<img height="1" width="1" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=177704282845749&amp;ev=PageView &amp;noscript=1">
Chicomm Blog

Public Safety & 9-1-1 Working Together to Educate

Posted by Jill McNamara on Wednesday, October 10, 2012

 Upcoming Public Safety Conference Preview from the President of ILAPCO 

NENA 911


  Il APCOThe 28th annual Illinois Public Safety Telecommunications Association (IPSTA) Training and Conference will be held from October 21st to October 24th this year in Springfield.  This joint venture of the Illinois chapters of APCO and NENA is intended to provide excellent educational opportunities, the ability to meet with numerous vendors and a phenomenal networking experience.  Attendance at the conference typically exceeds 600 people and is considered one of the premier state conferences in the United States.

     Illinois APCO has been extremely busy this year.  Our efforts to educate public safety and beyond regarding narrowbanding has been highly successful and praised by chiefs, sheriffs and city management throughout the state.  A concept of video taping, editing and duplicating the narrowband presentation was brought to the association by Treasurer John Mostaccio.  His vision allowed over a thousand videos to be sold and distributed around the country and to attendees at the MABAS and ILEAS Conferences.

     Through collaborative efforts, Illinois APCO and NENA have been working hard on establishing mandatory minimum training standards, continuing education and quality assurance for telecommunicators.  A dedicated group of members are meeting regularly to determine how this can be accomplished to help our industry prevent horrific events such as the 2008 murder of Denise Amber Lee in Florida.  Illinois APCO’s alliance with the Denise Amber Lee Foundation has brought several training sessions locally including a free seminar on October 16th in Schaumburg.

     The legislative committee has been working feverishly throughout the year after our legislation failed to progress out of the Rules Committee in February.  We introduced legislation which will continue the Wireless 9-1-1 surcharge beyond the 2013 deadline; allow for Next Generation 9-1-1 technologies in Illinois; provide funding for NG9-1-1; and to assist the many failing PSAPs that are in jeopardy of closing due to decreased revenue over the years.  Technology has increased rapidly and surpassed existing legislation and funding models.  A 2011 study conducted for the State of Illinois concurred that many 9-1-1 Systems were approximately 20% underfunded.  Industry support will be vital in the months to come in order to overcome many of these issues.

     This is an exciting time of year for Illinois APCO.  Our membership may surpass the 600 mark for the first time in recent history.  We’ve accomplished so much during my four years as President and I’m equally as excited to watch as our new endeavors take off in the years to come.  It isn’t too late for you (vendors and public-safety employees) to sign up for the 2012 IPSTA Conference (911conference.org).  See what the future has to offer you and then take a step back in time for our Sock Hop themed banquet.  Don’t forget to visit Illinois APCO on Facebook and Twitter @ILAPCO.  Most importantly if you are attending our conference, follow @IPSTA911 for up to the minute notifications and information.

 Jason E. Kern

President, Illinois APCO

Are you attending IPSTA this year? We hope to see you there!

Read another article by Jason called "How Public Safety is Adapting to Next Generation Technology".


jason kern This article was written by Jason Kern, President of the Illinois chapter of APCO & Communications Supervisor at Highland Park Police Department. APCO International is the world's largest organization of public safety communications professionals. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide — and the welfare of the general public as a whole — by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.