Today, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced proposed revisions to the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC), under which Public Safety Telecommunicators would continue to be inappropriately designated as "Office and Administrative Support Occupations." These preliminary recommendations go against comments from APCO, the public, and the Congressional Next Gen 9-1-1 Caucus Co-Chairs advocating that Public Safety Telecommunicators be categorized as a "Protective Service Occupation." APCO strongly disagrees with this designation and will use every available resource to ensure that this is rectified and Public Safety Telecommunicators receive the recognition they deserve. Stay tuned for guidance on how to voice your support, including instructions and suggested language for interested parties to submit comments to OMB. APCO will provide further information during a webinar on Thursday, July 28, 1:00 p.m. EST. For more information.

Updated Webinar Program: Due to the breaking news above, we have elected to change the content of the webinar.

Reclassifying Public Safety Telecommunicators as "Protective" Occupations
(formerly The Very Latest Developments Impacting Public Safety Communications)
Thursday, July 28, 2016 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET Register now.

In light of the most recent active shooter tragedies, APCO has been working to identify ways to continue to help our colleagues in communication centers learn about, prepare for, and recover from, these incidents.

As part of that effort, the Institute has developed a webinar series featuring communications center staff who have experienced active shooter tragedies in their jurisdictions. During the webinars they will share their experiences – what happened in the PSAP during and after the incidents, and what they have learned from these tragedies.

The first webinar in the series, "Active Shooter Incidents: What the Facts Have Shown Us," is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13. The featured presenter is Matt Shenk, who serves as Supervisor of Lancaster (PA) County-Wide Communications.

In 2006, Lancaster County was the site of the Nickel Mines Amish school shooting, during which a man shot eight young girls, killing five of them, before committing suicide. Shenk will discuss the history of active shooter incidents and present the findings of extensive research that he and his fellow APCO Institute Adjunct Instructors have conducted over the years on the subject.

Seats are limited, so register early.

APCO, along with CSAA, the Central Station Alarm Association, and Nlets is bringing the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) to municipalities around the country. Now used by more than 20 PSAPs and with dozens more in the pipeline, ASAP is surging as PSAPs and alarm companies, including ADT, recognize the value of its winning formula for error reduction, cost containment and faster responses to dispatch.

Thomas Kadunce has been an APCO Local Advisor for six years. He retired from the Air Force after 24 years of service. Thomas now serves as the Operations Manager for the State of Delaware public safety communications system.

EMS World Learn how public safety will benefit from FirstNet’s single, interoperable, nationwide network.

The Delaware Gazette Ohio has opened the state message switch to Nlets to facilitate the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) with the Delaware County Ohio 9-1-1 PSAP being the first to launch the program.

WPTV The IT project manager at Florida’s first ASAP-connected PSAP was featured in a local TV interview about ASAP. "Faster response times, greater likelihood of law enforcement apprehension; everyone wins here," explained Cindy Cevallos when asked about Boca’s recent implementation of ASAP.

WKZO Kalamazoo (Mich.) officials have been innovators and leaders in the ways they provide many governmental services, but when it comes to consolidated dispatch, the county is one of the last in the state of Michigan to get it in place

The Baxley News-Banner A reporter paints a picture of what dispatchers encounter daily.

ABC Columbia Lexington County (S.C.) is weeks away from going live with a new 9-1-1 dispatch system. The new PRO Q-A system will start August 1. It will handle all EMS, fire and law enforcement calls.

Hood County News The Granbury City Council has adopted a resolution that could help keep millions of regional dollars from going to the state and instead allow local elected officials to have control over how the money is spent. The resolution is in support of the creation of the North Central Texas Regional 9-1-1 Emergency Communications District.