Alexandria, VA –The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International has released a standard revision for public review and comment. The revision and re-designation process occurs every five years for all American National Standards (ANS) to ensure that all standards are up-to-date with current trends in operations, training and technology.

APCO/ NENA ANS 1.105.2-201x, Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce (TERT) Deployment (Revision), assists Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and governing 9-1-1 authorities with the information required for developing, training, equipping and deploying a standardized TERT team. TERT is the concept of communications-specific mutual aid between PSAPs to provide trained PSAP personnel during emergency situations. Unlike most contingency plans prepared by individual PSAPs to address specific threats to their own PSAPs, TERT involves providing qualified communications personnel to work in another PSAP and requires coordination among PSAPs, mutual aid consortiums and Emergency Management Agencies (EMA) from different municipalities, states and regions. When possible, the TERT members’ skill sets should match those of the requesting agency. This coordination must take into account that while each agency is unique in its resources and operations, the basic duties and responsibilities remain the same.

“This update continues APCO’s legacy of providing support to interoperability at multiple levels. Providing guidance for the rapid deployment of trained personnel during major emergencies and the ability to share resources is one of the most important factors in emergency communications,” said John Wright, President of APCO International.

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. The draft standards can be downloaded for review at http://www.apco911.org/standards/call-to-action-review-a-comment.html. Comments on this candidate standard must be submitted via e-mail to standards@apcointl.org by March 23, 2015.

APCO International® (www.apcointl.org)
APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole.