The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024 was a multi-agency incident during which the swift actions of public safety personnel mitigated the loss of life. Join us May 29-30 at Nexus 2024 for an interactive walk-through of scenarios from real events, such as this one. See what a future Next Generation 9-1-1 response could look like.

Register

We're looking for volunteers to chair the 2025 conference committee! Help plan the APCO 2025 conference in Baltimore, taking place July 27-July 30, 2025. Submit your complete nomination to Patricia Giannini Henry at henryp@apcointl.org — visit PSConnect announcements for more information. The deadline for submission is May 1, 2024.

APCO is looking for experts to join working groups to revise two standards:

• APCO American National Standard (ANS) Emergency Communications Common Disposition Codes for Data Exchange. This revision seeks to provide a list of Common Incident Disposition Codes that could be used when disparate ECCs or authorized agencies are sharing incident information.
• APCO ANS Minimum Operational Standards for the Use of TTY/TDD or Similar Device in the Emergency Communications Center (ECC). This revision seeks to specify minimum operational guidelines for ECCs when providing emergency service access to the deaf, deaf-blind and hard-of-hearing communities using TTY/TDD or similar devices.

The deadline to participate is May 19. Join now.

June 11 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Free for members; $59 for non-members | Worth 1 CDE
Register

The current industry push is for ERCES deployments to support in-building communications for public safety agencies, but this can lead to adverse effects on the radio network if they are not properly deployed. In this webinar, V-COMM will unveil a collection of best practices for testing, designing and deploying ERCES to enhance in-building coverage, but not degrade the LMR network. The presentation highlights the critical need for public safety stakeholders to take definitive actions to safeguard their communication systems and their communities.

Sponsored by V-COMM

Thank you to all who participated in the NPSTW 2024 contest “What is Your ECC’s Movie?”  We loved reading the creative storylines, and we commend the imaginative graphics. 

Winning the 1-35 employee category is Houlton Regional Communications Center for the post Emergencybusters. They will receive breakfast or lunch from sponsor Naylor Association Solutions.

Atlanta 911 won the 36 and over category with The Usual Suspects. They will receive breakfast or lunch from sponsor NGA.

Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to all who participated and who wear the headset. We are honored to recognize you during this week and throughout the year.

This month’s Teammates in Action Awards go to two members of the Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications:

• Raionna Temple: On October 29, 2023, the Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications received a 9-1-1 call of an unknown age male who overdosed. He was not breathing and required CPR. Temple answered this call and provided outstanding customer service. She remained calm, professional and empathetic.

• Mackenzie Bunker: On November 2, 2023, the Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications received a 9-1-1 call from a 74-year-old female advising she was possibly having a heart attack. Bunker did a fantastic job on this incident. She recognized how serious this situation was and remained on the line after the female caller became unresponsive. She provided the responders with all updates and was diligent in her duties to provide the best outcome for the patient as possible.

Please join us in congratulating Telecommunicators Temple and Bunker for their exceptional performance.

There is still time to register for these upcoming May courses at the APCO Institute:

Virtual Courses

• Fundamentals of Tactical Dispatch (16 CDEs) — May 14 - 15
• Communications Center Manager, 1st Edition (24 CDEs) — May 14 - 16
• Emergency Medical Dispatch, 5th Edition (32 CDEs) — May 28 - 31

Online Courses

• Surviving Stress (8 CDEs) — May 8 - 28
• Communications Center Supervisor, 5th Edition (24 CDEs) — May 15 - June 18
• Fire Service Communications, 3rd Edition (32 CDEs) — May 15 - June 25
• Comprehensive Quality (16 CDEs) — May 29 - July 2

In-Person Courses

• Huntsville, AL: Communications Center Manager (24 CDEs) — May 20 - 22  

See the course schedule

Federal Engineering Awarded Contract from The Town of Granby for Dispatch and Radio System Consulting