With National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW) falling during the COVID-19 outbreak, many agencies have opted to postpone celebrating. But the importance of public safety telecommunicators to our country's health and safety is never more evident than during a crisis, and many cities, counties and states are making sure to recognize them. Read news stories from around the country honoring the work done in emergency communications centers and the people who do it.
Closer to home, APCO President Tracey Hilburn urges you during this challenging time to “be proud of the heart and passion you have for your profession, and hold your heads high knowing that you are the first, first responders. You are the gold line that holds it all together.”
Read the full message
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On April 16, APCO Chief Counsel Jeff Cohen participated in a virtual briefing for congressional staff regarding COVID-19 and 9-1-1. The purpose of the briefing was to help members of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee understand the role and challenges of emergency communications centers during the pandemic. Cohen described issues including: (1) problems facing 9-1-1 professionals prior to the crisis, such as staffing needs, technology limitations, and the stress of emergency communications; (2) the heroic role of 9-1-1 centers during the crisis and measures being taken to ensure ECCs remain in operation; and (3) how Congress can help by including 9-1-1 professionals in coronavirus support legislation, funding NG9-1-1, and passing the 9-1-1 SAVES Act.
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Revolutionizing the Communications Center With Situational Awareness
April 22, 2020 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET
Free for members and worth one CEU
When you look at your dispatch operations, how aware are you of what happens in the field once you deploy first responders? While you may know where vehicles are through AVL and perhaps traffic conditions provided through your CAD solution, nearly all other updates are limited to traditional radio communications. This can often result in delayed or incomplete updates from responding units, which can lead to compromised first responder safety and even the less-than-optimal deployment of exceedingly limited resources. For far too long this has, unfortunately, become accepted as the status quo in today’s communications centers, but with advances in technology, this no longer has to be the case.
Join Donno Cole, veteran dispatcher and public safety systems expert with over 25 years of experience, as he walks through the often overlooked challenges of current CAD systems and how harnessing the signals generated by first responders can drive greater situational awareness, increased officer safety and smart resources deployment. Register now
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While live instructional courses are not an option at this point, we continue to offer virtual options for ongoing training needs to help keep your communications center functioning and well trained. View online training options.
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Channel your creative energy and design our APCO 2020 conference T-shirt. You could earn a complimentary APCO 2020 or APCO 2021 conference registration. Submit your original design by April 23.
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Public safety agencies use the APCO International Agency Training Program Certification as a formal mechanism to ensure their training programs meet APCO American National Standards (ANS). Initial and continuing training for public safety telecommunicators is important as they provide essential services to the public in an expanding and rapidly changing environment.
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WPSD 6
Telecommunicators continue going to work as the nation shuts down in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Ashley Gore, a telecommunicator for Kentucky State Police Post 1, calls the job rewarding but draining.
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21 WFMJ
Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said the information would help protect first responders as they encounter the public during emergency responses.
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Culpeper Star-Exponent
Culpeper County Public Safety Communications Center (Va.) Director William Martin Jr. honored telecommunicators for coming to work during the pandemic and “putting the community first.”
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Fox 21 News
The note makes several false assumptions about her comings-and-goings that actually involve heading to the emergency communications center for her graveyard shift.
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Daily News
With emergency calls soaring in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the city is urged to meet its June deadline for enabling text-to-9-1-1.
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VC Star.
The county is preparing for a possible influx of calls with health screenings of employees, call screening for COVID-19 symptoms, and adjustment of the distance telecommunicators sit from each other inside the emergency communications center.
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Oil City News
The Casper, Wyoming, Police Department recognized telecommunicators during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
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ABC7
ECCs are facing an unprecedented task to manage spread of the virus among employees and keep up with rising demand for emergency response.
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The Bloomingtonian
EMS workers, police, and firefighters made laps around the Central Dispatch Center, to comply with social distancing, but still honor public safety telecommunicators during the annual National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week.
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Lockport Union-Sun & Journal
Telecommunicators may not respond to the scene itself, but they are the first to respond to the people involved and they deserve our thanks.
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The Newtown Bee
Newtown Emergency Communications (Conn.) Director Maureen Will, RPL, CPE, explains the training and subsequent job undertaken by telecommunicators in the emergency communications center.
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