Announcements

Maximize your professional education experience at APCO 2025 with session recordings. For $100, you'll get access to all 132 professional development sessions at APCO 2025. Earn CEU credits and experience all the education offered during the conference whether you are attending in person or unable to join us this year.

Maximize your professional education experience at APCO 2025 with session recordings. For $100, you'll get access to all 132 professional development sessions at APCO 2025. Earn CEU credits and experience all the education offered during the conference whether you are attending in person or unable to join us this year.

APCO’s online training has moved to a new and improved platform. As of May 28, all new courses can be accessed at https://www.training-apcointl.org. Your training records will not be disrupted and remain accessible on APCO’s Training Central.
 
If you’re currently enrolled in a course on APCO's existing training site, your access will not be affected. However, if you need to download certificates from courses taken prior to May 28 (including recertification, Illuminations, etc.), please do so before July 15. Questions? Contact us at Institute@apcointl.org.

The APCO Institute is offering a newly updated pre-conference course at APCO’s Annual Conference & Expo: 

• Staffing and Retention for the ECC, 2nd Edition 

The two-day course takes place on July 25 - 26 in Baltimore, and you don't have to attend the conference to register. 

The course is open to both APCO members and non-members and is worth 16 CDEs. The cost to attend the course is $360 for APCO members and $410 for non-members. Pre-registration is required.

Only one week remains to apply for the next APCO Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) Program, which begins in July. CPE is designed for emergency communications leaders who want to reach their full potential by enhancing their leadership skills, strategic thinking and professional growth. Apply by May 15.    

APCO is now accepting working group members to revise the standard, Best Practices for ECCs When Processing Vehicle Telematics Calls from Telematics Service Providers. This revision seeks to identify best practices and operational requirements for ECCs to receive and process vehicle-initiated telematics calls.

We are looking for individuals with training, technical and operational knowledge to participate in the revision of this standard. Sign-up by May 31.

Happy NPSTW! We appreciate the lifesaving work you do every day of the year, but especially this week! We encourage all of you to celebrate and honor yourselves, your co-workers, your bosses and your employees all week long.

There's still time to enter our NPSTW contest, and vote for your favorite entries. And let us know how you are celebrating this week!

Registration is now open for APCO 2025, taking place July 27-30 in Baltimore! Check out the professional development sessions and be sure to take a look at the special events featuring our inspiring keynotes. Register by June 30 for the best rate. We hope to see you there!

We want to hear about a technology that your ECC implemented to improve operations and directly benefit your fellow employees and the communities you serve. Nominate your agency for an APCO Technology Leadership Award. The deadline is April 1.

For National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week 2025, we are asking you what music, song, band or even dance move describes your agency. Are you feeling those “Good Vibrations,” or do you want to “Shake It Off”? Is your crew more the Drifters, Rascal Flatts or Coldplay? Or maybe you like to blend genres like Beyoncé?

To enter the contest, just send us your answer and explain why it describes your shift or agency. Check out the current entries and vote for your favorites. Winners will receive a $150 gift card or sponsored lunch for your agency.

Join us March 18-19 in Washington, DC for a special event with the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association. This two-day event will cover the innovations and evolutions in public safety communications. There will be public safety subject matter experts, end users and technology innovators discussing the importance of 4.9 GHz and artificial intelligence (AI).

Last week APCO announced the recipients of its inaugural 9-1-1 Impact Awards, who will be honored during an awards reception in Washington, D.C. The 9-1-1 Impact Awards replace the Public Safety Communications Leadership in Policy Awards to encompass a wider range of eligible recipients. The 2025 award winners are:

The APCO Institute is offering a one-week, in-person Agency Instructor course from March 31 to April 4 at APCO Headquarters in Daytona Beach, FL. This course provides agencies with the opportunity to certify their own instructors, allowing them to deliver APCO courses directly to their team. Bringing training in-house can help agencies reduce both new-hire and in-service training costs.

This course is designed for those looking to become agency instructors in the following disciplines:

• Communications Training Officer (CTO)
• Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD)  
• Fire Service Communications (FSC)
• Law Enforcement Communications (LEC)
• Public Safety Telecommunicator (PST)  
• FSC Canada
• PST Canada

The cost to attend the course is $510 for APCO members and $560 for non-members. The deadline to register is March 17. 

APCO, in partnership with IWA Technical Services, Inc., is offering two new courses this spring:

• General Communications Technician (GCT), Level 1
  April 28-30 | 24 CDEs
• Line Antenna Sweep (LAS)
  May 1-2 | 16 CDEs

These certifications will not only validate your skills but also signal to employers your commitment to quality and continuing education in this fast-evolving field.

If you haven't registered already, the early bird registration rate for the 9-1-1 Wellness Summit ends soon! Register by Friday, January 31 to save $50. Join us for sessions ranging in topic from optimizing sleep, building a peer support team, getting unstuck from trauma while at the console and much more.

Nominations are now open for APCO’s Emergency Communications Center Awards and Technology Leadership Awards! APCO presents awards to public safety communications personnel who have demonstrated the highest levels of personal and professional conduct and performance in the line of duty. Nominations are due by April 1.

APCO scholarships are now open for applications! Funds can be used for APCO's leadership programs or professional development courses. Submit your applications by the deadlines below:

• CPE Scholarship: Deadline - February 15
• RPL Scholarship: Deadline - March 1
• General scholarship: Deadline - April 1

Over the last several years, APCO has prioritized offering new resources and programs to help emergency communications centers (ECCs) face staffing and retention challenges. Today, we are excited to introduce our new Student Recruitment Toolkit, which will assist you in recruiting directly from local secondary and post-secondary schools!

The toolkit features a variety of resources for you to access, from case studies of ECCs who have had success with student training and recruitment programs, to resources for reaching out to students, schools and educators, to social media and email copy and graphics for you to utilize.

APCO, in partnership with IWA Technical Services, Inc., is offering two new courses this spring: 

General Communications Technician Level 1 — April 28 - 30, 2025 | 24 CDEs

Line Antenna Sweep — May 1 - 2, 2025 | 16 CDEs

Taking GCT-1 and LAS training can be a significant boost for your career in telecommunications, especially in land mobile radio (LMR) and in building communications systems.

Thursday, January 16 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Worth 1 CDE |  Free for members; $59 for non-members

As the severity and frequency of 9-1-1 outages increase, it’s more important than ever for emergency communications centers to receive timely and actionable information about the scope and impact of outages. This webinar will begin with a brief overview of the Federal Communications Commission’s outage notification requirements, followed by a panel discussion from 9-1-1 professionals on the growing impact of outages on 9-1-1 operations and strategies to mitigate their effects.

Speakers: Alison Venable, Government Relations Counsel, APCO International; Aimee Chase, Metro Administrator, Metro Communications, Sioux Falls; and Anne Camaro, Executive Director, Nashoba Valley Regional Dispatch District.

APCO is accepting applications for the 2025 Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL) Program. This online professional development program provides emergency communications professionals with essential management skills to advance their careers. Graduates join an esteemed network of RPL alumni. Programs start monthly – the next one begins in January. 

This week, APCO International entered into a landmark partnership with Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) to deliver APCO’s industry-leading training to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This strategic partnership goes beyond a traditional training agreement, representing a comprehensive approach to knowledge transfer, professional development and support of Saudi Arabia’s public safety infrastructure. 

December 17 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Free for members; $59 for non-members | 1 CDE
Sponsored by Revcord

This session will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing public safety answering points (PSAPs) through automation and advanced data management. Learn how AI streamlines call logging tasks such as searching, transcription, redaction, quality assurance (QA), and compliance with standards like APCO, CJIS, PCI, and HIPAA. Discover practical applications and hear testimonials from industry professionals who have experienced the benefits firsthand. By the end of this webinar, attendees will:

• Understand the challenges of traditional call logging and how AI addresses them.
• Gain insights into key AI features, including search, transcription, redaction, QA, and reporting.
• Learn about real-world applications through dealer and ECC manager testimonials.
• Explore the future of AI in public safety and its impact on ECC operations.
• Engage with experts in a panel discussion to address practical questions and challenges.

We are looking for a Host Committee chairperson for APCO 2026, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, August 2-5, 2026. Criteria include:

• Nominations must include a letter of interest from the candidate, a letter of support from the candidate’s employer (if the candidate is retired, this item is not required) and letters of recommendation from the candidate’s executive council representative and chapter president. If the candidate is either the executive council representative or president for the chapter, the candidate will then provide a letter of support from the immediate past president of the chapter or a vice president of the chapter.
• Only APCO members in the “Full Member” category who are in good standing and who represent no commercial interest as defined in the membership policy shall be eligible to serve as the Conference Host Committee chair.

Please submit your complete nomination to Patricia Giannini Henry at henryp@apcointl.org by December 13.

November 12 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Free for everyone | Worth 1 CDE

Flooding in Iowa is nothing new. With every storm comes new challenges, especially when it comes to communications. The state of Iowa has continued to upgrade its emergency communication infrastructure by transitioning to a digital framework and leveraging public safety broadband. Join us as we learn how the town of Spencer came up with innovative solutions during a recent flood utilizing deployables to keep their ECC functioning and how their solution is influencing the way FirstNet is being used.

Due to recent weather impacts in the southern region, the deadline to apply for CPE Class 18 has been extended to October 29. Don't miss out on this chance to enhance your leadership skills in public safety.  

There's still time to register for the 9-1-1 Staffing Crisis Summit starting Tuesday, October 22. Join us in Fort Worth, Texas, for two and a half days of education and earn up to 16 CEUs.

October 31 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Free for members; $59 for non-members | 1 CDE
Sponsored by Mission Critical Partners

Every year, as many as 50 million calls generated by commercial and residential alarm systems reach emergency communications centers, which slows emergency response and places tremendous stress on telecommunicators. This is a very big problem for the 9-1-1 community. Fortunately, a highly effective solution already exists for overcoming it — the ASAP Service, which is based on the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol jointly developed by APCO and The Monitoring Association (TMA).

Attend this webinar to learn how APCO and TMA collaborated to create the ASAP service, how it enables telecommunicators to focus on emergency calls that require their expertise and how the ASAP service might evolve in the future.

We are now accepting submissions for innovative, engaging, inspiring and informative individuals to speak at APCO 2025, taking place July 27-30 in Baltimore, Maryland.

We have three exciting new tracks this year!

• Training Essentials: These sessions are designed to provide a comprehensive toolkit of training techniques and ideas. 
• Federal Partners: Hear from important partners from APCO to include FirstNet, the FCC and NTIA as well as APCO’s advocacy team.
• Mastering Media & Public Engagement: This track focuses on key areas such as social media management, public education, and media communication.

The deadline to submit is December 11.

Our thoughts are with those impacted by Hurricane Helene. In the wake of the hurricane, many are in urgent need of assistance. If you need support, APCO’s Sunshine Fund distributes critical financial support to members who are experiencing hardships. More information about how to apply for a Sunshine Fund grant can be found on the APCO website: https://www.apcointl.org/membership/donate/.

We are always accepting donations to the Sunshine Fund to aid those impacted by life-altering events and disasters such as this one. Donate now: www.apcointl.org/sunshine

Check out various discussions here on PSConnect for other ways you can support impacted states.

We are accepting applications for APCO’s Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) Program, Class 18, which starts in January 2025. The CPE Program empowers emergency communications professionals to identify and build on their unique leadership traits for career growth. The deadline to apply is October 15.  

There is still time to register for the 9-1-1 Staffing Crisis Summit to explore ways to improve retention, innovate recruiting, streamline the hiring process, implement creative staffing strategies and build a culture of excellence. Join us October 22-24 to experience sessions such as Innovating Recruiting and Staffing, the 9-1-1 Professional of the Future and more! Earn up to 13 CEUs. 

This is a time of incredible change in the public safety community. From staffing shortages to new technology, consolidation and funding, the challenges are many, but so are the opportunities. This is the time to think in new ways about emerging technological capabilities and how we leverage them to create safer communities and more effective organizations with better results.

Join this webinar to learn how to turn current challenges into future opportunities.

We’ll discuss:

• How AI and automated processing of events can help alleviate staffing challenges
• How new tools and processes like CAD-to-CAD data exchange and alternative response programs can aid resource management
• How better geographic information from maps and drones can improve incident outcomes
• How modern CAD and RMS solutions can work with AI, video and collaboration tools to help law enforcement agencies gain information and start solving crimes faster 
• How the cloud enables agencies to be more resilient and secure during extreme weather, cyber security threats and more

Sponsored by Hexagon

Tuesday, September 24 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Free for all | Worth 1 CDE

The webinar will cover FCC licensing procedures to include navigating the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS), the form 601 and pertinent Part 90 FCC rules. We will also cover some of the most common obstacles encountered with frequency coordination, such as safe harbor limitations, waiver requests and letters of concurrence.

Sponsored by Sitesafe

This September, APCO is offering two in-person courses at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia:

Fundamentals of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) September 10 - 11 | Worth 16 CDEs
$360 for members; $410 for non-members

Learn more and register 

Intermediate Cybersecurity Principles for the ECC
September 12-13 | Worth 16 CDEs
$520 for members; $570 for non-members

Learn more and register  

Join us October 22-24 in Fort Worth, Texas, as we continue to help members face the challenges of effective and sustainable staffing within emergency communications centers. 

In light of the tragic news of Mark Spross’s passing, APCO has made some contingencies for the upcoming 2024-25 Executive Committee election. In accordance with Bylaws provision 8.5, APCO is required to conduct an election for the incoming first vice president and second vice president. Regarding the former, the unfortunate and untimely death of Mark means “there are no eligible candidates” for incoming first vice president. Pursuant to Bylaws provision 9.5(b), such a vacancy (after April 1) should be filled at “the next regular election of officers.” On that basis, Policy Manual 6.4, section 7, describes the pathway; “it becomes necessary to accept nominations from the floor at the Annual Conference.” As a result, APCO President Becky Neugent announced in an email on July 26 that APCO will accept candidates for first vice president at the First General Business Session on Sunday, August 4, which is also when such nominees may address the assembly. Voting will occur at the Second General Business Session on Tuesday, August 6. If interested in declaring your candidacy, please visit the APCO First Vice President Voting 2024 webpage for the required forms and additional details.

APCO is incredibly saddened to report that Mark Spross, RPL, CPE and APCO International’s second vice president, passed away last weekend. Our deepest condolences go out to Mark’s family, friends and fellow team members at METCOM 911.

Make the most of your educational experience at APCO 2024 and purchase the session recordings. You'll get access to all 120 professional development sessions plus a select few sessions will be video recorded this year! Purchase before August 2 to save.

The APCO Institute is offering two pre-conference courses this year at APCO 2024. Choose from Cybersecurity Fundamentals for the ECC or Bullying and Negativity in the Communications Center, 2nd Edition. Both courses will take place on Saturday, August 3, in Orlando, Florida, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are worth 8 CDEs each.