Monday Night Social - Kansas APCO Conference - October 17

For those joining us at the Fall APCO Conference, which I hope is most of you, don't forget we have the VOICE Products, INC. Monday Night Social on October 17th at 1900 hours. The party is onsite and will be a lot of fun with entertainment provided by DJ Cain, including games, contests, and prizes throughout the evening! Please join us for food, drinks and fun as we celebrate all the behind-the-scenes heroes!

FREE Conference Registration – Fall 2016

The Kansas Chapter of APCO is giving away two free registrations to the 2016 Fall Conference in Wichita KS, October 17^th through the 19^th.

If you are the 100^th or 125^th registrant your conference registration fee will be waived. 

Our host, Sedgwick Co, has an exceptional conference planned.  It starts with a pre-conference workshop on Building a Training Program.  This pre-conference workshop is FREE to paid conference registrants.  Tuesday we will kick off the conference with Dr. Kelly R. Rasmussen and Nix the Negativity in the Workplace.  Wednesday we will hear about the Excel Active Shooter incident in Hesston KS followed by several outstanding breakout sessions.

We will also be conducting Chapter Elections on Wednesday October 19^th.  As of this post we have two very qualified candidates running for 2^nd Vice President and one qualified for the Chapter’s new Treasures position.  Candidate bios can be found on our Facebook page.

The conference schedule is attached and posted on the Chapter website at www.ksapco.org/conference-registration-and-payment.html

The Chapter will also be doing a fundraiser for the APCO Sunshine Fund details to follow in a few days.  Information about the APCO Sunshine Fund can be found here: www.apcointl.org/donate.html

Also be looking for a special announcement October 1^st. 


REMEMBER - Early Registration Ends September 30^th, 2016

Fall Conference Schedule Posted!

The conference schedule for the fall conference has been posted!  To see the exciting lineup visit the conference page on ksapco.org. You asked for more classes for the front line dispatcher? Check! New classes that haven't been done at previous conferences? Check! More training that has to do with "day to day" activities? Check! We're hoping you will find this conference to be exactly what you are looking for!

Candidates for 2nd Vice President - Elections to be Held at Fall Conference

One of the important things about attending the fall conference is that we do elections during that time. We have two great, qualified candidates for 2nd Vice President that we would like you to meet. Voting will be completed in person at the APCO conference.

Laura Meyers 

Laura Meyers began her public safety career with Sedgwick County Emergency Communications in 2009 as a Dispatcher. She served on the communications center floor as a cross-trained Dispatcher and Communications Training Officer until making the move to the Support Services division as a Quality Assurance/Training Specialist. From there, she promoted into an administrative role, and continues to serve in that capacity as the Major over the Support Services division. Laura oversees the QA and Training sectors, as well as handling public education and community outreach. She also serves as the Records Clerk for the department, processing Kansas Open Records Act requests and testifies for Emergency Communications when requested for court proceedings. Laura’s favorite part of her job is interacting with the community, especially presenting information to elementary school students on how to properly use the 9-1-1 service. Laura holds a baccalaureate degree in Hospitality Management from the University of Missouri – Columbia, and is a classically trained Pastry Chef, having attended the French Pastry School in Chicago, Illinois. She resides in northwest Wichita with her husband Daniel and three small children, Anderson, Abraham, and Clark.

Laura is excited to submit her intent to serve as the 2nd Vice President and hopes to network with public safety professionals, expand leadership skills, and gain specialized experience by serving in this role.

Mary Eitel

I was born and raised on the east coast in the small town of La Plata just south of Washington, D.C. 
I worked part time answering phones at a local car dealership all throughout high school and began working full time there after graduating in 1987. I progressed from a telephone operator to a warranty claims administrator and finally ended up in the Finance Department.
I met my husband in 1992, we married and moved to western Kansas in 1995 to join the family farm operation. I worked at the Pharmacy in Dighton for 8 years and enjoyed morning coffee daily with Sheriff Don Wilson. Sheriff Wilson offered me a job as the dispatch supervisor in 2003 and I jumped on the chance to pursue what had always been a dream.
Since joining the Sheriff’s Office in 2003 I have seen many changes and been a part of the transition from basic 911 to enhanced 911 and now rising to the challenges we face as we move on to Next Gen 911.
I have been a member of APCO for 13 years and feel like it is time for me to give back to the organization for all of the wonderful training that has been provided. Kansas APCO has always been very important to me and coming to conference twice a year feels like coming home. I get to visit with old friends, make new friends and share stories about the hardships and the stories of how we help people every day.
I currently reside on the farm just north of Dighton with my husband Mark.

Feedback Requested from Attendees of the Spring Conference in Topeka

Visit Topeka has contracted with an independent market research firm, Young Strategies, Inc., to conduct visitor research regarding Topeka, KS as a travel destination for leisure, business, meetings and events.  If you attended a meeting or event in Topeka, KS in the past two years, we would appreciate your help by taking a few moments to respond to the Topeka, KS Visitor Survey.

Your answers will be helpful to Visit Topeka as we develop a new strategic plan and work to improve the visitor experience while in Topeka, KS.  Upon completion of the survey you will be eligible to register for a chance to win (1 of 2) $250 VISA gift cards.

Here is a link to the survey:
https://www.research.net/r/KansasPublicInfoOfficers

This link is uniquely tied to the visitor survey and your meeting group; please do not forward.  Visit Topeka thanks you in advance for your time and valuable input.  

Kansas APCO : Visionary Leaders Wanted - Chapter Elections

Put your visionary skills to use the Kansas Chapter of APCO is looking for a few good women and men to join the cause, if you’re an advocate of providing professional networking, development, technical assistance, advocacy, and empowering your fellow Public Safety Telecommunicators then you should serve as a Kansas Chapter of APCO Board Member. The following positions are up for election during the Fall Chapter Conference in Wichita, KS Oct. 17 – 19^th
            2^nd Vice President
            Treasurer
Service as a member of the Board is an honor that carries with it awesome responsibilities. Before a member commits to being a candidate, that responsibility must be clearly understood and appreciated, not only by candidate, but by his or her employer.
 A candidate's employer must have a keen awareness of the value of the Chapter's mission, the honor of APCO service, and the strong support the candidate must have to effectively serve as an APCO Officer.
This support is manifested in many ways which include, but are not limited to, the need for the employee to be able to be away from his/her employment for APCO Business Meetings. Attendance at the annual conference, Board of Officers Meetings, on-site reviews, and other functions is imperative.  Don’t let the requirements scare you or your employer because a majority of Chapter Business is conducted via conference call.
The duties and responsibilities of each position is detailed in the Chapter Bylaws (found on the Kansas APCO website) 
If you are interested in serving, download the Declaration of Candidacy (found on the Kansas APCO website) and submit it to the KSAPCO Board Past President Lance Royer.
                                               Lance Royer, Captain
                                               Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office
                                               320 S Kansas Ave Suite 200
                                               Topeka, KS 66603-3641
                                               Email:  Lance.Royer@snco.us
------------------------------
Joshua Michaelis
Director
Rice County 9-1-1 Emergency Communications
Lyons, KS
jmichaelis@rcsoks.org
620-257-2363
------------------------------ 

Kansas APCO Fall Conference Pre-Session Course

Building a Training Program

Monday, October 17^th, 1pm-5pm

Holiday Inn East (I-35), Pecan Room

As we all know, training the right people for the job is critical, and providing the right training for those people is of utmost importance. It’s been proven that retention rates rise with improved and increased amounts of quality training, and “more training” is one of the most requested tools sought after by those in our industry. The new standards across the state will require a more comprehensive approach to preparing 911 call takers and dispatchers for the job they do. Agencies looking for some guidance in how to fulfill that new requirement will find this course helpful, as well as agencies that are looking to overhaul their current program to provide more in-depth and thorough training from start to finish.

This workshop will teach you about planning and scheduling your training, how to incorporate various training methods into your program which will appeal to each of the different learning styles, and how to reinforce the learning. We’ll discuss various exercises, such as lecture, proper review, using audio, hands-on practical exercises, and the use of outside speakers. You will learn how to properly build a quiz and/or a test to ensure the critical training material is covered and understood. You’ll learn about the importance of documentation throughout the classroom training phase. In addition, we’ll discuss the training taken beyond the classroom and into the OJT phase. You will learn how to build a strong CTO team, which will include the process for choosing CTOs, training them, and holding them accountable to ongoing standards. We’ll also discuss ways to further invest in your training team through additional learning opportunities to assist them not only with their training sessions, but also to prepare them for future leadership roles.

This class is FREE to paid conference registrants.  Seating for this class is limited and will fill up fast.  To register for this pre-session course you must first register for the conference and then email or call Kristin Gill with Sedgwick County Emergency Communications, Kristin.Gill@sedgwick.gov or 316-660-4977.  You won’t want to miss this!

Kansas APCO : CALL TO ACTION-Reclassifying Public Safety Telecommunicators

CALL TO ACTION from APCO International & the Kansas Chapter
“Reclassifying Public Safety Telecommunicators as 'Protective' Occupations”
On July 22^nd, 2016 the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) published a 2^nd Federal Register Notice requesting comments on a review committee’s recommendation for a SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) revision.  Unfortunately, this Notice did not include APCO’s recommendations.  The committee also rejected a bipartisan letter from the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus Co-Chairs.  This decision was very disheartening to me. 

So today I participated in APCO’s webinar on reclassification.  APCO International is now calling for action from Public Safety Telecommunicators across the country.  As the Kansas Chapter President I’m also requesting both members and non-members to take action. 
You can help by going to www.apcointl.org/advocacy/take-action.html APCO International has developed a standard unifying message to the OMB. 

Additional information on the Call to Action can be found at: www.apcointl.org/SOC
As new information and other grassroots information is made available I will distribute that information via PS Connect and other social media outlets. The pubic window for comments closes on September 20^th, 2016.

It is time that Public Safety Telecommunications are recognized as a protective service occupation.

We are the First, First Responders

God Bless,

Joshua Michaelis, President

Kansas Chapter

2016 Fall APCO Conference - The Gold Standard

Sedgwick County Emergency Communications is honored to host the Kansas APCO Fall Conference, celebrating those that represent the thin gold line throughout the state of Kansas. The conference, held October 17th through October 19th, will be full of opportunities to celebrate your excellence will learning more about your chosen profession and networking with other gold liners. The conference is being held at the newly renovated Holiday Inn located at 549 S. Rock Rd. in Wichita. Please join us!

Registration is now open and we are accepting calls for presentations.  Head over to www.ksapco.org to register and submit your presentation for approval!  

We can't wait to see you in October!

Free Kansas VINE Training for New Statewide Implementation

Kansas VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), an automated victim notification  service, is currently being implemented across Kansas. Kansas VINE is provided through a  collaborative effort between Appriss, Inc., the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL), the Office  of the Attorney General, and the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association (KSA). Kansas VINE is a free and anonymous telephone and online service that provides victims of  crime and concerned citizens the ability to search for custody status information on an  incarcerated offender in a county jail. Kansas VINE also provides the ability to register for  notifications on a change in custody status for an incarcerated offender.

This training is designed to promote awareness and increase usage of Kansas' VINE among  law enforcement, jail staff, victim advocates, community members, etc.

Victims have a right to know.

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A FREE KANSAS VINE AWARENESS TRAINING!

KANSAS CITY   Tuesday, August 2 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Kansas City Kansas Community College Thomas R. Burke Technical Ed. Center 6565 State Ave Kansas City, KS 66102  Training in Allied Health Multi-Purpose Rm #2901		PITTSBURG Thursday, August 4 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Pittsburg State University   McPherson Hall  1702 S. Homer Street Pittsburg, KS 66762 Located directly behind the football stadium
TOPEKA Wednesday, August 3 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Law Enforcement Center Topeka Police Department/ Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office 320 S. Kansas Ave Topeka, KS 66603 Training held in Classroom A		WICHITA Friday, August 5 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Sedgwick County Extension Education Center 7001 West 21st North Wichita, KS 67205 Corner of 21st and Ridge Road

Preview of Class Topics for 2016 Kansas APCO Spring Conference - Don't Miss Out!

Monday, April 11:

TERT—all day--JL Ellis

911 Coordinating Council Meetings:

·         08:30-09:45-Subcommittee meetings:

o   Technical, Operations, GIS, Administration, Training

·         10:00-noon—911 Coordinating Council Meeting

·         15:00-17:00—NG911 Update and Q&A-Users’ Group

16:30-17:00—Former ASTRA Users’ Group meeting

Tuesday morning, April 12:

·         General session on Active Shooter and an overview of the FBI Terrorism Task Force-Topeka Police Department Officer Doug Ping

·         General session on Ethics—Dennis Butler, Ottawa Police Chief

·         General session on Media Relations—Dennis Butler, Ottawa Police Chief

Wednesday morning, April 13:

·         General session on Teambuilding: Norby Rudel, Internal Performance International

·         General session on Legislative Updates and KCJIS: Ed Klumpp on legislative updates and Gordon Lansford on KCJIS

Tuesday and Wednesday Breakout Classes

·         NG911 Website and Portal for Administrators-- Michele Abbott-Director, Administrative Services/E911 Director, Hutchinson Police Department

·         GROW—recognizing opportunities to grow in your life and balancing home and work life-- Lt. Kristin Gill-Sedgwick CO Emergency Communications and Management

·         Transitioning from Peer to Supervisor—Lt. Kristin Gill-Sedgwick CO Emergency Communications and Management

·         NLETS-KBI

·         Safety and Communication-Chad Omitt, National Weather Service

·         ICS 100, ICS 200, and ICS 802 ESF2—SNSO Cpl. Errin Mahan and a team from Shawnee County Emergency Management

·         NCIC Violent Person File--KHP

·         Supervision and employee performance reviews-Norby Rudel

·         PS Connect—Bill Duggan-Director, Lyon County Emergency Communications Center

·         Leadership—Bill Duggan- Director, Lyon County Emergency Communications Center

·         Nationwide Public Broadband Network/FirstNet-Craig Divoll-Kansas Office of Emergency Communications

·         Kansas Statewide Interoperable Communication System and Motobridge—Michaela Isch-Kansas Office of Emergency Communications

·         TIM-Traffic Incident Management—Kansas Department of Transportation

Communications Training Officer Course

On March 30 thru April 01, Lyon County Emergency Communications Center will be co-hosting the APCO Institute course, Communications Training Officer class. If you have any CTOs that need to be trained, or if you are interesting in starting a CTO program in your agency, this is an excellent training to attend!

KS TERT Basic Awareness Training

The Kansas Chapter of APCO is pleased to be partnering with the Kansas Office of Emergency Communications to offer KS-TERT Basic Awareness Training in conjunction with the Spring APCO Conference in Topeka! Check out the conference page on ksapco.org for more information. Don't wait, space is limited!

Proposed Amendments to Kansas APCO Bylaws

Greetings KS APCO Members 

Official Constitution & Bylaw Amendment Notice 

During the 2016 Spring Conference general business meeting the attached proposed constitution & bylaw amendments will be voted on in accordance within the existing C & B Section 4.2. 

The Chapter Executive Board’s intent is that the Chapter Constitution & Bylaws should mirror APCO International bylaws when and where applicable.  Our current bylaws are antiquated, lacking current practices and procedures.  The last time Chapter bylaws were revised was in October of 1998. 

The proposed amendments will be posted on the Chapter web site http://www.ksapco.org as well.

Recognize a Hero!

Do you have a hero in your midst? Here is a great opportunity to recognize them and show them how much you appreciate their dedication! Nominations for Telecommunicator of the Year, Line Supervisor of the Year, Director of the Year, and Team of the Year are being accepted now through March 11th for recognition at the Spring APCO conference on April 11th. You do not have to be an APCO member or even a dispatcher to submit a nomination (hint, hint to the agencies we dispatch for). Nominations will be forwarded to a neighboring state's APCO chapter for final determination of winners.

Visit APCO's website for nomination forms.http://www.ksapco.org/awards.html

Greetings for the New Year!

Greetings KS APCO Members,

I hope 2015 was prosperous and that 2016 will be even better

Since the New Year has been rung in I’m excited for what the Kansas Chapter of APCO has planned for 2016.  But before we talk about 2016 please take some time and reflect about all the exceptional incidents handled by your peers.  Once again we will be recognizing the telecommunicator, team, line supervisor, & director of the year.  Updated nomination forms are available now at http://www.ksapco.org/awards.html. 

Following are just a few of the things happening in 2016:

The Spring Conference will be back in Topeka, KS April 11^th through April 13^th, with the Ramada Topeka Downtown Hotel & Convention Center serving as the conference hotel. Once again Shawnee County Emergency Communications will be our host agency and they have been busy planning an awesome conference with excellent training.  Remember to check our chapter social media sites for updated information on conference registration, and scheduling.  Don’t forget!! NOMINATE those outstanding co-workers.

The Fall Conference will be back in Wichita, KS October 17^th through October 19^th, with the Holiday Inn Wichita East I-35 serving as the conference hotel.  Sedgwick County Emergency Communications will be our specular host agency.  Chapter elections are held during the fall conference.  The chapter is always looking for future leaders.  If you have questions about serving your fellow Chapter members, contact Past President Lance Royer who is the Nominations Committee Chair or any other board member.

We are always looking for conference hosts. If your agency is interested in hosting let us know.

Once again I look forward to serving the membership in 2016 as your Chapter President.  If you have questions, concerns, or comments please contact me at jmichaelis@rcsoks.org. 

I look forward to creating, renewing, & strengthening our Chapter Membership.

Hope to see you in Topeka

Josh