Comm Center News
Small parking stall, bad hairstyle top E-Comm 2019 list of reasons not to call 9-1-1 (Canada)
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A hotel parking stall being too small and a hairstylist giving a bad cut may seem like emergencies to some, but they are no reason to dial 9-1-1, according to B.C.’s largest emergency communications centre, as it releases its top 10 list...
911 dispatcher arrested for child porn (PA)
Middle Smithfield Township (WNEP) — Richard Feely is behind bars on child porn charges. According to court paperwork he was busted by his own family. His adult stepson was visiting his parents for Christmas at their home near Marshalls Creek. He needed to print a...
Palm Beach County dispatchers reunite for the first time since kidney transplant (FL)
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — One co-worker's Christmas gift gives another a new chance at life walking into the New Year; a healthy kidney. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office posted a video to social media, telling the story of how one dispatcher donated...
Make 2020 Your Year to Learn and Grow
[Originally published in the January/February 2020 PSC magazine.]
It’s popular to start the new year with resolutions, but it’s also common to break those resolutions after a few weeks or months. One of the latest alternatives is to try something new every month, which, aside from avoiding that new year’s resolution pressure, offers the opportunity to meet new people, learn about yourself and expose yourself to new ideas. Trying new things regularly can help you grow as a person, boost your confidence level and expand your perspective on life in general.
If you want to give it a try this year, we have some suggestions for you.
January – Attend an APCO webinar. They are free for members and usually offer one CEU whether you log on to the live webinar or listen to the recording. There’s one on APCO Standards on January 22. Check out the full schedule at apcointl.org/webinars.
February – Apply for an APCO scholarship that provides members with funds for professional development and career advancement. The deadline to apply is March 31. Learn more at apcointl.org/scholarships.
March – Nominate someone you work with for APCO’s PSAP or Technology Leadership Awards before the deadline of April 1. Award recipients get a fully paid trip to APCO 2020, APCO’s Annual Conference & Expo, including registration, travel expenses and hotel accommodations. Learn more at apcointl.org/awards.
April – Celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW) in a new way. Organize an open house or contact your city’s government to declare April 12-18 NSPTW in your town. Check out other ideas at npstw.org.
May – Join us for Nexus (May 21-22), an interactive, immersive experience of diverse scenarios handled the way they will be in the ECC of the future. Learn more and register at apconexus.org.
June – Check out what’s new on APCO’s website, apcointl.org. Hint: it might be a lot.
July – Take a “vacation” from trying new things and use the time to appreciate your family, friends and colleagues.
August – Volunteer at APCO 2020 taking place August 2-5 in Orlando and get one day pass for every four hours worked. To get the day pass, you must sign up to volunteer before registering for the conference. More information will be on apco2020.org in the spring.
September – Start the “school year” by signing up to volunteer on a workgroup developing new APCO standards or revising existing ones. Learn more at apcointl.org/standards.
October – Renew your membership early so you won’t have to worry about missing out on all the benefits of membership. Renew online at myapcointl.org/invoices.
November – Organize a team of friends or co-workers to give thanks by giving back to your community.
December – Pat yourself on the back for undertaking a year of new experiences that improved you, your job, your comm center and your community.
‘The holiday season has a different meaning now,’: California police dispatcher helps deliver baby over 911 phone call (CA)
VALLEJO, Calif. -- A Vallejo Police Department 911 dispatcher was credited for helping a California woman deliver a baby over the phone on Thursday evening. In a cheerful Facebook post, Vallejo PD shared the story of how they received a phone call on Dec. 21 around 8...
North Caldwell Police Hiring Dispatcher: Here’s What It Takes (NJ)
NORTH CALDWELL, NJ — The North Caldwell Police Department is looking to hire a full-time dispatcher, officials announced last week. The NCPD issued an advisory about the job opening on Dec. 27. According to police, applicants must meet the following criteria: Must be...
GFD training four new emergency medical dispatchers (Guam)
For the past several weeks, training has been ongoing for new emergency medical dispatchers. Guam Fire Department Chief Daniel Stone said currently there are four new EMDs."The training consists of several certifications that they'll be going through, just training...
911 dispatcher arrested for child porn, turned in by family (PA)
Richard Feely is behind bars on child porn charges. According to court paperwork he was busted by his own family. His adult stepson was visiting his parents for Christmas at their home near Marshalls Creek in Middle Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania. He needed to...
Monroe County Dispatcher Arrested for Child Porn (PA)
MIDDLE SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Richard Feely is behind bars on child porn charges. According to court paperwork he was busted by his own family. His adult stepson was visiting his parents for Christmas at their home near Marshalls Creek. He needed to print a...
Channel 2 viewers surprise 911 dispatcher battling ALS with donations, wheelchair van (GA)
COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The generosity of Channel 2 viewers is helping a 911 dispatcher who was diagnosed with ALS. As of Friday afternoon, more than 200 people have donated nearly $23,000 since Christmas Eve. Channel 2’s Chris Jose learned the Long family got...
Police dispatcher in Vallejo helps deliver baby over phone (CA)
VALLEJO (KRON) — A Vallejo police dispatcher is being praised after helping a mother deliver her daughter’s baby Thursday night — over the phone. Just after 8 p.m. Thursday night, a woman called 911 to report that her 27-year-old daughter was in labor. Dispatcher...
Longtime Cobb 911 dispatcher battling ALS receives wheelchair van, $23K in donations (GA)
Just before Christmas Day, a longtime Cobb County 911 dispatcher asked her community for help due to her continued bout with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS. Eulie Long, who was a dispatcher for 15 years, has seen her mobility continue to worsen...
Calm Vallejo Police Dispatcher Helps Frantic Grandmom Deliver Baby Over The Phone (CA)
VALLEJO (CBS SF) — A cool-headed Vallejo police dispatcher is being credited with saving the day when a frantic woman called 911 to report her 27-year-old granddaughter was about to give birth. The Vallejo Police Department said in a post on its Facebook page that...
Vallejo Police Dispatcher Helps Frantic Grandmom Deliver Baby Over the Phone
A cool-headed Vallejo police dispatcher is being credited with saving the day when a frantic woman called 911 to report her 27-year-old granddaughter was about to give birth. Don Ford reports. [VIDEO]
Baby born on freeway meets dispatcher for the first time (HI)
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Parents of a baby born on the side of the H-3 freeway are grateful for the dispatcher on the other end of a 911 call. For the first time, the EMS official and the family met face-to-face. Back in September, we interviewed the family when the baby...
Dispatcher gives Christmas present to coworker: a kidney (FL)
A dispatcher at a Florida sheriff's office has given her colleague the best Christmas present ever: a new kidney. Amber Savoie, a dispatcher for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, earlier this month donated a kidney to Jesse Mesa, a fellow dispatcher who was...
Idaho dispatchers rewarded for their work during the July 4 shooting (ID)
Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office KOOTENAI CO., Idaho – Several dispatchers at 911 at Idaho’s Central Dispatch Center received an award Monday for their work during the July 4 filming at Coeur d’Alene over the summer. They received the...
Florida sheriff’s dispatcher donates kidney to co-worker she barely knew (FL)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - In 2004, Jesse Mesa was diagnosed with Lupus and told she had five years to live. By 2018, she beat those odds and a bout of thyroid cancer. But she was told she needed a new kidney if she wanted to see her two young sons graduate, get married...
THP captain resigns after investigation into relationship with dispatcher (TN)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee Highway Patrol captain resigned after an investigation into a relationship with a dispatcher. He met with the dispatcher at a motel several times while he was on duty, according to authorities. Recordings show Captain Jeffrey Mosley...
Coeur d’Alene dispatchers honored for actions during 4th of July shooting (ID)
Coeur d' Alene, ID- Several members of the Central Dispatch Center in Coeur d' Alene received the Idaho Public Safety Communications Team of the Year Award. This award was given to the dispatchers who were working on July 4th during the shooting at the City Park in...
Upcoming Webinar
4.9 GHz Band: Review of the FCC Order
On October 22, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) released its Eighth Report and Order (Eighth R&O) regarding utilization of the 4940-4990 MHz (4.9 GHz) band that protects incumbent users as requested by us, the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA). This Eighth R&O addresses a number of issues related to the use of this band by public safety. Please join us for a briefing on this order and how it impacts public safety.
This presentation will be led by Chief Jeff Johnson (ret) and Attorney Jason Karp, one of the nation’s leading experts in public safety spectrum regulations.
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