This webinar will explore the history of the Standards Development Committee, the process by which standards are created, who should be using them, specific examples of how they have helped agencies overcome challenges, and how you can get involved in the process. This webinar is free for everyone and offers one CEU. Learn more.

And don’t forget to register for our November webinar (also worth one CEU) on the transition from LMR to LTE.

Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, Washington, has received Agency Training Program Certification, a Project 33® Initiative, from APCO. Public safety agencies use the Agency Training Program Certification as a formal mechanism to ensure their training programs meet APCO American National Standards (ANS). 

APCO received final approval from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on October 18, 2019, for two standards: a new American National Standard (ANS) that identifies key performance indicators (KPI) of a communications center and a revision of the existing incident type codes for data exchange standard. 

The consolidated center fields police, fire, ambulance and animal control calls and officials say having all those resources in one place has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency response.

Jefferson County, Georgia, which lost 9-1-1 dispatch and other essential law enforcement services for two days, is just one of several local governments nationwide victimized by cyber sabotage.

Citrus County telecommunicator Phillip Stuart calmed the father and talked him through delivery of the first of twin babies on the living room floor. The second baby was born in the hospital.

The 6,000-square-foot center where first responders can test out NG9-1-1 technologies is in the conceptual design phase and will be located near Boulder, Colorado.

Herald-Star
Hancock County, West Virginia, public safety telecommunicators discuss what it’s like to reassure panicked callers and coordinate first responders in times of need.

Lead Dispatcher Heidi Ferguson brought her 28 years of experience to bear when she guided a woman trapped on the third floor of a burning house to a fire escape.

Using the internet as a data storage hub can reduce the amount of expensive and expensive-to-maintain equipment inside the emergency communications center.

The center lost power and the generator failed, but battery backup kept phone lines and computer systems going as a mobile command unit was activated.

All of county government — from the sheriff’s office to emergency medical services to the schools — now connects over the same channel.

Tina Wiegert retired after 23 years of service in Green Bay. She praised city and county training practices, making it possible to “provide exceptional service on every call.”

The county commission recognized public safety telecommunicator Misty Burke for quickly locating a man who was threatening to commit suicide and directing sheriff’s deputies to him. She also won the Telecommunicator of the Year award at the Oklahoma Public Safety Conference.