We begin today with the Opening General
Session featuring Keynote Madeleine K. Albright who will share a vivid
portrait of her years as Secretary of State and offer candid descriptions of
the leaders she encountered in Washington and overseas. Opening Session starts at 8:30 a.m. in the
Ballroom of the Convention Center and directly following is the Exhibit
Hall ribbon cutting.
There is a lot going on in the Exhibit Hall this year, including the Career
Advancement Center, Presentation Theater and Attendee Lounge with complimentary
Wi-Fi and charging stations. Also, back by popular demand is the Expo
Quest where contestants have the chance to win a full complimentary
registration to next year’s Conference in
Orlando, FL.
Don’t forget to stop by the APCO
Pavilion to talk about membership, frequency coordination and training and
certification. Also, take some time to browse the display of public safety
artifacts collected by the Historical Committee.
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- Plan who you will visit in the Exhibit Hall by taking a look at the floor plan or full exhibitor list.
- The Blood Drive is going on today in the Exhibit Hall from 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Don’t forget to sign up for a PSAP tour at the APCO Information Desk.
- Meet the Policymakers! Join the Government Relations team for a meet & greet with FCC staff today at 12:00 p.m. in the APCO Pavilion.
- Stop by the Historical Committee booth inside the APCO Pavilion today to enter their contest.
The 7 categories are as follows:
- Oldest Person at Conference
- Youngest Person at Conference
- Most Ribbons
- Newest Member at Conference
- Longest Member at Conference
- Conference Attendee Who Traveled the Farthest
- APCO Artifact that Traveled the Farthest to Be Donated to the Historical Museum
The top three winners in each category will be announced at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday at the Historical Booth.
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The first general business session of APCO’s Annual Conference & Expo was held Sunday afternoon in a crowded ballroom at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Many members are still arriving due to delays related to the disruption of airline travel in the northeast on Saturday when radar systems in Washington and Virginia shut down for several hours. However, organizers expect the conference to be well-attended.
The general session produced some lively debate on an upcoming resolution vote, impassioned speeches from two candidates vying for Second Vice President, and a timely legislative update.
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Joseph O’Hare grew up in Boston, and as a young boy attended the Boston Marathon with his family, later watching as his own family made attending the event a ritual.
As a member of the City’s EMS Department for 37 years, he and his staff spent years preparing for a potential major disaster at the event, honestly never believing it would occur.
But when the unthinkable happened – a bombing at the finish line of the world-renowned race – the Boston EMS workers learned what they had thought all along: Preparedness can be the difference between life and death for many injured that day.
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One of the most talked-about issues during this week’s APCO Convention & Expo is how to keep up with rapidly changing technology. Jeff Johnson, a retired Oregon firefighter and current vice chairman of FirstNet, said it’s critical to continue to learn, and that events like APCO’s annual convention provide that opportunity.
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