Doug Edmonds just recently passed away. He was truly a pioneer and giant in our industry and will be missed by many of us. Over the years Doug was always there to support and be part of this great industry with his knowledge, wisdom, humor and kind heart. Here is a little about Doug but it doesn’t truly represent nor do full justice to all he gave to this industry
Douglas F. Edmonds, ENP, age 79, an APCO Presidential Award winner, the 2010 NENA Stanton Award recipient and NENA Hall of Fame member died September 12, 2019, from complications after a lengthy illness. Doug was a former Johnson County, Iowa Sheriff’s Office executive before assuming the duties of Executive Director at Northwest Central Dispatch in Arlington Heights, IL, which at that time was the largest consolidated dispatch center in Illinois. He served Northwest Central from 1986 until his retirement in 2005. An active participant of both IL APCO and IL NENA, Doug served both organizations in various capacities including officer positions with both. Doug received a plethora of awards and was recognized as the PSAP Director of the Year in Illinois several times. Doug held a Master Degree in Public Administration from the University of Iowa and was a Graduate of the FBI National Academy. He was a frequent speaker at State and National NENA and APCO conferences. Additionally, he was an original member of the National Joint TERT Initiative (APCO and NENA) and later served as the NENA Co-Chair of the NJTI for six years. Managing NJTI, the first joint project of NENA and APCO, his professional devotion to TERT grew the program from three States to over fifteen States that had FEMA recognized TERT Teams. A humble man, who avoided the limelight, Doug believed in mentoring subordinates throughout his public safety career and many rose through the ranks to become PSAP Directors.
He loved his trips to Singapore and Thailand which he visited often. On one such trip he presented to Singapore Civil Defense authorities the rationale for EMD pre arrival instructions which they subsequently adopted. Doug loved a good story, had a wonderful sense of humor, a warm smile and a gentle demeanor.
I had the pleasure of working with Doug on the National Joint TERT Initiative for a number of years. We served as co-chairs (I represented APCO and Doug represented NENA) on the joint initiative along with many other talented and dedicated individuals. Doug had a passion and dedication for TERT beyond description and truly gave all he had to the joint initiative.
I am saddened by his passing as I am sure many others are.