The fight for reclassification of public safety telecommunicators (PSTs) is still underway, and we continue to ask our members and supporters to help PSTs get the recognition and respect they deserve. Every additional 9-1-1 professional who uses our easy portal to explain how they protect and save lives makes a difference. Just click, add an example or two from your experience, and send. The September 20 filing deadline is fast approaching.
Wondering about what’s in it for 9-1-1 professionals? There are a number of benefits to reclassification including:
- Recognizing the life-saving work 9-1-1 professionals do every day
- Professionalizing the industry
- Correcting falsely-held perceptions surrounding PSTs
- Advancing the cause of 9-1-1 in light of increasingly complex threats
- Raising awareness of the need to modernize 9-1-1 networks
Need even more inspiration? How about this very supportive letter from U.S. Representative and former dispatcher Norma Torres and APCO’s related press release. Hesitate no more and file your comment and contact your elected officials right now.
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Barry Sanford is the local frequency advisor for Kentucky. He is currently a project manager with the Kentucky State Police. He also worked for the states analog/digital microwave backbone communications network (Kentucky Emergency Warning System) as a technician/engineer and manager and is currently working with Kentucky’s FirstNet team to provide outreach and education to public safety stakeholders.
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Ready
September is recognized as National Preparedness Month (NPM) which serves as a reminder that we all must take action to prepare, now and throughout the year, for the types of emergencies that could affect us where we live, work, and also where we visit. Due to the success of last year’s theme, "Don’t Wait, Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today," will be returning for this September with a continuing emphasis on preparedness for youth, older adults, and people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.
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DigitalGov
The week before Patriot Day, our nation’s annual remembrance of the 9/11 attacks, first responders share their remembrances and vision for the future of public safety communications in this video series.
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KOTA-TV
They are there for fatal accidents, murders, suicides and many other terrible call – they are 9-1-1 dispatchers.
"I helped give delivery instructions to a woman that was having a baby. And, seven weeks later I gave CPR instructions to the same baby because the baby passed away. That one was like it hit home. I'll never forget it," Nikole Miller, a Pennington County Dispatcher, said.
It's personal stories like these that show what it takes to be a dispatcher.
Continue
#IAM911 was started by Ricardo Martinez II, a 13-year dispatcher and creator of the Within the Trenches podcast. Join APCO’s efforts to reclassify PSTs as a "protective" class at www.apcointl.org/soc.
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Homeland Security Today
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) took another step closer to the implementation of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) with the approval of a budget package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017.
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CBS New York
People in New Jersey will be able to send a text message to reach 9-1-1 emergency services under a new statewide program. New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino and other officials introduced the new technology Wednesday at Rutgers University.
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MPR News
Life as a 9-1-1 operator has its moments: scary moments, tragic moments, boring moments — and even hilarious moments.
Caroline Burau has worked as an emergency dispatcher for several departments, from a single-person call center to a service that dispatched air ambulances. She writes about life on the other end of the line in "Tell Me Exactly What Happened: Dispatches from 911," and she joined MPR News host Tom Weber to talk about it.
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