Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

In our profession, we often see examples of dedicated professionals going above and beyond the call of duty. This program allows anyone to nominate a teammate and tell us about how they went into action.

This program is not meant to take the place of or be equal to the APCO International Public Safety Communications Awards Program. Instead, Teammates in Action recognizes the everyday work of thousands upon thousands of public safety telecommunicators across the globe. Rather than award a body of work, this program recognizes an act or action during a singular incident. Overlooked far too often are the heroic actions taken daily by telecommunicators. This program hopes to bring these to light and give everyone a chance to recognize these daily actions.

How It Works

  1. Anyone working in an emergency communications center can be nominated. This includes, but is not limited to, public safety telecommunicators, supervisors, managers, directors and/or administrators, trainers and coordinators, quality assurance personnel, IT personnel, and radio technicians.
  2. Anyone can be the nominator (co-worker, supervisor, manager, director, etc.). Just complete the form below.
  3. The Member & Chapter Services committee reviews the submissions and submits recommendations for recognition.
  4. Once a nomination is selected, a member of the committee will:
    • Contact the direct supervisor and/or ECC director to confirm the actions.
    • Confirm in writing what details of the story are approved for publication.
    • Request additional materials, including photos, newspaper articles, etc., that may be added to the article.
  5. An article recognizing the Teammate in Action will be posted on APCO social media platforms. Recognized teammates will receive an electronic certificate.

Recent Teammates-in-Action

Teammates-in-Action: Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Communications Officer

On August 22, 2023, at 21:26, an Eastern Shore of Virginia 9-1-1 Communications Officer processed an EMS call for a male patient who advised he had alcohol poisoning and wanted to go to detox.

January 18, 2024

Teammates in Action: Crystal Mazeika-Pahl

On November 21, 2023, Communications Operator Crystal Mazeika-Pahl fielded a phone call from a mother who reported her eleven-month-old infant had drowned in the bathtub

January 11, 2024

Teammates in Action: Misty Reid, Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications

On October 22, 2023, Telecommunicator Misty Reid with the Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications received a 9-1-1 call for a 79-year-old female who had fallen due to being short of breath.

January 3, 2024

Teammates in Action: Alexandra, Denver 911

She earned Denver’s “Stork Award” for completing the protocol perfectly and delivering the baby while on the phone with the grandmother.

November 22, 2023

Teammates in Action: Dillan Sutton, Krysten Keeney, Brittany Stroud, and Justin Davis, Missouri State Highway Patrol

Communications Operators Dillan Sutton, Krysten Keeney, Brittany Stroud, and Justin Davis handled an incident that escalated quickly and required an extensive amount of teamwork.

November 2, 2023

Teammates in Action Nomination Form

  • Teammates in Action will recognize an emergency communications center employee for:

    • Providing exceptional customer service
    • Performing above and beyond their normal realm of responsibilities
    • Initiating a productivity, process, or quality improvement
    • Having the desire to take a job well above completion to produce the best possible results
    • Having a positive attitude toward the workplace and all tasks assigned, or
    • To highlight a specific event or call for service that the teammate did an excellent job with.
    Complete the form below to nominate your Teammate in Action.
  • Nominee Information

  • Action Details

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • Nominator's Contact Information