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The Election
of Officers of the Virginia Chapter of APCO was held at the annual meeting in
Carol Adams (
Karen
Johnson (
Terry Hall (
Phil
Heins (
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NICE has announced the winners of the 2008 PSAPs’ Finest Awards, an
annual NICE Awards program that recognizes individuals for their outstanding
contributions to the field of Public Safety Communications. Awards are
presented each year in four categories: Telecommunicator, Line Supervisor,
Technician, and Communications Center Director of the Year. Among this year's
PSAPs’ Finest Award recipients is Heather Davis of
TELECOMMUNICATOR
OF THE YEAR (two-way tie)
Shalise Hunter
Communications
Specialist III
Heather Davis
Telecommunicator III
ECCS /
Introduced in 2006 in conjunction with National Public Safety Telecommunicators
Week, NICE Systems’ PSAPs’ Finest Awards Program is now in its third year.
Individuals are nominated by their public safety peers and then the most
compelling nominees are selected. PSAPs’ Finest winners are chosen based upon a
combination of criteria, including their specific contributions to public
safety communications, their commendable handling of incidents, extraordinary
dedication to their profession, length of public safety service, demonstrated
leadership, depth of knowledge, innovative problem solving and creative
thinking.
“I cannot think of any individuals more deserving of recognition than
this year’s PSAPs’ Finest Award recipients,” said Chris Wooten, President of
NICE Systems’ Security Division for the
The Virginia Chapter of APCO joins in congratulating Heather on her
outstanding dedication and commitment to 9-1-1.
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June 3,
2008, Stafford, Va. – The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials
(APCO) International today announced the 2008 Telecommunicator of the Year
Public Safety Award Program (PSAP) award to be presented to Karen Roy,
communications officer at the Stafford County (Va.) Sheriff’s Office, at the
Opening General Session of the APCO International 74th Annual
Conference and Exposition in Kansas City, Mo. on August 4.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s
Office serves the approximate 121,000 citizens of the county with emergency
call taking and dispatching not only for the Sheriff’s Office, but also for the
Stafford County Fire-EMS Department with a total call volume of over 410,000
calls per year.
“She reacts to the needs of the public safety user agency members
decisively, confidently, and in an expeditious manner as to even astound some
of the users themselves with the level of skill and expertise she possesses,”
Stafford County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Division Assistant
Operations Manager Karen L. Hileman said of
Roy was recently honored when her colleagues bestowed upon her the
responsibility of paying homage to Deputy Jason Mooney, who was killed in a
motor vehicle accident while on duty and communicating via radio with Roy at
the time of his accident, by conducting the Last Call over the radio at his graveside
and marking him off duty his final time.
“APCO International congratulates Karen Roy on being named
Telecommunicator of the Year,” APCO International President Willis Carter
said. “The work she has done in
The APCO International 74th Annual Conference and Exposition
will be held August 3-7 at the
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The T.E.R.T. Steering Committee has released Guidelines and Application Information for
the Virginia Telecommunicator Emergency Response Team Program. Questions or comments may be directed to Committee
Chair Julie P. McKercher, Director - James City County Emergency Communications.
Program Guidelines and Applications
Right Click and “Save File/Target As”
to Download
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The Election
of Officers of the Virginia Chapter of APCO was held at the annual meeting in
Linda Goodridge of
New faces among the Virginia Chapter APCO officers are Denise Torelli (
Melinda
Bramley (Virginia
Beach ECC) was re-elected Treasurer and Jim Junkins
(Harrisonburg-Rockingham ECC) was re-elected as Executive Council Delegate
(At Large Member) for a two-year
term.
The
Constitution and By-Laws were amended at the Fall
business meeting on Friday, October 19, 2007, in
SYNOPSIS OF CHANGES -
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
Resolution # 1
Intent: To clarify wording in Section 2, paragraph 2.1 of page
9 concerning the wording of election of the Chapter President, President Elect
and Immediate Past President.
Section 2 - POSITIONS TO BE FILLED
2.1 The
offices of President and President-Elect and Immediate Past President
shall be filled by annual advancement in rank. (i.e. the existing Vice
President advances to the office of President-Elect, the existing
President-Elect advances to the office of President, and the existing President
assumes the position of Immediate Past President)
Resolution
# 2
Intent:
The intent of this resolution is
to update and add to Section 2, paragraphs 2.3 and 2.4 of page 9. These changes
will enlarge the Chapter Executive Council by adding 3 additional Chapter at
Large positions and will change the terms of office of the Secretary and
Treasurer to two year terms of office. This resolution would also stagger the
terms of these offices.
2.2 The Vice President shall
be elected annually for a one-year term.
2.3 The APCO International
Executive Council Delegate, Treasurer and two (2) of the four (4) Chapter
Members-At-Large shall be elected
biannually for a two-year term. Terms for these offices will expire in even
number years.
2.4 The Secretary
and two (2) of the four (4) Chapter Members-At-Large shall be elected
biannually for a two-year term. Terms for these offices will expire in odd
number years.
Resolution
# 3
Intent:
To clarify the wording in Section 3,
paragraph 1, page 9 addressing how offices are nominated and filled.
All
elective positions in this Chapter shall be elected from nominations submitted
by the nominating committee in accordance with By-Laws Article V, Section 2.3, and
from nominations from the floor. Such balloting shall be done at the last
scheduled business session of the fall meeting in each calendar year.
Resolution # 4
Intent: To update and better explain how positions are filled
by adding new sections 3.1 and 3.2 under Section 3, page 9 of the Constitution
and By-Laws.
3.1 When the
nomination process produces two or more candidates for an elective position,
then that position shall be elected by ballot.
3.2 When the
nomination process produces only one candidate for an elective position, then
the Nominations Committee Chair shall take a voice vote at the close of the
nomination process to elect that individual to the position to which they were
nominated.
Resolution # 5
Intent: To update and better explain Section 4, page 9
concerning when newly elected officers will officially take office within the
Chapter.
Section 4 - DATE FOR
TAKING OFFICE
Candidates
elected at the fall meeting shall automatically take office at the end of the business
meeting held during the Fall of each calendar year, in which the term of office
expires.
Resolution # 6
Intent: To upgrade and better explain Section 2, Paragraph 1,
under Standing Committees on page 11 to include the new chapter officer
positions.
2.1
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
The
Chapter President shall be the Chair of this Council, and its members shall
consist of the Board of Officers, the Immediate Past President, the four (4) Chapter
Members-At-Large and the APCO International Executive
Council Delegate. A President who resigns during his/her term of
office shall not be eligible to serve as the immediate Past President on the
Executive Council; membership on the Council shall revert to the last Past
President having not resigned.
Resolution # 7
Intent: To update Section 2.3, Paragraph 4 on Page 12 under
Nominating Committee to be consistent with the changes of adding the three (3)
additional Chapter at Large positions to the Chapter
Executive Council.
The
committee chair shall report to the President, on a timely basis, and the Secretary
shall forward to the chapter membership a listing of the candidates for office
at least 30 days prior to the fall meeting. A short biography or resume for
each candidate shall be made available to the membership. This committee shall
bring the ballot to the fall meeting quorum, in the form of candidates for the
offices of Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, and when applicable, two (2)
of the four (4) Chapter Members-At-Large
or the APCO International Executive Council Delegate.
Resolution # 8
Intent: To update Section 6, page 15 to require an annual
audit of the financial records and to present the complete results of the audit
to the Chapter Membership
Section 6 – AUDITING OF
CHAPTER FINANCIAL RECORDS
An annual
audit of the Chapter’s financial records shall be performed by an independent
professional accountant or accounting firm. The Executive Council shall retain
the services of a qualified accountant or accounting firm, and the Chapter
shall bear the costs associated with this provision. The results of the annual audit shall be
presented to the Chapter membership.
A full copy of the Constitution and Bylaws is
available on the Constitution
and Bylaws webpage.
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The
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International
announced the 2007 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Award winners earlier
this year. The awards were presented at the Opening General Session of the APCO
International 73rd Annual Conference and Exposition in
The PSAP
Awards are the five annual awards presented 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 five
awards are Telecommunicator 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 2007 winners are as follows:
"APCO
International congratulates the 2007 PSAP Award winners," APCO
International President Wanda McCarley 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 their awards."
The Virginia Chapter joins in
congratulating Bill Hobgood of
The Association of
Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International announced the
The CALLS Award is made
each year to a corporation whose service to their employer and the community
they serve over the current year has been deserving of recognition.
"The APCO
International Board of Officers would like to express their most sincere
congratulations to the

Jim Junkins, Director of the
The Virginia Chapter
of NENA launched its new website on March 20, and according to Vice President
Rodney Gentry, its chocked full of wholesome NENA goodness! On the website, you will find BIO's of the
current VENA Board, links to other websites from the 911 industry, training and
educational opportunities, and the latest news!
Any suggestions, please let Rodney know at rlgentry@co.
Now - here is the
site - please bookmark it and save it among your "favorites"!
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On
March 13, 2007, the E9-1-1 Institute and the National Emergency
Number Association (NENA) will hosted the 4th Annual
“Honors Awards" Gala. The Gala
paid tribute to some of the heroes and leaders this past year, including the Fairfax County Public Safety Communications
Division, which was
recognized at the annual Awards Gala with the “Call Taker/Dispatcher of the
Year Award”.
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APCO International Applauds Virginia PBX/MLTS Legislation Passage
February 23, 2007,
"This legislation will go a long way in further protecting our citizens,
especially those in assisted living facilities, nursing homes, on college
campuses, visiting in vacation resorts, and all other facilities where
multi-line telephone systems are utilized," said Bill Agee, president of
the Virginia Chapter of APCO.
PBX/MLTS are characterized by multiple extensions operating from a single
switchboard. Most schools, businesses, and hotels operate on
PBX/MLTS. Currently, when a call is made from one of the extensions to
9-1-1 the location information provided is that of the switchboard and not the
extension, which can be found on a different floor of a building and even
sometimes in a different building.
This legislation came just weeks after APCO International re-released its
PBX/MLTS Whitepaper expressing a need for authoritative action on the part of
public safety leaders in respect to this issue. PBX/MLTS is an
issue which has been overshadowed by other technologies, but the problems
associated with this technology have not been fully addressed.
The paper outlines the current problems with MLTS and PBX, which include a lack
of consumer awareness that these systems can delay emergency response and the
perception that there is no incentive to correct the problem. In
addition, the paper urges national and state policy makers to move towards regulation
regarding 9-1-1 location information from MLTS and PBX.
Please visit http://www.apcointl.com/government/positions/issuepapers/Multi-LineTelephoneSystems.pdf
to read the whitepaper.
Visit House
Bill 1603 for information on the
A special thanks to our Virginia Chapter of APCO PBX Committee
Co-Chairs, Sam Keys and Tom Hanson, and to our Legislative Representative Terry
Hall for three years of their hard work and tenacious dedication in the passing
of the Virginia PBX/MLTS Legislation.
These members have represented the Chapter by attending endless meetings
and spending countless hours with Delegate Rapp for a successful conclusion.
The efforts of these gentlemen and members of the
Virginia Chapter of APCO have once again put us in the lead, not only in
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February 23, 2007
Dear Virginia APCO Members:
The Virginia Chapter of the
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (VA APCO) recognizes the
need for clear, concise and consistent communications between all
For this reason, the
Executive Board of VA APCO has unanimously voted to endorse the Virginia Common
Language protocols and encourages the use of the protocols for all
communications. The Executive Board of VA APCO encourages you to affect
usage of the Virginia Common Language Protocols in your employment, locality or
business so as to promulgate the protocol's usage throughout the Commonwealth.
Sincerely,
Bill Agee, President
Virginia Chapter of APCO
View or Download Endorsement Letter
To Download, Right Click and “Save
File/Target As”
Bernard J. “Buster” Brown, Chair of the Chapter’s
Membership Committee, invites interested members to be part of the Virginia
Chapter Membership Committee. Contact Buster via email bbrown@gcvasheriff.us
or 434-985-2222 Ext 501. Thanks for your
help.
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Greene County Sheriff’s Office (911 Communication Center)
went online with the APCO EMD program effective January 1, 2007. During the month of December, staff took the
CPR and the EMD Dispatcher course to prepare for implementation of APCO EMD.
Congratulations to the staff of
The 2006 APCO/NENA Fall
Conference, held November 15-17 at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel in
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Officers
for 2006-2007 are Bill Agee, President; Linda Goodridge, President-Elect; Carol
Adams, Vice President; Ken Crumpler, Secretary; and Melinda Bramley,
Treasurer. Immediate Past President
Terry Hall was elected to represent the Chapter on the APCO International
Executive Council for 2006-2008, and Jim Junkins will serve the second year of
his term as the at-large delegate to the Chapter Executive Council for
2005-2007.
President Bill
Agee (
President-Elect Linda
Goodridge (
Vice President Carol
Adams (
Secretary Kenneth
Crumpler (Virginia Office of
Treasurer Melinda
Bramley (
Int’l Executive Council Terry
Hall (
At-large Delegate Jim Junkins
(Harrisonburg-Rockingham ECC)
Immediate Past President Terry
Hall (
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Bramley and Hanson Named Chapter Life Members
Melinda Bramley (Virginia
Beach) and Tom
Hanson (UVA-Charlottesville-Albemarle) were awarded Chapter Life Membership
at the Fall 2006 meeting of the Virginia Chapter.
Bramley began her career
with the Virginia Beach 911 Emergency Communications Division in 1969. She began her career as an offense clerk and has
served as dispatcher, operations supervisor, administrative supervisor and
communications specialist. Melinda is
currently the Training and Retention Specialist for the division and is
responsible for the
planning, administration, and oversight of the Virginia Beach 911 Emergency
Communications Division’s training function.
Her responsibilities also include creating activities and programs to
enhance the selection, hiring and retention of Emergency Communications
Division Employees. Melinda possesses an
extensive knowledge of the entire operation of the Virginia Beach
Communications Division. Melinda holds
an Associates Degree in Police Science and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human
Resource Administration. She is also an
Emergency Medical Dispatch Instructor and a Department of Criminal Justices
General Instructor. Melinda represents
her department/division in a positive manner in both APCO and Region 42. Melinda has been a member of APCO
(Association of Public Safety Communications Officials Inc.) since 1982, and
has served on the Executive Board since 1984.
Melinda has served as Virginia APCO President, Virginia APCO Secretary
and is currently the Virginia State APCO Treasurer. She was recently awarded a Life Membership
in the Virginia Chapter of APCO. Melinda has been a member and served as
Secretary of the Region 42 Committee since its creation in 1988. Melinda is also an active member of NENA.
Hanson is Executive Director of the
Charlottesville/UVA/Albemarle Emergency Communications Center. He joined APCO in 1992. He served as the Chapter’s Delegate to APCO
International Executive Council from 2002 until 2006, and has been active on
various Chapter and International committees.
The Chapter extends its congratulations to both Melinda and Tom
and thanks them for their dedication and support of APCO.
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June 28,
2006, Washington, DC - The Association of Public-Safety Communications
Officials (APCO) International today announced the 2006 Public Safety Answering
Point (PSAP) Award winners. The awards will be presented at the Opening General
Session of the APCO International 72nd Annual Conference and Exposition in
Orlando, Fla. on August 7.
The PSAP Awards are the four annual awards presented 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 four awards are Telecommunicator of the Year, Technician of the Year, Line Supervisor of the Year, and Communications Center Director of the Year and the 2006 winners are as follows:
"APCO
International congratulates the 2006 PSAP Award winners," APCO
International President Wanda McCarley 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 their awards."
The APCO International 72nd Annual Conference and Exposition will be held August 6-10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
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Congratulations to
Noel Armstrong
of the Virginia State Police
Commonwealth of Virginia APCO
Frequency Coordinator
APCO International’s AFC Coordinator of the Year 2006
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Wade Named Chapter Life Member
Ron Wade was honored with Chapter
Life Membership at the Fall 2005 meeting of the Virginia Chapter. Wade retired as Superintendent of Roanoke City’s
9-1-1 Center in 2005. He has been a
member of APCO since 1988. He was
elected Vice President in Fall 2000, and served on the Chapter Executive
Council from then until Fall 2005. He
served as Chapter President during the 2002-2003 term. He has served as a conference chair and
co-chair for the Fall Conference for a number of years, as well as serving on
various other committees and as a member of the State EMS Communications
Committee.
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Chapter Contributes to Sunshine
Fund
The Virginia
Chapter of APCO is contributing $1,200 to the APCO Sunshine Fund as a means of providing
financial assistance to APCO International members in the areas
affected by Hurricane Katrina. Information on APCO's Sunshine Fund relief
effort is contained in a letter from APCO President Greg Ballentine
below.
Chapter
President Scott Chandler said, “The Virginia Chapter recognizes the impact of
this disaster upon our fellow telecommunicators and public safety
communications staff and is proud to contribute to this worthy effort.
Additionally, we extend our appreciation to all those who continue to
support public safety communications efforts in the affected
areas. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to our family of public
safety communications professionals in their time of need.”
Additionally,
the Louisiana Chapters of APCO and NENA have made a separate appeal for relief
efforts to support needs in Louisiana. A copy of the letter from Don
Smith, Louisiana NENA Chapter President is below.
Agencies
and individuals may wish to consider donating to these or other charitable
relief efforts.
Should
you have any questions, please contact any member of the Virginia Chapter's
Executive Council.
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Chapter History
Chapter
Historian Butch Johnstone has been researching the Chapter’s history. He has provided an Adobe file with an early Bulletin article, page 21, and the oldest
copy of Constitution and By-Laws that International can find (the first 20
pages). Actually, this represents the entire contents of International's
file on VA Chapter. The Bulletin article includes the names of those
instrumental in chapter formation (APCO President Paul Franklin, Virginians:
Marshall, Lee, Anderson, Crosen and 23 others), past membership in the National
Chapter, and "charter application to be filed at least 60 days before the
1960 Conference".
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Chapter’s Constitution & Bylaws Amended and Adopted
The Chapter’s Constitution & Bylaws were amended and
adopted at the Fall meeting in Roanoke on October 8, 2004. The new bylaws appear on this website, along
with a summary of the changes approved.
Thanks to the Bylaws Committee for their excellent work and submission!
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