Each year, the second week in April is known as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. It’s a chance for the more than 100,000 public safety telecommunicators working in emergency communications centers (ECCs) across the United States to be recognized for the lifesaving work you provide to more than 240 million calls every year.
Since our last celebration, our public safety communications heroes were stretched to their limits, some notably impacted by or responding to hurricanes Helene and Milton or raging wildfires in Southern California. Government and private experts estimate total damages to rival hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Harvey topping $50 billion, exacerbated by the fact many of Helene’s victims did not have relevant insurance. Damages from wildfires in Southern California are expected to exceed $250 billion — surpassing the entire 2020 wildfire season. The impact from these storms will be felt for years — if not generations.
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Take the next step in your career development with APCO’s Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL) Program, designed for public safety professionals looking to strengthen their supervisory and management skills for effective emergency communications center operations. This online program covers key topics such as management dynamics, team performance, communication strategies and more. Applications are currently being accepted for the May, June and July RPL programs.
Learn more
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ECC Leadership and AI: Smarter Decision-Making for a Stronger 9-1-1 Center
May 15 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Free for members; $59 for non-members | Worth 1 CDE
Sponsored by Eventide
This webinar explores how AI is making a difference in emergency communications. A panel of AI industry research experts will provide a clear framework for understanding AI, share real-world ECC applications and offer strategies for integrating AI to empower supervisors and frontline staff. This webinar will give you the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions and choose the right tools to strengthen your 9-1-1 center.
Register
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APCO’s Fundamentals of Tactical Dispatch course prepares telecommunicators to support tactical teams during major incidents. The training combines classroom instruction with hands-on exercises focused on the incident command system (ICS), radio communications, deployment procedures and incident response. Students gain practical experience applying these skills within their agency’s protocols while learning to operate as part of a coordinated, multi-agency response. The course is ideal for those seeking to enhance their tactical dispatch readiness and effectiveness. Worth 16 CDEs.
Upcoming course dates: May 7 - 27 (Online) | June 4 - 24 (Online) | July 14 - 15 (Cullman, AL)
See all dates
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Urgent Communications
APCO CTO Steve Devine discusses the opportunities that have arisen from the integration of LTE push-to-talk (PTT) into LMR systems and the impact it’s had on public safety communications.
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Tap Into Coral Springs
Emilie Atchinson was one of three public safety telecommunicators nationwide to receive the 2025 Tom Gallagher Award. She coordinated lifesaving air transport and a multi-agency response to a stabbing.
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Naperville Sun
Those with hearing impairments and those seeking help during emergencies that prevent them from speaking will benefit from the service.
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8 WGAL
The sponsor said the bill ensures that telecommunicators “have access to the services that they may need.”
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ABC 7 Eyewitness News
Bystander CPR in the city rose more than 14% from 2021-2023, and recently, public safety telecommunicator Stefanie Velez walked a family through CPR after a loved one suffered a heart attack.
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The APCO Institute offers a wide range of courses available online, in-person and in the APCO Virtual Classroom. Space is available to register for the following courses:
Starting in April:
Starting in May/June:
Seats are available in these upcoming in-person courses:
- Plantation, FL: Communications Training Officer, 6th Edition | 5/13 - 5/15 | 24 CDEs
- Belmont, NY: Communications Center Supervisor, 5th Edition | 5/13 - 5/15 | 24 CDEs
- Northport, AL: Fundamentals of Next Generation 9-1-1 | 5/21 - 5/22 | 16 CDEs
- Kingwood, WV: Communications Training Officer, 6th Edition | 6/2 - 6/4 | 24 CDEs
- Robbinsville, NJ: Communications Training Officer, 6th Edition | 6/9 - 6/11 | 24 CDEs
View the full training schedule
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