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APCO SEEKS COMMENTS ON DRAFT STANDARD FOR TERT DEPLOYMENT
April 1, 2009, Alexandria, Va. - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) released for comments a candidate American National Standard (ANS) to assist Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and governing 9-1-1 authorities with the information required for developing, training, equipping and deploying a standardized Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce (TERT) team. The Standard for TERT Deployment, APCO/NENA ANS 1.105.1-200x, includes information to provide guidance and helpful information regarding the development, maintenance and deployment of a TERT team.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other natural disasters that devastated many areas of our country, public safety communications centers have faced tremendous challenges. One of the greatest was maintaining adequate staffing levels of the communications centers. To address this problem and expand on some individual state initiatives in place, APCO International and NENA joined to create the National Joint TERT Initiative (NJTI), designed to assist states in developing programs to establish predetermined, selected and trained teams of individuals who can mobilize quickly to assist communications centers during disasters.
“The unique nature of communications centers requires that daily operations continue regardless of circumstances,” APCO International President Chris Fischer said. “It is, therefore, imperative that PSAPs plan for emergency circumstances that adversely affect their ability to adequately staff their center.”
There is a 45-day public review and comment period for this standard that ends on May 11. The Candidate ANS can be downloaded at http://apcointl.org/new/commcenter911/ansi-activity.php. For comments or questions, e-mail standards@apco911.org.
About APCO International
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to the enhancement of public safety communications. APCO International serves the professional needs of its 15,000 members worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards, addressing professional issues and providing education, products and services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical dispatch agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.apcointl.org.
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