• Register now for the webinar, "Signal Boosters: Solving for Poor In-building Public Safety Wireless Coverage While Protecting Outdoor PS Networks," taking place February 26.
• RPL scholarships close March 1. General scholarships close April 1.
• The deadline to apply for the NJTI-TERT Committee is March 1.
• Nominations for ECC and Technology Leadership Awards close April 1.

We have a great lineup of keynote speakers for APCO 2024. Register for the conference on Flash Day, April 1, and secure admission to all of the special sessions featuring:

• Opening General Session—Captain Scott Kelly, History-making NASA Astronaut; first to complete a year-in-space mission
• Distinguished Achievers Breakfast—Anthony Robles, Inspiring NCAA Wrestling Champion, National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee, and subject of the film, Unstoppable
• Food for Thought Luncheon—Duncan Wardle, 25-year veteran and former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney, multiple TED talk speaker, CEO ID8

On February 16, APCO posted a blog describing its legislative and regulatory advocacy priorities for the year. The blog addresses improving 9-1-1 location accuracy for wireless calls, improving network outage reporting, enhancing Wireless Emergency Alerts, and protecting public safety spectrum use. The blog also includes high-level talking points concerning APCO’s top legislative priorities: securing federal funding for Next Generation 9-1-1; correcting the federal classification of public safety telecommunicators; and supporting wellness programs in 9-1-1 centers. To share your thoughts on APCO’s priorities or if you secure a meeting with your federal representatives and would like assistance with meeting prep or follow-up, you can reach out to APCO’s government relations team at gro@apcointl.org.

The Public Safety Next Generation 9-1-1 Coalition welcomes the joint letter released this week from former chairs of the FCC urging congressional leadership to pass legislation to support the nationwide transition to NG9-1-1. Nine former FCC chairs – from both Democratic and Republican administrations – wrote to Senate and House leadership, explaining why federal funding is urgently needed to deploy NG9-1-1 nationwide. The chairs noted an estimated $15 billion is required, whether from federal spectrum auction revenues or any other funding source.
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APCO seeks volunteers for the revision of the following two standards:

• Core Competencies and Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications Instructor. The revision seeks to identify the fundamental skills and minimum training prerequisites for those tasked with instructing personnel in the emergency communications center (ECC). Learn more
• Core Competencies and Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Communications Quality Assurance Evaluators. This revision seeks to identify the fundamental skills and minimum training prerequisites for those tasked with evaluating the quality of work performed by an ECC. Learn more

The deadline to participate for both standards is March 24. Apply now

This spring, APCO is co-hosting the new two-day in-person course: Fundamentals of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). The courses are in Arlington, Texas, May 1-2, and Fairfax, Virginia, June 27-28. During the two-day course, industry experts dive into key concepts of NG9-1-1, including interoperability, reliability, redundancy and cybersecurity. Discussions explore cutting-edge technologies and new opportunities for emergency communications centers (ECCs) to enhance operations and stay ahead of the curve as the industry transitions to NG9-1-1. The course is essential for command staff, supervisors, technologists, telecommunicators and ECC operations professionals. The cost is $343 for APCO members and $365 for non-members. Worth 16 CDEs. Learn more and register at apcointl.org/ng911courses.

Online and virtual courses coming up:

• 2/28 - 4/9: Law Enforcement Communications, 1st Edition - Online (32 CDEs)
• 3/6 - 26: Bullying and Negativity in the Communications Center, 2nd Edition - Online (8 CDEs)  
• 3/6 - 26: Customer Service in Today's Public Safety Communications - Online (8 CDEs)
• 3/13 - 4/2: Active Shooter Incidents for Public Safety Communications, 2nd Edition - Online (8 CDEs)
• 3/13 - 4/2: Disaster Operations and the Communications Center - Online (8 CDEs)  
• 4/2: Crisis Negotiations, 2nd Edition - Virtual (8 CDEs)
• 5/14 - 16: Communications Center Manager, 1st Edition - Virtual (24 CDEs)

 Upcoming online CALEA courses:

• 4/10 - 6/4: CALEA Campus Security Accreditation Manager
• 4/10 - 6/4: CALEA Public Safety Training Academy Accreditation Manager
• 4/10 - 6/25: CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation Manager
• 4/17 - 6/11: CALEA Public Safety Communications Accreditation Manager

 Additional course topics and dates are available. See the schedule.

Federal Engineering Chosen by the City of Ventura for Land Mobile Radio Consulting

City of Brentwood's (Tenn.) Successful Transition to ESInet Delivers Fully Integrated Voice and Text-to-9-1-1 Services