Outgoing APCO President Terry Hall: “Much Accomplished; Much to Do”
This column originally ran in the August issue of Public Safety Communications. To get your subscription, become an APCO member today: http://apcointl.org/apco-membership/join-now/member-categories.html
In reflecting over my yearlong presidency, I’m reminded of comments I made before many of you at APCO’s 78th Annual Conference & Expo in Minneapolis. I stated that one measure of APCO’s success this year would be based on strengthening our relationships with other major national public safety organizations, such as the IACP, NSA and the IAFC, as well as our federal partners and key groups of public safety representatives, such as SAFECOM, NPSTC (the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Offices of Interoperable and Compatibility (OIC) and Emergency Communications (OEC). I would like to take a moment to review some of the accomplishments that our long-standing working relationships have cultivated.
Professional Association Partners
Much of my effort this year has focused on increasing our relationships with the other major public safety organizations in the country for such groups as the police chiefs, sheriffs and fire chiefs. Not only is this important with regard to maintaining our collaborative relationships on the Public Safety Alliance in which APCO continues to play a leading role, but it is also important to ensure that we, APCO, maintain our leading role and voice when speaking with the other public safety organizations on matters of common interest. I, along with the Executive Committee, have spent hundreds of hours this year in one-on-one and group meetings with the leaders of the IACP, NSA, IACP, NASEMSO and others, and I am pleased to tell you that the rest of the Executive Committee and I believe that our relationships with the other public safety associations within the Washington, D.C., beltway is the strongest it has ever been and serves as the groundwork for future collaborations.
Federal Partners
APCO’s influence remains apparent, with a permanent seat on the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) to the FirstNet Board, which I am filling. For the first time in history, APCO is chairing SAFECOM. With my election as chair several months ago, APCO’s leadership role within that federal government established organization is also at its highest level. We have spent many hours working with our friends at DHS OIC and OEC on crucial funding matters for public safety. A number of potential funding opportunities remain in the pipeline, but one of our successes involved OEC funding the training for a TERT train-the-trainer program in the D.C. area. APCO’s regular outreach to the federal government remains important.
Influence on Capitol Hill
Strong relationships with Congressional leaders and staff have yielded many opportunities to showcase APCO’s importance in the public safety communications ecosystem. One such example stems from my testimony before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications. The hearing, which was held after a severe June 2012 derecho storm knocked out service in 9-1-1 call centers in the mid-Atlantic, focused on topics related to the resilience of public safety communications networks. I was able to emphasize how Next Generation 9-1-1 technology holds great promise to ensure a level of diversity and redundancy for 9-1-1 networks.
Then, in April, I met with majority and minority staff of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications Subcommittee, as well as majority staff from the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to address funding that had been cut from SAFECOM, as well as the Highlands Group, the contractor that manages the federal funding for NPSTC travel. I’m pleased to report that some of the funding for these programs was subsequently restored.
APCO’s Role in Text-to-9-1-1 Agreement
APCO’s strong ties with the nation’s four largest wireless carriers helped broker an agreement on a voluntary commitment to offer text-to-9-1-1 services. Although I am confident the agreement meets the needs of the public safety community and other stakeholders, it did not come without persistent negotiation. Ultimately, the ability to find middle ground between the carriers and public safety for the text-to-911 requirement was the result of strong relationships APCO has forged over many years with the wireless industry.
APCO Remains Committed to the Global Alliance
As an international organization, global relationships are just as important as domestic. That’s why in November of last year, representatives from APCO International, APCO Canada, British APCO and APCO Australasia came together to sign a Charter demonstrating their continuing commitment to the APCO Global Alliance. The Charter, along with a corporate plan and marketing strategy to promote excellence in the global development and use of public safety communications, will ensure public safety communications remains a global priority for the foreseeable future. We have worked tirelessly this year to revitalize the Global Alliance and I am pleased to report that for the first time the Global Alliance has funds in reserve and a plan to move forward and grow its sphere of influence around the world.
NPSTC Partners with APCO for Standards Development
One of the true highlights of my tenure as APCO’s president, and one which really demonstrates the value of relationship-building, came in March of this year when NPSTC voted to partner with APCO on technical standards related to public safety broadband communications using the APCO ANSI process. APCO, which is a founding NPSTC member, is able to leverage its status as an ANSI standards setting body to assist NPSTC as it develops broadband requirements. I fully believe this partnership will serve to strengthen public safety broadband communications in the U.S., and galvanize the relationships among the public safety organizations that make up NPSTC.
I have touched on only a few of the many highlights from this past year as your APCO president. APCO has accomplished so much and yet the year has flown by. There is still much to be done to continue to lead in the public safety communications arena.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was sworn into office. I would like to thank my Executive Committee colleagues for their support and also thank my staff at the York-Poquoson-Williamsburg Regional 9-1-1 Center for their hard work and dedication this past year. Lastly, I would like to thank my wife Kitty who has supported me at every step on this incredible journey. It’s been a true honor to serve as your president. I look forward to continuing to serve our organization next year as your immediate past president.
TERRY HALL is the chief of emergency communications for York-Poquoson-Williamsburg Emergency Communications Center in Yorktown, Va. He has more than 30 years of experience in public safety.