Fall 2018 APCO Conference

The Fall Kansas APCO Conference will be held in Salina, KS at the Hilton Garden Inn on October 8th-10th, 2018. This will be a co-hosted conference between the APCO Board and Kansas 911 Coordinating Council. The Salina Police Department will be our supporting local host and has been assisting the committee to make this a great conference! Go to our conference page for more information. August 31st will be our Flash Day for savings. We are currently accepting Call for Presentation papers. Link is on the conference page. We will post the majority of the schedule before flash day and hotel information soon.

Join us in the spring! (Class Details)

On behalf of Sumner County Emergency Communications and Sedgwick County Emergency Communications, we are very excited to have you join us in Mulvane at the beautiful Kansas Star Casino April 16^th through 18^th for the spring APCO conference!  We are working hard to put together a conference lineup that will leave you feeling informed and ignited by the time you are done.  We want to ignite, or re-ignite, your passion for public safety and provide you with tools to be successful, both when at the console and at home! 

Some of the classes we will be offering include –

Receiving, Identifying, and Dispatching Swatting/911 Hoax Calls will be one of our general session classes.  We have all seen this happen in Kansas recently and want to be prepared for if, or really when, we are faced with the same situation in our own 911 centers.  Lt. Ben Finley has worked with numerous law enforcement agencies around the metro Atlanta area on swatting investigations and developed his training program based off of real life experiences.  He will go over the way calls are made, the type of technology these callers have used in the past, as well as new or trending devices and techniques, and will help provide you tools to identify indicators that should raise your suspicion for these types of situations.

We will have classes tailored for the front line dispatcher, including –

Work/Life Balance.  You are more than a warm body in a chair and it is important to maintain an effective work/life balance so that you can serve your family, your community and your self. 

Customer Service Training.  What does customer service look like in 911?  It isn’t the same at 911 that it is in the retail industry, for example.  This is customer service training tailored to YOU, the dispatcher. 

Forensic Nursing and Evidence Preservation.  This will be a discussion of what forensic nursing does and what they are looking for in sexual assault investigations.  This is helpful to know because the dispatcher can play a very important role in evidence preservation and later prosecution.  Never forget that you are the first line in successful investigation and prosecution so being educated on what will happen once you are done with the call is important.

Open Fox Tips and Tricks.  You’ve been trained on the basics but here are some tips to enhance your experience and an opportunity to ask questions of the experts. 

Complacency Training.   A complacent dispatcher is dangerous and unfortunately it is a trap that we can fall into.  Renew yourself in this course and allow it to focus you back in on why you do what you do and why you have to give 100% on every call.   

And many, many more. 

We have classes for trainers, including –

Presentation Skills.  There is an art to presenting in a way that is understood and effective.  This is a great opportunity to learn some new skills and work on knocking your next presentation out of the park!

Improving Trainee Performance.  We all want trainees to be successful – both because it is a reflection on us as trainers and because we want them to stay so we don’t have to keep training people!  Here we will provide you some tools to help ensure that you are successful as a trainer.

We have classes for supervisors, including –

Giving and Receiving Feedback.  Giving and receiving feedback can be tricky, especially when you are providing it to people who you have worked next to for years.  It is even more important that we, as leaders, are able to receive feedback.  This class will help arm you for delivering effective feedback and provide you tools to make sure that you are open to receiving feedback, as well. 

Servant Leadership.  Do you want to make a change in your 911 culture?  Do you want to be a leader that others want to follow?  Servant Leadership is a different way to approach leadership and create some change in your organization.  This class will discuss what it means to be a servant leader in the 911 industry.

And we have classes for administrators, including -

Hiring Roundtable.  What are other agencies doing that is, or is not, working in their hiring?  Where do they advertise?  How do they test?  Come join us in a discussion and share ideas on how to get the right candidate behind the console.

Contingency and Overflow Planning on the Statewide System.  What are the contingency measures for 911 calls on the statewide system and how can you be prepared for potential future issues?

This is just a sampling of classes, there are more to come!  Trust me when I say you don’t want to miss out on this conference.

Join us online, Wednesday, February 14^th, for our Flash Day!  If you register and pay online on February 14^th, registration will be $80 for APCO members and $100 for non-members.  On February 15^th registration goes back to its 2018 rate of $100 for members and $125 for non-members.  And don’t forget we have one day registration passes available for $50!

I can’t wait to see you in the spring!

Elora Forshee

Sedgwick County Emergency Communications

Kansas APCO Immediate Past President

2018 Spring APCO Conference Call for Presentations

Good morning,

Sedgwick County Emergency Communications and Sumner County Emergency Communications are co-hosting the Kansas Spring APCO Conference, April 16^th through the 18^th, at the Kansas Star Casino, 777 Kansas Star Drive, Mulvane.  We are really excited about hosting in this beautiful venue and know that we will have a lineup of classes ready to educate and continue to feed the passion for public safety of 911 dispatchers from throughout the state. 

If you are interested in presenting a class at the conference then we would love to hear from you.  Please contact me via email (elora.forshee@sedgwick.gov) or phone (316-660-4977) to receive a copy of the call for presentations form.  Presentation proposals must be submitted by February 28^th, 2018 for consideration.  We welcome submissions from all levels;  911 front line staff, administrative personnel, field personnel, and vendors. 

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Regards,

Elora Forshee 

2nd Vice President, Kansas Chapter of APCO

It is with a heavy heart that we report that Mary Eitel had to resign her position as Second Vice President of the Kansas APCO Board.  Mary’s position within Lane County has changed and, though her heart remains in dispatch, that is no longer her role with the County and therefore she is unable to attend the APCO events as she once had.  Mary has been a presence at APCO conferences for a long time, even before she was on the board, so we will all miss her smiling face and wish her well in her new role!

While we hate to see Mary go, we are left in very capable hands with the appointment of Laura Meyers from Sedgwick County who will fill that 2^nd Vice President role and finish out the four year term.  Laura Meyers was selected as she was the first runner up for the 2^nd Vice President position during the last election and her appointment was voted unanimously by all board members.  Laura is with Sedgwick County Emergency Communications, starting her career there in 2009 as a dispatcher, and serves as the Major over Support Services.  In this role Laura oversees the Quality Assurance and Training teams, as well as handling public education, employee recruitment, community outreach, and serves as the KORA Coordinator, among other things she is tasked with.  Laura is married and she and her husband, Dan, have three young children, Anderson, Abraham, and Clark.  A fun fact about Laura, she is a classically trained Pastry Chef, having attended the French Pastry School in Chicago, Illinois (though with 3 rambunctious boys under the age of 6, there isn’t much time for baking fancy desserts). 

Please help us in welcoming Laura Meyers to the APCO Board!

Reclassification Efforts

As most of you know, the May 7^th deadline to gather 100,000 e-signatures for the White House petition is quickly approaching and we barely halfway to our goal of 100,000 signatures.  I have to wonder how we could have 5,874 PSAPs in the United States (according to NENA, as of 2017) and over 100,000 dispatchers working (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2014) yet we can’t gather 100,000 signatures on a petition that tells the White House that we, as emergency service dispatchers and 911 call takers, should be classified as a first responder position rather than a clerical position.  Our industry has come so far from when we were just the glorified secretary for the agencies we served, we are public safety professionals in our own right, so why can’t we throw our support behind a movement that is seeking that recognition? 

I ask that you think about what a reclassification would mean to you and, if you support it, explain that to your friends and family and ask them to sign the petition.  A reclassification, to me, means the start of a shift in perception for what we do.  Day in and day out, hour after hour, weekends, holidays, every day my team in dispatch is available to help shoulder the burden of the worst day of somebody’s life.  They are ready to offer help, emotional support, a calm, professional voice while getting this person the help that they need.  Then they stand by ready to help the helpers.  The questions we ask are key to their success and safety – both in the investigatory phase and the prosecutorial phase.

If we are successful in our reclassification efforts does that mean that we will immediately get the pay and acknowledgement we deserve for the stressful role we play in our communities?  No, it does not.  But does it mean that there is a shift in the conversation that sets the foundation for these changes to be made?  Absolutely, in my opinion it does.  How can we ask the powers that be in our local jurisdictions to provide the pay and benefits that we deserve as part of the first responder community if we can’t even get behind a movement for us to be classified that way?  How do we expect to recruit and retain public safety professionals that are expected to operate with increased expectations and pressures without compensating them justly for it?  This job is not getting easier.  We are in the midst of the greatest change to 911 services since its implementation and part of what needs to change is how we are classified. 

I’ll step down off of my soap box now and simply ask that, if you haven’t already, go and sign the petition.  It is easy and quick – and I’ll tell you from my personal experience, putting your valid email address on the petition so they can confirm that you are real does not expose you to scam emails (I signed several weeks ago and haven’t seen anything of the sort).  Then please share the petition with your friends, family, public safety partners, and your community  and ask them to take the time to support the valuable role you play and to sign the petition that will set the stage for this career to be recognized and classified appropriately.  Even if present day you doesn’t understand it, I’m confident that future you will be thankful for the reclassification and the benefits it will bring.

Both the Kansas Chapter of APCO page and the APCO International page on Facebook have graphics and the link to share this petition (please go and like both pages if you haven’t yet) to help you share your story with your network of people.  I also have a sample letter provided by APCO International to send out to friends and family requesting their support and if you would like that sent to you then please email me at elora.forshee@sedgwick.gov.  And finally, the website to sign the petition is https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/9-1-1-professionals-should-be-recognized-protecting-and-saving-lives. 

Respectfully yours,

Elora Forshee

2017 Kanas APCO President

Reclassification Rumors

Greetings,

I have been made aware of some misconceptions about the impact the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) issue will have on the communications officers that might be preventing folks from signing the APCO White House petition, specifically that some people were reluctant to sign the petition because they were under the impression that the reclassification could result in a loss of overtime and other benefits.

Let me be clear, the SOC revision has absolutely NO impact on federal, state, or overtime rules, labor-relations agreements, retirement benefits, or pay.

To quote the APCO Government Relations Office, "The SOC does not have a direct legal relationship to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Reclassification in the SOC would not, by itself, open the door for different treatment under FLSA."

To quote from the Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics website at Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System "The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system is used by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data."

I'm not sure how the misconceptions have formed, but please let me assure you that APCO is simply trying to promote the profession by securing the recognition and respect that public safety communications officers/telecommunicators deserve. I would not support something that would hurt our profession and the professionals that have, for too long, been overlooked and underappreciated.

Right now, crossing guards, and casino camera monitors are classified as a protective service, while those of us behind the console are classified as clerical support, along with post office mail sorters and stock clerks. 

Please do not allow rumor and misinformation keep you from supporting this important effort. If the Department of Labor does not recognize the important contributions that call takers and dispatchers make to our communities, it will be 2028 before the issue is considered again. If you have resisted supporting the SOC reclassification effort by signing the APCO White House petition, please ask yourself if you are willing to go another 10 years without the recognition and respect you deserve. 

If you haven't already, please, sign the petition, so that we can bring the issue to the attention of folks at the White House and get them to FINALLY recognize 9-1-1 professionals for our service to our communities - protecting and saving lives.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/9-1-1-professionals-should-be-recognized-protecting-and-saving-lives

Regards,
Elora Forshee
2017 Kansas APCO President

Telecommunicator's Week 2017

I had the honor of spending the beginning of National Telecommunicator’s Week at the Kansas APCO Conference surrounded by other public safety professionals.  I listened to stories of excellent work being done throughout the state of Kansas and marveled at all that we do from behind the console.  911 Dispatchers, by nature, are a highly adaptable, resilient group of public safety professionals and are most definitely the heroes behind the scenes.  I hope that the communities you serve showed you love and appreciate this week for all of the sacrifices you make in their honor.

I want to personally congratulate all of the award winners that were recognized by their peers for their excellent work in the field of telecommunications –

2017 Telecommunicator of the Year – Heather Gerhardt, Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office

2017 Telecommunicator of the Year Runner Up – Deidra Messenger, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications

2017 Line Supervisor of the Year – Nicholas Hill, Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office

2017 Director of the Year – Amy Lierz, Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office

2017 Team of the Year – Harvey County Communications (team members include Darren Ryan, Monica Leonard, Brody Flavin, Matt Regier, Cathy Rankin, Liz Sauerwein, Josh Bieghler, Shirley Wellington, Tayler Bush, Heather Weber, Colleen Riley, Melissa Farlow, Stephanie Bergquist, Ken Jobe, Courtney Becker, Shannon Robbins, Nicky Van Horn, Ryan Olbricht, Jason Heppler, Rachel Corn, Molly Redinger, and Don Gruver)

The nominations for these people were awe inspiring, to say the least.  It is truly reflective of the work being done throughout the state of Kansas by dispatchers who do amazing things daily without much public acknowledgment because excellence is simply expected of us.  We work a profession where there is very little room for error and we rise to the occasion daily and just make stuff happen. 

One of my favorite 911 quotes is “always remember that it’s your voice in the darkness that gives hope to those who really need it.”  What you do is powerful.  I don’t know what else to say besides thank you. 

Elora Forshee,

2017 Kansas APCO President

Conference Keynote Speakers

We are getting so excited about the conference coming up in Overland Park! It is less than a month away! Our conference lineup is looking great. Here is some information about our keynote speakers and the conference schedule has been posted on our website. We sincerely hope to see you there!

“Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way” – Leadership is more than being an appointed supervisor. Everyone in your communications center has the possibility for leadership. This one of a kind leadership class will address leadership at all levels of your organization and provide attendees with ways to improve the leadership in your communications center. By Tony Harrison

Tony Harrison – Tony is the founder of The Public Safety Group. Tony has spent more than twenty five years in communications, working in small centers to major metropolitan communications centers. He is a Certified Emergency Number Professional, has a BA in Criminal Justice and a MA in Political Science and Urban Affairs. During his time in the communications center he has served as a Call Taker, Dispatcher, Communications Training Officer and Communications Training Coordinator. He was also a Communications Supervisor for 6 years. Tony has been awarded numerous letters of commendations during his service for his professionalism and attention to duty during an officer involved shooting, the federal building bombing and service on numerous department boards. Tony was the on-duty shift supervisor during the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City in April 1995 when 168 people were killed during the largest domestic terrorist event in US history. Tony served as a reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Canadian County Sheriff's Office in Oklahoma for more than 20 years and retired at the rank of Captain. This gives him a very unique insight into BOTH sides of the radio - the needs of the officer on the ground and the demands on communication personnel. During his service he was awarded the Medal of Valor for his involvement during a fatal officer involved shooting of a homicide, kidnapping and rape suspect. Tony has been active in both APCO and NENA serving as a state chapter president and numerous committees at a national level including the Professional Development Committee, Project 35, project 37, Homeland Security Task Force, policies, procedures & training committee and currently serve on the Commercial Advisor Council. In 2012 he was awarded life membership in APCO international.

Dealing with Burnout & Managing Stress By Dr. Jenny Prohaska

Dr. Jennifer Prohaska – Dr. Prohaska is a native Kansan. She completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kansas in 2013. She completed her residency at University of Kansas Medical Center with a specialty in neuro-rehabilitation medicine, where her primary focus was addressing the immediate psychological needs of individuals undergoing major physical and emotional trauma in an inpatient medical setting. After completion of her residency, also in 2013, she was hired as a Clinical Faculty Member at the University of Kansas Cancer Centers where her duties were to address the needs of terminally ill individuals with a variety of cancers, and specializing in brain cancer. In late 2013 she was presented with the opportunity to return to a trauma medicine-related practice when she entered private practice as a police and public safety psychologist. Since that time she has worked primarily with individuals in law enforcement and the fire service in both clinical and educational settings. She enjoys complex casework that still allows her to use her medical knowledge while helping people return to their respective service positions. She very much enjoys teaching, risk assessment and evaluations, leadership coaching, and using psychological knowledge and skill to help organizations address complex personnel problems and create positive organizational change.

My Personal Invitation to the Spring APCO Conference

Greetings,

First, please allow me to introduce myself.  I am Elora Forshee and I have the honor of serving as your 2017 Kansas APCO President.  I am the Director of Sedgwick County 911 in Wichita, Kansas, leading a staff of 95 amazing call takers, dispatchers, supervisors, and support personnel – truly, I am in awe of them daily.  I have been with Sedgwick County for 12 years, starting as a dispatcher and working my way up through the organization.  I have coordinated the hosting of several APCO conferences and am serving my first term on the APCO Board.  I am excited to have a role, albeit a small one, in helping dispatchers to develop into the public safety professionals that their very important job demands them to be.

If you are not aware, our spring APCO conference is right around the corner, April 10-12, in Overland Park, Kansas and I want to personally invite you and your fellow dispatchers and team members to attend.  I have attended APCO conferences as a front line dispatcher, as a Supervisor, and now as a Director and have found value at every step.  As a dispatcher I found that I brought back tools that not only fortified me in this tough job but helped me to build morale and enthusiasm in my department.  As a supervisor I learned ways to help my team to stay strong and diligent in helping the citizens and field personnel we serve.  As a Director I am able to get a view of the big picture beyond our county lines to help me stay on top of industry trends and keep my elected officials informed.  And at every level, I always appreciate the networking that I do at an APCO conference.  I love to have an issue and to be able to reach out to other 911 folks in the state and find out what they are doing to combat the same issue – I’m a believer in not reinventing the wheel and sharing ideas and information. 

I know that cost is always a factor but the cost to send an employee to a state APCO conference is relatively low ($60 for members, $75 for non-members – this includes lunch and dinner on Tuesday and lunch on Wednesday).  I understand that there are hotel costs and costs to cover dispatch while that employee is gone, I’m not immune from any of that.  I also understand that it is increasingly expensive to run a comm center.  But please don’t forget the return on our investment when we train and develop our employees.  Study after study has shown that investing in the education of our employees creates a happy workplace and encourages retention with employees – two issues that we are continuously combating in our arena. 

One last thing, and I thank you for entertaining this long email in your busy day, about the spring APCO conference.  This is the time of year where we award our Telecommunicator of the Year, Line Supervisor of the Year, Director of the Year, and the Team of the Year.  Now I know that it doesn’t take much effort to think of something that somebody on your team has done that has set them apart as a superstar over the past year.  I often think that I wish I had more money or job incentives or something to throw at my team for the hard work that they do and that’s just not feasible.  What is feasible, though, is for me to take 15 minutes to fill out a nomination form and get them the recognition they deserve.  Please don’t overlook this opportunity to reward your team.  Here is the link to find those easy to complete nominations http://www.ksapco.org/conference-registration-and-payment.html.  

I hope to see you and somebody from your team at the spring conference!  If I can do anything to serve you please let me know.  For more conference information and to register please visit http://www.ksapco.org/conference-registration-and-payment.html.  

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