Alexandria, Va. - The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) today announced the approval of the American National Standard (ANS) to assist public safety answering points (PSAPs) and governing 9-1-1 authorities with the information required for developing, training, equipping and deploying a Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce (TERT) team. The Standard for TERT Deployment, APCO/NENA ANS 1.105.1-2009, was approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on May 29.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other natural disasters that devastated many areas of our country, public safety communications centers have faced tremendous challenges. One of the greatest was maintaining adequate staffing levels of the communications centers. To address this problem and expand on some individual state initiatives in place, APCO International and NENA joined to create the National Joint TERT Initiative (NJTI), designed to assist states in developing programs to establish predetermined, selected and trained teams of individuals who can mobilize quickly to assist communications centers during disasters.
"The unique nature of communications centers requires that daily operations continue regardless of circumstances," APCO International President Chris Fischer said. "It is, therefore, imperative that PSAPs plan for emergency circumstances that adversely affect their ability to adequately staff their center."
The ANS can be downloaded at http://www.apcointl.org/new/commcenter911/APCOstandards.php . For comments or questions, e-mail standards@apco911.org.
About APCO International The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to the enhancement of public safety communications. APCO International serves the professional needs of its 15,000 members worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards, addressing professional issues and providing education, products and services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical dispatch agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.apcointl.org.
About the National Emergency Number Association NENA is The Voice of 9-1-1™. NENA promotes implementation and awareness of 9-1-1 as North America’s universal emergency number. NENA is the leading professional non-profit organization dedicated solely to 9-1-1 emergency communications issues. NENA serves its nearly 7,000 members in 48 chapters across the U.S., Canada and Mexico through policy advocacy, establishment of technical and operational standards, certification programs and a broad spectrum of educational offerings. Find out more at www.nena.org.
For more information, contact: Courtney McCarron Hastings Phone: 571.312.4400 x7002 Email: mccarronc@apco911.org