Call-Taken
“We don’t know who you are. We don’t know what you need, yet. But we have a very particular set of skills. Skills we have acquired over a collection of very long careers with very …
RUSH HOUR 2
Synopsis: When the Caller takers and dispatchers at the Prince Albert PSAP all wanted to do was finish off their 12hr day shift without a hitch – being it is the May long weekend – …
Quiet, Dead & Slow
It was one of those nights, the kind where exhaustion threatens to overwhelm even the most vigilant minds. Toiling away in the dimly lit 911 center, the dispatchers struggle to stay alert. Their partners, lost …
A Not Quiet Place
If you say it, they will hate you. In Eastern Washington, a group of Emergency Telecommunicators are disturbed when a probationary employee comes on shift saying, “Hey it’s quiet in here tonight.” He doesn’t believe …
The Breakfast Club
I think we are like the breakfast club, because we work with different departments and different teams, and like in the breakfast club we all have to work together in different ways in order to …
Emergencybusters
In the heart of Houlton, Maine, lies the Houlton Regional Communication Center, a 9-1-1 dispatch hub known for its quirky team of dispatchers. This tight-knit group of misfits may not wear proton packs, but they …
Westcom’s Christmas Vacation
It’s Christmas time and Westcom is preparing for the easiest season yet! However, things never run smoothly for Westcom and its telecommunicators. Westcom’s good luck quickly runs out as they are hounded with difficult callers …
“Dude, Where’s My Call?”
Synopsis: In the quirky realm of Bossier Parish, a law enforcement dispatch center faces an absurd and chaotic challenge – constant calls from alarm monitoring centers and relentless prank callers. Welcome to the darkly humorous …
Dial Tone Diaries
In the bustling metropolis of Red Deer, the emergency personnel is on the frontline, battling against the chaos and unpredictability of the city’s emergencies. At the heart of this controlled chaos is the Red Deer …
Guardians of the Dispatch
Picture this – right in the heart of our bustling city, a remarkable group of dispatchers transforms into the “Dispatch Heroes.” Led by the quick-witted and sharp Lead Dispatcher Emma, these communication champs are on …
Fear and Loathing at the APCO Conference
An oddball dispatcher and their associate attend the APCO conference in Las Vegas at the Circus Circus. Fighting a cold, the dispatcher takes an excessive amount of cough medicine to try and attend the conference. …
Echoes of the Siren: Dispatch
In the heart of a bustling city lies the nerve center of emergency response: the 911 communications center. Here, a diverse team of dedicated operators, dispatchers, and supervisors work tirelessly around the clock to answer …
Big Trouble in Little Charlottesville
Ole Jim “Hurtin” Burton pulls his dust-covered Peterbilt into the Downtown Metered Lot deep in the late-September night. He’s been hauling a load all the way from Oxnard and all he has left is a …
“Mission: Possible”
Picture this: The scene is set, the lights are dimmed down low in the Emergency Communications Center. Along with a faint hum of the computers, always powered, always doing their job, comes a distinct murmur …
What’s Your ECC’s Movie?
Sometimes, all you know about a movie ahead of time are the names and plot summaries of the films and maybe the actors. You might not know what is to come until you go into …
Ideas for Celebrating NPSTW
In February 2024, APCO’s Member & Chapter Services Committee (MCSC) surveyed chapters about how they celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week. The survey included questions about financing NPSTW, theme days, gifts, public recognition and more. …
Congratulations to Our NPSTW 2023 Contest Winners!
Thank you to all who participated in the NPSTW 2023 contest “Who Is Your Sidekick or Super Team?” We loved reading so many compelling stories from our favorite superheroes. All of the entries demonstrated the …
TEAM UM, ASSEMBLE!
What does a team of superheroes look like? Walk into the University Of Miami’s Public Safety Communications Command Center on any given day to find out. Slyly disguising themselves behind neatly pressed Class A shirts …
