New Mexico Public Safety Telecommunicators Association Representing the New Mexico Chapters of NENA and APCO

APCO Institute and the APCO Advisory Committee

We would like to take a moment to introduce the APCO Institute Advisory Committee and ensure that all APCO members are aware of training opportunities available through the APCO Institute. The Advisory Committee consists of a representative from all four U.S. regions; the Gulf Coast, North Central U.S., the East Coast, and the Western states. Each member currently works in public safety communications and has experience in communications center management and/or training. We strive to be the voice of the membership, relaying your expectations and needs to the Institute. We make suggestions and advise Institute leaders, and make formal recommendations to the APCO Board of Directors. The members of the Advisory Committee seek opportunities to continually improve the quality of training programs and identify future training that reflect the needs of the membership.

The APCO Institute is a not-for-profit educational institute that serves the unique needs of the public safety communications industry by offering affordable options and certification. These include web seminars, various training courses, the APCO Virtual College at Jacksonville State University, and an EMD Program. There are opportunities available to co-host APCO training classes at your own agency. Also available are management tools and programs to enhance Center operations, from employee selection to trainee evaluation software and EMD, fire and law enforcement guide cards, and QA/QI systems. There’s even a 9-1-1 public education kit to help teach the community about 9-1-1.

One of the most exciting opportunities are the scholarships that are awarded each year, and which may be applied toward APCO Institute training or the APCO Virtual College. Applications are currently being accepted through May 1. To find more information about what the Institute has to offer or scholarship application forms, please check out the website at: www.apcointl.org/institute

We are interested in hearing from the membership, and look forward to any questions or comments you may have. Our contact information is included below, and we hope you will let us know if we are able to provide additional details or answer any questions regarding the Institute.

Contact info:

Western States: Yvonne Carslay, Valley Communications Center, Training Coordinator: Yvonnec@valleycom.org

Gulf Coast: Natalie Duran, Miami Dade Fire Communications, Fire Communications Officer: Natalie.duran@miamidade.gov

North Central U.S. Beth Burton, R.P.L., Naperville Police Department, Communications Manager: burtonb@naperville.il.us

East Coast Wendi Lively, Spartanburg County Government, Quality Assurance Coordinator wlively@spartanburgcounty.org