Today
begins with the Distinguished Achievers Breakfast featuring
keynote General Peter Pace, Sixteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff who will speak on the concept of Leading
Up. FirstNet Acting Executive Director TJ Kennedy will also provide an
update on FirstNet’s progress.
Don’t miss out on the APCO
Block Party! tonight. This year's venue is sure to be an out of the
world experience taking place at the Smithsonian National Air & Space
Museum. Transportation will be provided to and from all
official conference hotels starting at 6:45 p.m. Badge or ticket needed for admission. Additional tickets can be
purchased for $15 before 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the Registration Desk in the
Convention Center.
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- Program Guide Typo: the
International Attendee Meeting is today, August 18, from 11:00 a.m. to
12:00 noon in room 154AB of the Convention Center.
- Voting for the 2014-2015 Executive Committee closes today at 1:50 p.m. ET. Election results will be announced at the Second General Business Session: Convention Center, 146A-C
- Stop by the Pavilion directly following the Breakfast for a photo opp with General Peter Pace.
- Don’t forget to participate in the Expo Quest, drop your card off at the APCO Pavilion.
- Professional development sessions continue, see the full schedule here, or right from the app.
- WiFi and Bluetooth Beacon Demos: A New Era of Locating Wireless 9-1-1 Callers Inside Buildings - 2:45 p.m. (WiFi) and 3:30 p.m. (Bluetooth) in the Exhibit Hall Presentation Theater.
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The APCO International Convention & Expo kicked off Monday’s opening general session in a big way, capped off by a keynote address from esteemed former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright.
APCO International Executive Director Derek Poarch welcomed members with some impressive news: The group now has 25,011 members – the largest number in the 81-year history of the association.
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During the opening general session Monday morning, eight national awards were presented to deserving members of APCO. Here are this year’s APCO Award winners.
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Technology executive and former public safety professional Michael Poth has been appointed the new CEO of FirstNet, and TJ Kennedy, who had been serving as the Acting Executive Director, has been promoted to President. Poth and Kennedy made their first public appearances in their new roles at APCO’s 2015 Conference and Expo.
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In one of the more interesting afternoon sessions on Monday, John Merrill of the Department of Homeland Security and Jay English, director of communications center and 9-1-1 services for APCO joined together in a "Town Hall" type setting to talk about what emergency personnel and first responders can do to help ensure the Next Generation First Responders will meet the needs of those out in the field.
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In its session Monday afternoon, FirstNet gave attendees an extensive update on its efforts to gain states’ approval for its nationwide mobile broadband public safety network.
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Keith Phillips remembers exactly where he was sitting when he heard the news about 9/11. Like many of his colleagues in public safety, the events of that day marked a turning point in his professional career, as an otherwise ordinary trip to the dentist evolved into a day he’d never forget.
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