APCO International filed comments this week with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expressing strong disapproval of a 9-1-1 vertical location accuracy proposal submitted by CTIA on behalf of the nationwide wireless carriers.

APCO is looking for skilled and passionate members to volunteer for a recently created task force. The Emergency Communications Center Crisis (ECC) Response Task Force is charged with creating a best practices reference guide listing ECC responses to situations that were encountered and impacted ECC operations during and after a prolonged or large scale emergency event. Deadline is October 10, 2018. Sign up now

Network, earn CEUs and meet technology providers in Pittsburgh at APCO's Tech Forum taking place October 31 – November 1. Attendees will hear 9-1-1 center directors from throughout Pennsylvania speak on what they need to achieve the vision of an advanced, broadband-enabled emergency communications solution.

View the website for full session descriptions and speakers.

APCO invites members, industry associates, business professionals and educators to submit a proposal to be considered for a one hour presentation within our professional development program at our Annual Conference & Expo, APCO 2019. Have questions about the process? Check out our FAQs page.

APCO is seeking volunteers who want to participate in the creation of standards and who have backgrounds in training, operations and technical. You do not need to be an expert in the subjects listed or have experience writing standards. The only thing we ask is your time – the writing groups generally meet twice a month for a 60-minute conference call and conduct some work offline.

Writing groups currently open for participation:
Cybersecurity Training for Public Safety Communications
Public Safety Telecommunicator Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) Program
Public Safety Communications Common Incident Types for Data Exchange

Learn more | Sign up
Deadline to sign up is December 31, 2018.

We all know them – the backbiters, naysayers and game players. They’re the people that make your already difficult job even more challenging by behaving in ways that disrupt the workplace.

Learn how to identify and address these behaviors during APCO’s "Bullying and Negativity in the Communications Center" course. Available live or online, the class can help you create a bully-free workplace. For more information

Don’t miss your opportunity to be considered for APCO’s next Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) Program, which begins in January. Applications must be received by October 15. For more information, contact CPE Program Coordinator Timothy Scanlon at (386) 944-2486.

Urgent Communications Parkinson has served as FirstNet Authority’s director of external public affairs and was a U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security staff member when 700 MHz D Block spectrum was reallocated to first responders.

FierceHealthcare After incidents around the country, the U.S. House is considering legislation to combat the deceptive calls.

ARRL The exercise taking place Oct. 6-7 will measure readiness and improve skills for amateur radio volunteers who can test equipment under emergency conditions.

Daytona News-Journal The county expects to spend $13.4 million for a new 800 MHz Motorola radio system network. The county also will extend public safety communications to its schools.

Morton Leifer, 83, of New City, New York, passed away Wednesday in the Bronx. Morty was an APCO local advisor for several years in New York and was named Frequency Advisor of the Year for 2015.

Southern Maryland News Net The Motorola XTS 5000 radios, donated at $5,000 apiece by the county emergency service, are meant to promote faster response by first responders.

Radio Resource Officials explained how local governments can improve repair and recovery after a disaster by improving cooperation with carriers in their region.

Campus Security & Life Safety A reliable communications network lays the foundation to emergency responses in the event of a school emergency.

RCR Wireless News Centralized communication and command was impossible because police and fire within local jurisdictions had chosen different hardware, services, channels and protocols.

Denver officials found that some did not get the text and some did not get the tone or text but they were unable to establish why.

Registration is now open for these APCO Institute courses just added to our training schedule.

Crisis Negotiations, #51169 – Paradise Valley, AZ – 10/29/18
Disaster Operations and the Communications Center, #51170 – Paradise Valley, AZ – 10/30/18
Call Processing Incidents Involving Veterans With PTSD, #51171 – Paradise Valley, AZ – 10/31/18
Law Enforcement Communications 1st Edition, #49121 –Gulfport, MS – 11/5/18 – 11/8/18

See the full schedule of all upcoming live courses.