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       Nominations Announced for 2018 Election       

Electronic balloting is now open for the open positions on the Chapter's Board of Directors.  Invitations to vote have been sent to active members eligible to vote.

View the Slate of Nominees (PDF)  

          Director at Large (2 open positions)

These positions represent the membership at large. They work on projects as assigned by the President and serve as active members of the Board of Directors. These are two year terms. When you’re elected, you won’t know what you’re supposed to do. That’s OK. None of us did. Each of us finds our own role, our own niche, our own superpower.

Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for receiving all Chapter funds, maintaining the Chapter's accounts, and providing annual and other financial reports to the President and the Board. The Treasurer also coordinates external financial audits. This is a two year term. We do a lot as a Chapter. We run big, amazing conferences. We support telecommunicators in need. All of this takes money, and keeping track of it and maintaining fiscal stewardship is a critical job.

Secretary

The secretary keeps us all on track. He or she keeps a full roll of our membership and keeps that current with APCO International. Importantly, the Secretary captures and distributes the summaries and minutes of Board meetings. This is more than record-keeping and note-taking. This is how we document what we’re doing for each other, and how we create our history and tell the story of our organization across time.

Vice President

The Vice President serves in place of the President or President-elect if they are absent. The VP also acts as committee liaison as appointed by the President. This is a one year term, after which the officer advances to President-Elect for one year. That term is followed by a year as President, followed after that by a final year as Immediate Past President. In total, this is a four year commitment . You will give a lot of yourself to the organization, but I promise it will give a lot back to you, sometimes in ways you don’t see coming.                         

2017 Telecommunicator Awards Presented at Spring Conference

For Photos and Names of Award Winners, Visit 2017 Award Winners

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week Celebrated                  

During the week of April 8 through 14, the Virginia Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (VA APCO) and its over 1200 members celebrated National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW). Created in 1981 to honor public safety telecommunicators (PSTs) across the country, NPSTW is a time to highlight the critical, lifesaving work PSTs do 24x7x365.

In emergency communications centers across the Commonwealth, Virginia’s PSTs answer 9-1-1 calls from those in need. They provide life-saving medical and CPR instruction, walk families through childbirth, and calm callers in dangerous, life-threatening situations.  Telecommunicators manage and coordinate police, fire, and emergency medical service responses, often during critical incidents, including active shooters, fires, and multi-vehicle collisions. Whether on the phone with callers or on the radio with field units, telecommunicators are the calm during every storm.

The sacrifices made by PSTs and their families frequently go unnoticed. Please take time this week to see, hear, acknowledge, and celebrate Virginia ’ s public safety telecommunicators, truly the first of the first responders.

On behalf of the Virginia APCO’s Board of Directors, thank you to Virginia ’ s telecommunicators for the important work they do every day and night.

With gratitude,

Gabe Elias, President, Virginia APCO

On November 29, Virginia Chapter members Steve Souder, Director of Fairfax County 9-1-1, and Stephen Williams, Director of Virginia Beach 9-1-1, attended the mid-year APCO Large PSAP Directors Meeting, hosted by the Los Angeles Police Department at one of their two 9-1-1 Centers. After the meeting, each was taken on a two hour patrol aboard two of LAPD's 17 (!!!!) helicopters. Steve Souder's flight was over downtown Los Angeles and along the Pacific Ocean coastline and Stephen Williams’ was over the sprawling eastern part of the city. The City of Los Angeles covers 506 square miles. Mr. Jefferson would be proud.

What an amazing and successful career! Thanks for your advocacy for public safety communications, 9-1-1, and telecommunicators! And thanks for your friendship and support!

The Executive Board and Members of the Virginia Chapter of APCO salute you on your service and wish you a happy retirement!

Mission Statement

The members of this nonprofit association serve or support that function of government within the Commonwealth of Virginia which provides 9-1-1 and public safety emergency communications services, included but not limited to, the areas of law enforcement, forestry, conservation, fire, highway maintenance, emergency rescue and medical services, emergency management, and other activities supported or endorsed by federal, state, local and tribal governments.

Vision Statement

Virginia Chapter of APCO focus is to empower, communicate and educate all public safety communications professionals.

Goals and Strategies

1. Enrich communications and outreach
1. A. Establish and host Town Halls
2. Prepare newsletters for distribution to members
3. Enhance and post important updates to website
4. Utilize Facebook and other social media for information updates
5. Post information updates on PSConnect


2. Enhance Stakeholder Relationships
1. Identify and host routine meetings with Police and Fire Chiefs, Sheriff’s Association, VACO/VML and DCJS


3. Human Capital Management
1. Continue to explore industry best hiring practices
2. Continue to push for State Mandated Training Requirements that are in line with APCO International’s Standards
3. Continue to develop educational opportunities for members
4. Improve upon attrition and retention rates by networking with agencies nationally that are having success in these areas
5. Recruit and mentor emerging leaders


4. Succession Planning
1. Set clear expectations
2. Growth and development
3. Defined committee goals and objectives
4. Quarterly committee reports
5. Monthly conference calls


5. Technology
1. Identification and education of latest technology impacts to our industry
2. Identification and involvement of SME’s within our chapter to serve on various task forces or planning sessions
3. Establishing communications and partnerships with stakeholders and vendors on a regular basis to resolve critical issues
4. Communicating and educating the membership of current concerns as it relates to technology enhancements

On behalf of the VA APCO Board,

Nicola Tidey, VA APCO President

Chapter Publishes August Newsletter

There's a lot going on in your Chapter.  For a quarterly wrap-up of news and interesting feature stories, we encourage you to read the Chapter's August Newsletter.

Outstanding Team Performance In A Critical Incident
Virginia State Police, Division VI (Salem)
Dispatch Supervisor Robert Jones, Senior Dispatcher Kenneth Hogan, Dispatchers Jami Hicks, Jessica Bocock, Brittany Nelson, and Jeremy Wimmer

Nicholas Stepaniak Communications Trainer of the Year
Mary Bowman
Chesterfield County Emergency Communications

Line Supervisor of the Year
Stacey Adams
Hanover County Public Safety Emergency Communications

Communications Center Director of the Year
Jeff Flournoy
Eastern Shore of Virginia 9 1 1 Communications

Information Technologist/Radio Frequency Technologist Of The Year
Steve McMurrer
Fairfax County Public Safety Communications

APCO Continues to Monitor Progress on Updating the Standard Occupational Classification