On May 17-18 more than 250 attendees from public safety communications gathered for the first-ever 9-1-1 Staffing Crisis Summit in Herndon, Virginia. Session topics ranged from an overview of the staffing situation in the U.S. to more specific recruitment and retention strategies from ECCs across the country.
Thank you to those who joined us at the 9-1-1 Staffing Crisis Summit and to our event sponsors. We look forward to seeing you at the next Summit, which will take place next year in a different city. Be on the lookout for future announcements and initiatives around this important topic.
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APCO’s Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL) Program is an online training program designed for emergency communications professionals seeking to develop the management and supervisory skills for successful ECC operations. We are now accepting applications for the summer and fall programs.
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On May 12, APCO filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding proposed rules to establish a framework for expanding coverage for cellphones through satellite services. The proposed rules would allow satellite service providers to utilize spectrum currently used by wireless service providers to expand the wireless service provider’s network coverage in areas without wireless service. In comments, APCO stated that increased wireless network coverage could have potential benefits for public safety, but that the new framework should be tested in advance and proven not to cause an increased risk of harmful interference to public safety networks operating in adjacent spectrum bands. APCO encouraged the FCC to ensure consistent 9-1-1 service for the public regardless of whether the call is connected through traditional wireless infrastructure or satellite infrastructure.
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On May 15, APCO filed reply comments with the FCC to address comments made by other parties regarding the FCC’s proposed rules for a new framework for the 4.9 GHz band. In January, the FCC adopted rules that reaffirmed that the 4.9 GHz band’s primary purpose should remain public safety communications and adopted a framework in which a band manager will be selected to coordinate sharing spectrum with non-public safety entities on a secondary basis. In reply comments, APCO offers countervailing views to proposals from others that would limit public safety’s primary use of the band and contradict the new framework the FCC previously adopted.
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May 24 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Free for members; $59 for non-members | Worth 1 CDE
Sponsored by NICE
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Is your 9-1-1 center struggling with staff performance and retention? You’re not alone. Issues like these are putting a strain on 9-1-1 centers everywhere, and there are many contributing factors. A recent benchmark study on the current State of 9-1-1 Staff Performance and Retention pulls back the covers to examine why 9-1-1 telecommunicators are leaving and best practices you can put into practice to close the revolving door to do more with less. Join us for this educational webinar to see how your agency compares to others on critical processes and issues.
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RICHMOND, Virginia – After meeting with friends one evening, Alexis Wilber returned home to encounter an unknown man with a gun on her front porch.
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Atlanta News First
In the first program of its kind in metro Atlanta, all 14 students enrolled passed the 40-hour training course for students interested in public safety communications.
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Fox 8
Officials expect the new technology, which instantly identifies and provides translation for 14 spoken languages, to reduce human error and improve dispatch times.
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Statescoop
The state can use the grants to reimburse counties for training exercises, NG9-1-1 development and emergency communications center operating costs among other expenses.
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The Fayetteville Observer
The emergency communications center maintained rapid 9-1-1 response by using administrative staff to fill in, increasing pay to frontline staff and, finally, encouraging new recruits with sign-on bonuses.
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WGN 9
Pike County public safety telecommunicator Faith Cooper coached the mother’s husband through the delivery in the couple’s car. All Pike County telecommunicators are certified in EMD and CPR.
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Anchorage Daily News
Under the measure, misdemeanor charges could be filed against someone who repeatedly calls 9-1-1 when there isn’t an emergency and against someone who threatens a public safety telecommunicator.
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APCO Life Member Mary Katherine Messamore of Marion, Kansas, passed away May 10 at the age of 75. Messamore became a public safety telecommunicator and APCO member in 1979. She worked for improvements to the state and national association as well as the public safety communications industry until her retirement in 2011.
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