Alexandria, VA – On July 11, 2014, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International released two standards for public review and comment.

Candidate APCO ANS 1.116.1-201x, Public Safety Communications Common Status Codes for Data Exchange, will contain a comprehensive list of descriptive terms that can be used to track the activities of emergency responders. The list of terms commonly referred to as status codes, will encompass situations that involve police, fire, emergency medical services or a multi discipline combination of resources. The standardized status codes will allow disparate agencies to share data by linking common status codes in emergency situations.

Candidate APCO ANS 1.112.1-201x, Best Practices for the Use of Social Media in Public Safety Communications, provides a foundation for agencies to develop specific operational procedures and competencies.

“A standardized list of status codes is a significant step forward in facilitating effective data exchange between PSAPs who wish to share incident information,” said APCO President Gigi Smith. President Smith continued, “it is also important for PSAPS to recognize the need for customized procedures regarding social media that are specific to their local environment.”

The public review and comment period is an important step in the standard development process. This provides an opportunity for all interested parties to review and contribute. These draft standards can be downloaded for review at http://www.apco911.org/standards/call-to-action-review-a-comment.html.

To provide comments on either of these standards, please contact APCO Standards Development via e-mail to standards@apcointl.org for instructions. All comments must be received by August 26, 2014.

About APCO International™ (www.apcointl.org)
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.