APCO and NENA Applaud Leadership of Co-Chairs and Support Request for Funding
WASHINGTON — Supporting the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and the E9- 1-1 Institute held a press conference on Capitol Hill today urging the Senate to fund Enhance 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) grants.
In 2004, Congress passed the ENHANCE 9-1-1 Act. One of the key provisions of this legislation authorized federal matching grants to state and local governments to deploy technology necessary to provide wireless Phase II E9-1-1 services. Currently, there are no funds available for these grants.
Senator Conrad Burns (R - Mont.), a Co-Chair of the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus, said “In an emergency, time is the most critical element in saving lives. E9-1-1 technology saves time and, therefore saves lives. I, and my fellow Co-Chairs of the E9-1-1 Caucus, know this and will work tirelessly until all emergency phone calls, regardless of whether they come from a land line in Manhattan, New York, or a cell phone in Manhattan, Montana, are treated equally. Lives will be saved from this funding and we’re going to do all we can to make sure it happens.”
“We, the nation’s public safety and emergency support personnel, need additional resources to meet the changing needs of our culture,” APCO International Executive Director George S. Rice, Jr. said. “We encourage the Senate to support the public safety community in fulfilling its mission of protecting the citizens of this country by fully funding the Enhance 9-1-1 grants.”
NENA President Dr. Bill Munn, ENP, added, “Our goal must be to equip the nation’s 9-1-1 network and call centers with the best technology available, enabling them to provide the service that citizens have come to expect when they dial 9-1-1. We applaud the leadership of the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus and ask Congress to give us the opportunity to improve our nation’s 9-1-1 system by funding this vital legislation today.”
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™. Now celebrating its 25th year, NENA was established to promote implementation and awareness of 9-1-1 as North America’s universal emergency number. NENA has grown to become the leading professional non-profit organization dedicated solely to 9-1-1 emergency communications issues. NENA serves its more than 7,000 members in 46 chapters across the U.S. and Canada 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.