" county public safety communications system could have critical coverage gaps. The board of supervisors received a briefing on progress toward development of the new system from Pat Echols, the county’s principal civil engineer.