APCO International Announces 2025 Award Winners

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Emergency Communications Center Awards and Technology Leadership Awards. The winners will be recognized during the Opening General Session at APCO 2025, APCO’s Annual Conference & Expo, taking place July 27-30 in Baltimore, MD.

Silent Key: Donna Marie Bird

Longtime APCO member Donna Bird passed away after 48 years of distinguished service to Fairfax County’s Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC), helping to shape both the foundation and future of 9-1-1 in the county.

APCO International Announces Nicole McGinnis as New Chief Counsel

APCO International announced this week that Nicole McGinnis has accepted the position of Chief Counsel. Nicole joins APCO after serving the last 10 years in various leadership positions with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.

Eye of the Storm

As a public safety telecommunicator in Buncombe County, North Carolina, for more than eight years, I have experienced many critical incidents. But nothing could have prepared me for the catastrophe that the city of Asheville experienced during Hurricane Helene.