Forty years ago, astronaut Jim Lovell safely commanded Apollo 13 through an explosion of the oxygen system inside the aircraft, articulating the now infamous “Houston, we have a problem.” At his keynote of the Opening Session on August 2 at 8:30a.m., Captain Lovell will inspire attendees with the story of this journey. On August 3 at 8:00a.m., Frank Miles will use juggling, magic, unicycling and fire-eating to help attendees address the issues of stress, change, and achieving goals. And, on August 4 at 12:00p.m., John Chappelear will introduce The Daily Six, a simple process to reduce stress and enhance productivity by living positively.

"Through these sessions and others, our educational tracks and the networking opportunities, attendees are sure to walk away from this conference with the tools and knowledge that make them better public safety professionals," APCO International President Richard Mirgon said.

The APCO International 76th Annual Conference and Exposition will be held August 1-4 in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.apco2010.org. To obtain a complimentary press pass, please contact Courtney M. Hastings at 571.312.4400 x7002 or mccarronc@apcointl.org. To view prior news about this event, visit our News Room at http://www.apco2010.org/index.php/newsroom.html. For breaking news about the Annual Conference, follow @APCOConference on Twitter.

The APCO Project 33 Agency Training Program Certification is a formal mechanism for public safety agencies to certify their training programs as meeting the Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Telecommunicators. The standard specifies the minimum training requirements, in general, of personnel assigned to the public safety telecommunicator function, but recognizes the need to supplement these basic competencies with agency-specific information and existing equipment-use parameters. This year's recognition includes certification to:

• York County 911, York, Pa.
• El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Fayetteville Police Department, Fayetteville, Ark.
• Denver 911 Communications Center, Denver, Colo.
• North East King County Regional Public Safety Communication Agency (NORCOM), Bellevue, Wash.
• Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center, Raleigh, N.C.
• Delaware State Police, Dover, Del.
• Cincinnati Police Communications Section, Cincinnati, Ohio

"For many years APCO International has established competent training standards, which effectively prepare trainees to better understand their role and responsibilities within both public safety and related public service occupations," APCO International Executive Director George S. Rice, Jr. said. "We congratulate the recipients for recognizing the need for certification in their center and for the hard work employed to achieve the standard."

The APCO International 76th Annual Conference and Exposition will be held August 1-4 in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.apco2010.org. To obtain a complimentary press pass, please contact Courtney M. Hastings at 571.312.4400 x7002 or mccarronc@apcointl.org. To view prior news about this event, visit our News Room at http://www.apco2010.org/index.php/newsroom.html.

June 1, 2010, Alexandria, Va. - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today announced the winners of its Horizon Award. The Horizon Award acknowledges the efforts of communications centers that have proactively assessed and met the technological and operational needs of their center, employees and service population and are presented to one large center and one small center. The awards will be presented at the APCO International 76th Annual Conference and Exposition in Houston, Texas on August 3.

The 2010 Horizon Award for a Large Center is being presented to Raleigh-Wake (NC) Emergency Communications. Raleigh-Wake (NC) Emergency Communications used Twitter connected with Google maps to provide a near real-time display of traffic incidents to the media and the public, reducing non-emergency calls and improving call handling during high-volume times.

The 2010 Horizon Award for a Small Center is being presented to Montgomery County (TN) E-911 Center. Montgomery County (TN) E-911 Center recently installed a state-of-the-art Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) capable public safety answering point (PSAP), allowing forward migration to the new standard without interruption of service while maintaining current operational needs.

"APCO International is proud to honor Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications and Montgomery County E-911 Center with these awards and call attention to the technological advancements they have made to enhance their life-saving services," APCO International Executive Director George S. Rice, Jr. said.

The APCO International 76th Annual Conference and Exposition will be held August 1-4 in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.apco2010.org. To obtain a complimentary press pass, please contact Courtney M. Hastings at 571.312.4400 x7002 or mccarronc@apcointl.org.

The Public-Safety Communications Awards are presented annually by APCO International to public safety communications personnel who have demonstrated the highest levels of personal and professional conduct and performance in the line of duty.  The six awards are Telecommunicator of the Year, Trainer of the Year, Information Technologist of the Year, Radio Frequency Technologist of the Year, Line Supervisor of the Year, and Communications Center Director of the

Year and the 2010 winners are as follows:
Telecommunicator of the Year – Cindy Skidmore, Bridgeport Police Department, Bridgeport, Texas
Trainer of the Year – Nicholas Stepaniak, Stafford County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Division, Stafford, Va.
Information Technologist of the Year – Michele Hamilton, Pendleton County E-911 Dispatch, Falmouth, Ky.
Radio Frequency Technologist of the Year – Scott Walsh, City of Norman, Norman, Ok.
Line Supervisor of the Year – Natalie Heneks, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Communications Center Director of the Year – Debbie H. Fox, Louisville Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency/[KY]MetroSafe Communications, Louisville, Ky.

“APCO International congratulates the 2010 Public-Safety Communications award winners,” APCO International Executive Director George S. Rice, Jr. said.  “The work they have done in their respective agencies are great examples of activities deserving of this great honor and their entire departments should be proud of their awards.”

The APCO International 76th Annual Conference and Exposition will be held August 1-4 in Houston, Texas.  For more information, visit www.apco2010.org.  To obtain a complimentary press pass, please contact Courtney M. Hastings at 571.312.4400 x7002 or mccarronc@apcointl.org.

“The 2010 APCO Conference and Expo is fresh, focused and frugal,” APCO International Executive Director George S. Rice, Jr. said.

APCO International’s Annual Conference and Exposition presents the public safety communications industry’s best educational and product offerings.  Executives, dispatchers and technicians involved in all aspects of public safety communications from law enforcement to public safety answering points to government agencies gather there each year.  For the 2010 Conference and Exposition, being held August 1-4 in Houston, Texas, the more than 90 educational sessions will begin on Sunday, August 1 along with the opening of the exhibit hall, which features over 350 companies.

“The energy and excitement continue after each day’s sessions with new networking and social events,” Rice said.  

Registration is now open. Stay connected to learn new details about the new and improved APCO International Conference and Exposition at www.apco2010.org or on Twitter @APCOConference.

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About APCO International

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to the enhancement of public safety communications.  APCO International serves the professional needs of its 15,000 members worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards, addressing professional issues and providing education, products and services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical dispatch agencies throughout the world.  For more information, visit www.apcointl.org.

Contact: Courtney Hastings

571.312.4400 x7002

mccarronc@apcointl.org