The APCO Executive Committee would like to extend to each of you our thoughts and prayers during this trying time. It is astonishing how this pandemic has disrupted the normalcy of life, not just professionally but also personally. Who would have ever imagined we would be faced with such an unprecedented catastrophic event that would bring economic shutdown, social distancing and place our citizens and ourselves in fear for our health and lives. As this virus has quickly inundated the country forcing response actions that we never dreamed of, just know your Executive Committee has been right there on the front line with you.
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Cybersecurity: NG9-1-1 Best Practices & Case Studies
April 15, 2020 | 1:00 p.m. ET
Rob Leonard, Information Security Manager, Hamilton NG911
Uptime and availability are of vital importance to 9-1-1. Understanding the threats and potential hazards targeting a PSAP network is only half the battle. Aligning the technology and infrastructure to support and secure call-handling and Next Generation operational initiatives needs to be considered. But what does that look like?
Hamilton NG911 and APCO International are hosting an in-depth discussion designed to help the emergency service sector better secure their digital operations. Because every second counts, ensuring those seconds are as reliable as possible is vital. Register now
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On April 1, APCO’s Government Relations Office published a new TableTopX blog regarding a recent federal report that estimates the extent of interoperability challenges for 9-1-1. The report shows that while ECCs are generally able to transfer basic voice 9-1-1 calls to neighboring ECCs, they often cannot share other types of communications and data important for emergency response. As explained in the blog, APCO is developing strategies and working with policymakers to pursue every opportunity to ensure that ECCs can seamlessly exchange 9-1-1 calls and related data with other ECCs and on to responders in the field, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries, service provider or other factors.
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APCO is seeking work group members to participate in the revision of the following APCO Standards:
Public Safety Communications Incident Handling Process
The Incident Handling Process standard identifies the steps and decision-making points that should be taken while processing public safety requests for service. This modified standard will also address call handling metrics based on empirical data to further refine and improve the overall process.
Sign up for this working group.
Standard for Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce (TERT) - NEW
The scope of this document includes information to provide guidance and helpful information regarding the development, maintenance and deployment of a Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce (TERT). TERT is the concept of communications-specific mutual aid between ECCs to provide trained ECC personnel during emergency situations. This revision of the standard will assist ECCs and governing 9-1-1 authorities with the information required for developing, training, equipping and deploying a standardized TERT team.
Sign up for this working group.
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Urgent Communications
In a webinar hosted by APCO, ECC directors said new duties such as tracking quarantine and business closure compliance have been foisted on emergency communications centers. Meanwhile, consolidation is suddenly on the table as tax revenue that supports the ECCs dries up.
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The Richmond Standard
Marianne Hill, a public safety telecommunicator with the Richmond Communications Center (California), was honored for her quick thinking in response to a school bus that caught fire on an area bridge.
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The Brunswick News
The Glynn-Brunswick E911 Center (Georgia) was named Georgia’s 9-1-1 Center of the Year. Among the disasters it handled were Hurricane Dorian and an overturned freighter in St. Simons Sound.
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Paso Robles Daily News
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office (California) is encouraging residents to register a Smart911 Safety profile that gives first responders health data about the household for use in case of emergency.
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ButlerRadio.com
If someone in the emergency communications center becomes infected, public safety telecommunicators would go to the backup locations while the ECC is cleaned.
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Deputy Fire Chief Bradford S. Smith, a senior member of APCO International and longstanding member of the Atlantic APCO Chapter, passed away in the early morning on April 1 after waging a short but aggressive battle against cancer. He was 56.
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PoliceOne.com
In a FirstNet sponsored webinar, Todd Early, assistant chief of infrastructure operations at the Texas Department of Public Safety, recommended using applications to communicate and for supply tracking establishing an internal incident coordination center, and having a backup location ready in case of coronavirus exposure inside the emergency communications center.
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Orange County Review
Orange County Fire and EMS (Virginia) is prepared not only to safely transport those affected but also to protect themselves in the process.
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Local10.com
More than a dozen coronavirus cases are reported in Broward County ECCs, while test kits and personal protective equipment are in short supply.
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