More than 200 publications have recognized the work of public safety telecommunicators this week in honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week 2018. Read the stories and see how your colleagues are celebrating on npstw.org, then tell us about your celebration or about a memorable time or person in your career. Every story submitted by April 15 will be entered into a random drawing for one of five $20 gift cards.

During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, 9-1-1 professionals received high praise and recognition from senior officials in DC. Long-time advocate for public safety, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, tweeted:

"It's #NationalPublicSafetyTelecommunicatorsWeek. It's a time to honor our #911 operators. They are heroes. But Washington doesn't treat them that way. #OMB classifies them as clerical workers. That's not right. They are #FirstResponders and we owe them the dignity of that title."  View the tweet here

Additionally, Assistant Secretary of Commerce David Redl, who shares oversight of federal 9-1-1 grant programs, authored a blog post thanking "the dedicated professionals who staff the thousands of 911 centers throughout the nation" and serve as "the first of our first responders." Redl added: "Please join me this week in recognizing the men and women who work behind the scenes, often without recognition, to answer our 911 calls, dispatch our first responders, and protect our lives and property." Read the full blog here.

The Public Safety Broadband Summit, being held May 1-2 in Arlington, VA, is the premier opportunity to discuss the latest technology advancements impacting public safety communications networks. Fitting with the event’s focus on APCO’s vision for NG9-1-1 and broadband implications for PSAPs, we are pleased to announce FirstNet CEO Michael Poth will provide the Day 2 Keynote to share an update of FirstNet’s progress to deploy the nationwide public safety broadband network. See the program.

Don’t miss this opportunity to place your ad in the program guide that will be distributed to thousands of attendees. This guide is used onsite and as a resource guide and shared with others back in the office. Reserve your ad space by April 27. For more information

If your agency’s fiscal year ends June 30 and you have training needs to meet before then, we can help. See what online certification and CDE courses are available before June 30.

We also have a wide range of live courses currently scheduled before June 30 at agencies around the country. Find one that works for you – or we’ll schedule one at your agency that meets your specific needs. For more information

Rhonda Harper has been an APCO Adjunct Instructor since 2009. Rhonda holds a Master's Degree in Emergency and Disaster Management from the American Military University and a Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. In 2012, Rhonda accepted a position as an Adjunct Instructor with Jacksonville State University in association with the APCO Virtual College as she was very excited to work with these students. Rhonda began her career in Salem, Oregon, in 2002 working from call taker all the way to her current assignment as Administrator for the 911 Communications Center in Independence, Missouri. Rhonda truly loves being in public safety enjoying training and teaching others about our industry.

Emergency communications providers and operators, who obtain Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) from Global Positioning System (GPS) devices should be aware of the GPS Week Number (WN) rollover events and the possible effect a GPS WN rollover event may have on the reliability of the reported UTC.

This paper, provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Coordinating Center for Communications (NCC) is intended to provide an understanding of the possible effects of the April 6, 2019, GPS Week Number Rollover on Coordinated Universal Time derived from GPS devices. While the event is still a year away, planning considerations should be made sooner rather than later. For more information

The following agencies have met the minimum training standards for APCO's Agency Training Program Certification and have been awarded certification.
Charlottesville/UVA/Ablemarle County Emergency Communications Center
The City of Murphy Communications, TX
Derry Fire Department, NH
Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon
The Lewiston Police Department Communications Center, ID
Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response, NY
Valley Communications Center, WA

10 KWTX A Bell County, Texas, telecommunicator used an ingenious method to elicit the location from a victim who couldn’t speak.

mobilesyrup The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) wants ideas on how to deliver NG9-1-1 services.

Richmond Times-Dispatch "We never know of the screams we may hear when we answer the phone or radio, but we must at all times be ready for them."

Registration is now open for these APCO Institute courses just added to our training schedule.

Active Shooter Incidents for Public Safety Communications, 2^nd Edition, #49861 – Sanford, FL – 8/28/18
Customer Service in Today's Public Safety Communications, #49862 – Sanford, FL – 9/11/18
Communications Training Officer 5^th Edition, #49863 – Sanford, FL – 9/24/18 – 9/26/18
Communications Center Supervisor 4^th Edition, #49864 – Sanford, FL – 10/29/18 – 10/31/18

See the full schedule for all upcoming live courses.

L-com Releases New IP67 Category 5e/6 Dual-Use Waterproof Ethernet Cables

Marion, Iowa, Awards PSAP Planning and Implementation Support Contract to Federal Engineering