Now is the time to submit your ideas for APCO 2017. Presentation proposals must address topics relevant to one of these professional development tracks:

•     Frontline Telecommunicator
•     Leadership Development
•     Communication Center Management
•     Emergency Preparedness, Response & Situational Awareness
•     Radio Technologies, LMR & Spectrum Management
•     Cutting Edge & Hot Topics
•     NG9-1-1 & Emerging Technologies
•     Social Media in the PSAP
•     Industry Products & Tools

New deadline this year! Submit your proposals by December 19.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017 | 2 - 3 p.m. ET
This webinar will include an overview of, and recommendations for, identifying and preparing for issues related to the aging of personnel in our comm centers. The webinar includes results from an online survey of telecommunicators from around the country regarding aging in the PSAP, as well as information garnered from a targeted follow-up survey. Learn what issues were identified and what recommendations are being made to ensure all telecommunicators have the means to continue to perform at a job where they are valuable assets. This presentation is appropriate for all telecommunicators. Live Q & A to follow presentation. Participation in this webinar is worth 1 CEU. Sign up now.

If you are certified to teach the PST1 7^th Edition course and have 6^th Edition student manuals that you would like to exchange for 7^th Edition manuals, you have until December 31, 2016 to exchange them for the reduced price of $20 each, plus shipping and handling. Beginning January 1, 2017, all 7^th Edition manuals will be available for the regular price of $79 each for APCO members and $89 each for non-members, not including shipping and handling. You can find book exchange forms and additional information in the PST1, 7^th Edition, Instructor PSConnect Community. Still certified to teach the 6^th Edition? Take the free online upgrade course to become certified to teach the 7^th Edition.

APCO’s newest course can help you develop the skills necessary to be an effective classroom instructor, anywhere, on any topic. The class, "Instructor Techniques," will begin online February 22, 2017. The instructional skills learned in this course can be applied to any training topic or situation. The course uses the same curriculum as the APCO-Certified Agency Instructor Course, which certifies individuals to teach APCO courses within their agencies, but this course applies those principles for the teaching of any course. For more information

Michael Scales has been the APCO AFC Local Frequency Advisor for the State of New Mexico since 2010. He is currently employed by Sandoval County as the Communications Administrator/COML. Michael is a New Mexico Certified Emergency Manager (NMCEM) and Communications Team Leader (COML). He is responsible for the maintenance of the county radio system.

APCO International has submitted reply comments in response to the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the proceeding Procedures for Commission Review of State Opt-Out Requests from the FirstNet Radio Access Network. APCO continues to support the positions described in its initial comments, filed October 21, 2016, cautioning that opting out is a false choice and a risk for nationwide interoperability.

Inside Halton Steve Van Dyk received the Trainer of the Year award from APCO Canada at its annual conference in Banff, Alberta, held November 7-10.

Abilene-RC.com Becky Walsh worked as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for Dickinson County Communications (Kansas) about 10 years before suffering four brain aneurysms and a seizure that ended her career. In October, Becky was one of 20 public safety personnel nationwide to receive a $20,000 award from OnStar.

Daily Astorian Seaside's Dispatch Center (Oregon) received a critical incident award from their peers during the annual APCO/NENA conference of public safety communications at the Sunriver Resort in Bend in October.

KRISTV "9-1-1, what is your emergency?" Those words are repeated by 9-1-1 call takers more than a 100 times a day and more than 60,000 times a month at the Corpus Christi, Texas Police Department MetroCom in an effort to help those in need.

Lincoln Journal Star Lincoln, Nebraska, has begun using its new automated 9-1-1 radio system full time, easing the load and stress on very busy dispatchers and allowing the city to send out more than one call at a time, according to Lincoln Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Eric Jones.