Respond & Support

John J. Daly, 66, whose life was dedicated to public safety in Collier County, Florida, passed away August 22 at a Cape Cod, Massachusetts, hospital after a long battle with Pancreatic cancer. Starting in 1980, Daly was a 9-1-1 communications supervisor with the Collier County Sheriff’s Department. During the 1980s he was also an EMT with Collier County EMS. In 1989, he joined the City of Naples Police Department as communications manager until 1994 when the Collier County commissioners made the decision to build a countywide public safety radio system for all agencies. Daly successfully led that endeavor until his…

Max Thwaits III, the Essex County (New York) emergency services director, passed away September 19. Watts, of Au Sable Forks, was 40. He was a member of the APCO Atlantic Chapter. A report in the Press-Republican said Thwaits started working for the county in 2007 as a public safety telecommunicator and was promoted to 9-1-1 director. He was named to the emergency services director’s job in 2021, a position he held until his death of heart failure. The newspaper said he was a U.S. Navy veteran and graduate of SUNY Empire State College with a bachelor’s degree in emergency management. Thwaits…

A global pandemic and one of the tightest job markets in history have left ECCs much like the Continental Army — underfunded, understaffed and facing seemingly overwhelming challenges that threaten their chances for success. It is times like these that call for bold thinking and unwavering leadership.

The guide takes a forward-looking approach to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) to address what emergency communications centers (ECCs) and professional staff from telecommunicators to directors need to make informed decisions now and in the future. 

APCO International has been selected by the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) to be the preferred training provider for all of NSA’s public safety communications needs. APCO and NSA announced the professional development partnership, which will begin October 1, 2022, during APCO’s 88th Annual Conference & Expo.

Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) is all about saving lives. It is a sea change in technology that protects citizens and first responders. Because NG9-1-1 is composed of many parts that must be integrated and supported as a single solution, it is more complex than past approaches. Lumen’s Jim Carlson addresses some of the common questions about NG9-1-1.

APCO International has excelled this year in finances, membership and program impact and is building for the future literally. Read about the past year’s highlights in membership, public safety expertise, professional development, products and services, technical assistance and events.