Daytona Beach, Fla.—July 25, 2012— Four public safety agencies have met or exceeded the minimum training standards for the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International Project 33 Training Program Certification-2010 and will be awarded at APCO’s 78^th Annual Conference, August 19^th-22^nd in Minneapolis, Minn.

Public safety agencies utilize APCO Project 33 Agency Training Program Certification as a formal mechanism to certify their training programs in meeting APCO American National Standards (ANS). Initial and continuing training for public safety telecommunicators is important as they provide essential services to the public in an expanding and rapidly changing public safety environment.

The eighteen APCO Project 33 Training Program Certified agencies are:

• Broomfield Police, Broomfield, Colo.
• Broward Sheriff’s Office, Ft Lauderdale, Fla.
• Charlottesville/UVA/Albemarle County Emergency Communications Center, Charlottesville, Va.
• Coral Springs Police & Fire Communications, Coral Springs, Fla.
• Delaware County Emergency Communications Center, Muncie, Ind.
• Durham Emergency Communications Center, Durham, N.C.
• Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC), Fairfax, Va.
• Gaston County Police 911 Communications, Gastonia, N.C.
• Grand Junction Communication Center, Grand Junction, Colo.
• Hoke County Emergency Communications, Raeford, N.C.
• Lincoln Emergency Communications Center, Lincoln, Neb.
• Metropolitan Area Communications Center (MetCom), Centennial, Colo.
• Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, Eagleville, Pa.
• Phoenix Police Department Communications Bureau, Phoenix, Ariz.
• Regional Emergency Dispatch Authority, Artesia, N.M.
• Spokane County 911, Spokane, Wash.
• TriCom Central Dispatch, Saint Charles, Ill.
• Valley Communications, Kent, Wash.

Gregg Riddle, President of APCO International said, “Public safety standards are important as they ensure our staff is receiving and employing the most up-to-date information and tactics. We thank these certified agencies and staff for their unwavering dedication, perseverance in the public safety industry and their commitment to strategic emergency service procedures.”

Recipients will be recognized at the APCO’s 78th Annual Conference and Exposition Distinguished Achievers Breakfast in Minneapolis, Minn., on Tuesday, August 21, 2012.

For more information about the P33 Training Program Certification process, please visit apcointl.org/p33 for details.

About APCO International

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.