Melinda L. Bramley Lifetime Achievement Award
The Virginia Chapter of APCO
established the Melinda L. Bramley
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 to honor and recognize selected individuals
who have demonstrated the highest levels of commitment and dedication to the
field of public safety communications throughout a significant period of their
lives. The award is named in honor of
longtime APCO member Melinda Bramley, a 40-year employee of the City of
Virginia Beach, who began her career with the Virginia Beach 911 Emergency Communications
Division in 1969 and will retire at the end of 2010. She began her career as an offense clerk and
has served as dispatcher, operations supervisor, administrative supervisor and
communications specialist. Melinda is
currently the Training and Retention Specialist for the division and is
responsible for the
planning, administration, and oversight of the Virginia Beach 911 Emergency
Communications Division’s training function.
Her responsibilities also include creating activities and programs to
enhance the selection, hiring and retention of Emergency Communications
Division Employees. Melinda possesses an
extensive knowledge of the entire operation of the Virginia Beach
Communications Division. Melinda holds
an Associate’s Degree in Police Science and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human
Resource Administration. She is also an
Emergency Medical Dispatch Instructor and a Department of Criminal Justices
General Instructor. Melinda represents
her department/division in a positive manner in both APCO and Region 42. Melinda has been a member of APCO
(Association of Public Safety Communications Officials Inc.) since 1982, and
has served on the Executive Board since 1984.
Melinda has honorably served as Virginia APCO’s President, Secretary,
and Treasurer. She has been awarded
Life Membership in the Virginia Chapter of APCO. Melinda has been a member and served as
Secretary of the Region 42 Committee since its creation in 1988. Melinda is also an active member of NENA.
In
recognition of her outstanding lifetime devotion to public safety
communications and her overwhelming commitment to the Association of
Public-Safety Communications Officials – International, Inc., the Chapter also
named Melinda Bramley as the first
recipient of the Melinda L. Bramley Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was
announced and presented during the MANAPCO event on November 3 during the 2010
Virginia APCO-NENA-SIEC Conference and Exposition by APCO Chapter
President-Elect Steve Souder and President Karen Johnson.
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Butch Johnstone Photos
And Now, Please Join In Celebrating Melinda’s Retirement…
Slideshow Courtesy Carol Adams
Click on the graphic above or here to view a Slide Show Tribute to Melinda
NOTE: PDF Format
– scroll the pages to view the entire show…
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(Please be patient… loading 40 years of
memories)
Other Recipients…
The second recipient of the Melinda L. Bramley Lifetime Achievement Award
is Phil Heins, the retired Director of
the Hanover County Emergency Communications Department. A life-long resident of the County, he began
his career is public safety in 1969 as a volunteer firefighter. He was hired by
the Sheriff's Office in 1976 as a Communications Officer and was promoted to a
Shift Supervisor in 1978. After serving in this capacity for several years, he
was promoted to Director of Communications in 1983 and has served in that
capacity ever since. Heins
was the County's Project Manager for the purchase and installation of the
Trunked Radio System and Enhanced 911 System. He also wrote the specifications
for the CAD system that is currently in use, and has been very active in the
purchase of other various radio and automation equipment. Heins served on the
original committee that developed the Dispatcher Certification Program for the
