March 20, APCO, NENA, the National Association of State 911 Administrators, and the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies joined together to urge congressional leadership to include funding for 9-1-1 systems as part of a broader funding package being negotiated in Congress. The letter, sent to Republican and Democratic leadership in the Senate and House of Representatives, notes that "9-1-1 centers must have the financial, operational, and technical resources to enable responders in the field to receive data such as photos and videos from the public that have been properly triaged and analyzed by 9-1-1 professionals. With a significant federal grant program, Congress can ensure that our nation’s leadership in broadband technology includes the world’s most advanced emergency communications networks." Read the letter

With only a little over a week left until the deadline, now is the time to submit your applications for the 2018 CAC & Silent Key Scholarship program. The deadline for submitting applications is midnight ET, March 31. For more information

The Washington, DC, area is beautiful in the spring! Find out for yourself when you attend the Broadband Summit and Leader's Dinner in Arlington, VA, in May.

The Public Safety Broadband Summit, being held May 1-2, is the premier opportunity to discuss the latest technology advancements impacting public safety communications networks. See the program.

At the Public Safety Communications Leadership in Policy Awards Dinner, being held the evening of May 1, APCO recognizes individuals who have been tireless, continuing advocates for public safety communications. See the winners and register.

Getting involved in the APCO's standards development process is an excellent way to take your professional game to the next level and contribute to producing standards for public safety communications. It may seem intimidating but it is not. And you will meet people from across the country who share common interests and goals in public safety communications. You do not need to be an expert to participate, you just need to be willing to contribute and use your skills to accomplish a common goal.

APCO is currently seeking members for the following writing groups:

• Key Performance Indicators for Public Safety Communications Personnel
• Wireless 9-1-1 Deployment & Management Effective Practices
• Public Safety Communications Common Incident Types for Data Exchange

Learn more and sign up.

The significant challenges facing the public safety communications industry today and tomorrow demand a new type of leadership. As an APCO Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) you’ll be prepared to move our industry forward. Applications are being accepted for sessions that begin July 4, 2018, and January 2, 2019. Seats are limited, so don’t wait to apply. For more information

Debbie Smith began her career in EMS as one of the first few female paramedics in Volusia County, Fla., in late 1980. She continued to blaze the trail for her gender by moving up in ranks, then finishing her 35- year career as the Assistant Director of Communications. Debbie is an avid APCO EMD fan and loves to share her passion with fellow telecommunicators to become the best they can be!

Debbie is married to Mitch with 3 children, 4 grandchildren, 4 dogs, 3 cats and a bird. She continues to serve her community with her sign language agency.

APCO International received final approval from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on March 20, 2018, for a reaffirmed American National Standard (ANS) that identifies a standardized incident disposition code list which enables agencies to exchange vital incident information.

APCO in is seeking comments on two candidate American National Standards:

Candidate ANS 1.115.1-201X Core Competencies, Operational Factors and Training for Next Generation Technologies in Public Safety Communications addresses core competencies, operational factors and training requirements for public safety telecommunicators specific to Next Generation Technologies. Review and comment on this standard.

Candidate ANS 3.108.2-201X Core Competencies and Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications Instructor identifies core competencies and minimum training requirements for public safety communications instructors. Review and comment on this standard

Urgent Communications Four key 9-1-1 oriented organizations asked Congress to fund grants for upgrading emergency networks in $1.3 trillion federal spending legislation.

Willmore Frederick, Jr. "Bill" Holbrow, 77, passed away March 4. An APCO commercial member, he worked as an independent telecommunications consultant.

U.S. News & World Report CPR, childbirth instructions and other emergencies are all in a day’s work for telecommunicators in this comm center that receives about 1,000 calls daily.

Hawaii News The system, designed to be used when a caller is unable to speak on a phone call, has been used about 25 times per month since launching two years ago.

Wisconsin Public Radio The state is moving toward text messages, videos and an IP network to better pinpoint callers and receive more data.

NICE Introduces Cloud-Ready Text-to-911 Recording Solution for AGENT511 TEXTBLUE Platform