APCO Institute’s General Illuminations program is an annual subscription-based service that allows you to obtain topic-specific, at-your-desk continuing education. The program is open to anyone in the public safety communications industry. Subscribers earn one CDE for each monthly course completed.
2025 Topics Include:
| November: | Deveoping Quality Policies and Procedures This General Illuminations course aims to equip public safety telecommunicartors with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the development of effective policies and procedures within their agency. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the importance of evidence-based practices, risk management, and the role of policies in guiding daily operations and decision-making. Additionally, the course will explore techniques for reviewing and updating policies regularly to ensure they remain relevant and effective. |
| December: | Multitasking and Switch Tasking This General Illuminations course provides public safety telecommunicators with essential skills to manage multiple tasks while prioritizing effectively in high-pressure situations. By the end of this course, participants will be able to explain how to handle interruptions, prioritize emergency calls, and efficiently switch between tasks without losing critical information. |
2026 Topics Include:
| January: | Public Safety Technology: Understanding the Emerging Technology This General Illuminations course explains emerging public safety technologies, including thermal imaging, drones/unmanned devices, gunfire recognition, facial recognition, telemedicine and remote triage systems, wearable patient monitors, and Next Gen 911. Participants will recognize the technology used to enhance response times, situational awareness, responder and scene safety, and response coordination. |
| February: | The Training Ripple: How Everyday Staff Behavior Shapes New Hires This course is for staff who are not assigned to formal training roles but still influence new hires daily. It explores how tone, habits, casual remarks, and overall energy shape a trainee’s experience and expectations—often more than the manual. |
| March: | Recognizing Signs of Abuse This General Illuminations course equips telecommunicators with the skills to identify verbal, behavioral, and contextual indicators of domestic violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, or other forms of mistreatment. Participants will identify essential listening skills, targeted questioning, and verbal and non-verbal cues when callers are reluctant to report abuse due to fear, coercion, or injury. Participants will learn strategies for gathering critical information discreetly, providing pre-arrival instructions to ensure victim safety, and coordinating a safe law enforcement and EMS response. |
| April: | Telecommunicator or Therapist? Setting the Emotional Boundries This course explores the emotional toll of call handling and the challenge of absorbing callers’ distress. Participants will learn how to maintain empathy while protecting their own well-being, recognize signs of compassion fatigue, and use strategies to support emotional callers without becoming overwhelmed. |
| May: | Wildfires: Understanding stages, sightings, threats and more This General Illuminations course examines various stages of wildfires, including initial sightings, active fire threats, and related hazards such as smoke inhalation or evacuation needs. Participants will learn wildfire behavior, risk assessment, caller management, and coordination with fire services, EMS, law enforcement, and emergency management agencies. Emphasis is placed on scene safety, multi-agency collaboration, and supporting community-wide responses to wildfire emergencies utilizing the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). |
| June: | The Chain Reaction: How Telecommunicator Decisions Affect Field Outcomes Every word, tone choice, and delay at the console can ripple out to impact field response. This course walks through real scenarios showing how early decisions in the comm center influence the safety, clarity, and outcome of incidents. |
| July: | Chaotic Callers This session examines diverse callers, including uncooperative, belligerent, confused, unstable, elderly, and children. Participants will identify unique challenges, apply communication strategies to gather critical information, and control these difficult calls while maintaining professionalism and empathy. |
| August: | Caller Can’t Speak: Silent, Open-Line, and Third-Party Calls Some of the most critical calls are the ones with the least verbal information. This course helps PSTs handle silent lines, open-mic calls, and third-party reports using background cues, probing techniques, and structured logic. |
| September: | Lost, Found, Missing, or Runaway Approximately 600,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. each year. Most missing people are found or return home, however some cases involve unidentified remains or individuals who remain missing for extended periods. This training equips telecommunicators with the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to effectively manage these sensitive and often urgent situations. Participants will differentiate between lost, found, missing, and runaways, and recognize legal protocols, communication techniques, and coordination strategies with other agencies and resources. |
| October: | Dispatch & the Media: When Calls Make Headlines In today’s environment, telecommunicator audio and logs may be released to the public after major incidents. This course prepares PSTs to handle high-profile events with composure, and understand what happens when their work becomes part of a media or legal spotlight. |
| November: | Handling Robbery & Burglary Calls with Confidence This course examines the difference between robbery and burglary and identifies the correct protocols for each. Participants will identify critical information required for emergency or non-emergency responses, recognize officer safety strategies, and apply effective communication techniques to manage callers. |
| December: | Don’t Say That: Phrasing That Undermines (or Builds) Credibity Words matter—especially under stress. This course helps PSTs replace common verbal habits that can unintentionally escalate tension or undermine credibility. Participants will learn how to sound calm, confident, and helpful without sounding robotic or dismissive. |
COST: Annual Subscription (per student): Payable in U.S. Funds
(No refunds, transfers, or substitutions allowed for this program)
| Options | Price |
|---|---|
| Non-Member | $145 |
| APCO Member | $125 |
| Group of 26-50 registrants | $115 per person |
| Group of 51 and up registrants | $105 per person |
APCO Institute is committed to bringing you affordable, quality training and education. Please take the opportunity to try out this new learning medium and invite a co-worker or two to join you!
