Take 60 Seconds for the Effort to Reclassify Public Safety Telecommunicators
As part of APCO’s ongoing efforts to reclassify Public Safety Telecommunicators as "Protective Service Occupations," we are seeking additional information from public safety communications professionals. Thank you in advance for supporting the reclassification effort.
Take action now by completing a very brief survey.

THE SURVEY CLOSES MONDAY, DECEMBER 19.

There is still time left to submit your abstract to be part of APCO 2017, but time is running out. We invite APCO members, industry associates, business professionals and educators to submit a written proposal to be considered for APCO 2017's professional development sessions. Submit your proposal.

If you haven't booked your booth for Denver, now is the time to do so. Rates increase on January 1, 2017. Reserve your booth now or increase your current booth size at the lowest rate. Check out the floor plan.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017 | 2 - 3 p.m. ET
This webinar will include an overview of, and recommendations for, identifying and preparing for issues related to the aging of personnel in our comm centers. The webinar includes results from an online survey of telecommunicators from around the country regarding aging in the PSAP, as well as information garnered from a targeted follow-up survey. Learn what issues were identified and what recommendations are being made to ensure all telecommunicators have the means to continue to perform at a job where they are valuable assets. This presentation is appropriate for all telecommunicators. Live Q & A to follow presentation. Participation in this webinar is worth 1 CEU. Sign up now.

Morton Leifer has been an APCO Local Advisor Frequency Coordinator in New York for four years and was named Frequency Advisor of the Year for 2015. He is co-chair of RPC-8 and a member of the P25 CAP Advisory Panel.

APCO expressed its gratitude to Jessica Rosenworcel for her excellent record of service as an FCC Commissioner. Commissioner Rosenworcel will complete her term at the end of this year.

Officer.com During this season we reflect on the act of giving and receiving. If 9-1-1 dispatchers were to write out a list of those things they would like to find under the Christmas tree, what would they be? Here are a few I believe would be on the list.

CBS DFW Police officers and a dispatcher in White Settlement (Texas) are being honored for their smart, quick thinking, lifesaving actions. Chief J.P. Bevering explained that the dispatcher and four officers did everything right. They worked as a team and saved the life of a woman who had been stabbed and was crying for help.

WCBI Tuesday, the Amory (Miss.) Police Department held a crisis management seminar for local dispatchers. The seminar not only sharpens the dispatchers skills but helps them better handle the stress they undergo.

Gainesville Sun The 9-1-1 telecommunicators at the Combined Communications Center in Gainesville (Fla.) will be the first in the nation to be certified in a program that helps them better respond to people in a mental health crisis and to better cope with their own job stress.

UrgentComm.com FirstNet’s technical staff has established a draft set of network policies that will be followed throughout the United States, whether the radio access network (RAN) is deployed by FirstNet’s nationwide contractor or by opt-out states, FirstNet officials said.

Smoky Mountain News When the wildfires were threatening structures in Swain County (N.C.) a couple of weeks ago, first responders had to knock on more than 200 doors to alert residents that they needed to evacuate. While David Breedlove, Swain County’s emergency management director, said door-to-door is definitely the most effective way to notify people, it’s not always the quickest or safest way when there is an emergency. That’s why he approached the Swain County Commissioners again about installing a reverse 9-1-1 system in the county.