Congratulations to Kathryn Schmelzer (SERESA)
APCO, Intl Telecommunicator of the Year
9-1-1 SAVES ACT UPDATE
Bipartisan support continues to grow for the 9-1-1 Saves Act, which would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to categorize public safety telecommunicators as Protective Service Occupations (rather than administrative/clerical) in the Standard Occupational Clarification. Congresswoman, Norma Torres, recently posted a personal message calling on the OMB to fix the classification (without waiting for the law to be passed) and described her first-hand experiences as a former public safety telecommunicator. As part of APCO's ongoing efforts, our advocacy platform is actively facilitating a grassroots campaign to send letters to members of Congress seeking support. Please TAKE ACTION and contact your representative and senators today, and encourage others to do so as well.
Reference HB2351 and SB1175
Free Webinars
August 3rd -1pm Eastern
Re-Thinking 9-1-1 Emergency Response & Incident Reconstruction Presented by: NICE and RapidSOS
August 31st -1pm Eastern
Leveraging AI for Precise Location Mapping for Emergencies
Sponsored by One Hundred Feet
The Next APCO/NENA VIRTUAL MEETING Thursday, September 9th 10:00 am
Michigan Silent Key - David Hugh Held
Our chapter recently lost an important former member and friend, Dave Held. He was born August 9, 1936 in Paw Paw and grew up working on his family farm where he developed skills in working with electronics. His sons referred to him as, "the magician", due to his ability to build and repair even the most challenging projects. He pioneered digital communications for the MSP, where he began a career in 1957. He was promoted to Director of Communications in 1975 and managed this division until his retirement in 1997. Dave was a Chapter President and served many years as our Frequency Coordinator. This kind man will be missed by his friends and family and we are grateful for his work on behalf of our chapter.
RFP template to assist in crafting an effective RFP aligned with actual operational needs in your center
Cybercrime Support Network Information
2021 EXECUTIVE BOARD
President Chris Collom
1st Vice President Kim Grafton
2nd Vice President Dave Rapacz
Sgt-at-Arms Kelley Cunningham
Secretary Michelle James
Treasurer Phyllis Fuller
Imm. Past President Sandy Nielsen
Executive Council Kim Ostin
Commercial Rep. Larry Stidham
The 911 SAVES Act remains alive as a stand alone act. It continues to gain bipartisan support. If you haven't contacted your State Senators or Representatives, now is the time to do so using the APCO advocacy portal.
ABOUT US
The Michigan Chapter of APCO is part of the world's oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals. We support our members by providing professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach. We welcome you and invite you to join us in working together to better our profession.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) is an international leader committed to providing public safety communications expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach to benefit our members and the public.