APCO/NENA MEETING MINUTES
February 16, 2017 10:00 am
Lapeer County Central Dispatch – 2332 W. Genesee St, Lapeer, MI 48446
Meeting called to order at 10:01 by Presidents Marc Gramlich and Sandra Nielsen. Thanks to Victor Martin and Lapeer County Central Dispatch for hosting. Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Request for Approval of Agenda as prepared by NENA President Gramlich. Motion to approve by Scott Tallmadge and seconded by Rich Feole, motion carried.
Introductions started by NENA President Marc Gramlich, those in attendance include:
Michelle KattMichelle JamesChristine CollomMarc Gramlich
Sandra NielsenStephanie LehmanRich RybickiKim Grafton
Chad ChewningTerry VogelRich FeoleKeith Bradshaw
Michelle NettleJim CrichtonScott TallmadgePaul Rzeznik
Brent WilliamsJason BernardPatricia CoatesKat Reynolds
Meg FoussMichael ArmitageDavid PlumbBlake Govan
Kim OstinJoni Harvey
APCO New Member Reportpresented by APCO 2nd Vice President, Michelle James. The chapter has received 6 new members, bringing the total to 358. The new members are: Sarah Clark - Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Paul Frezza - DSS Corporation, Tim McGee - Van Buren County Central Dispatch, Laurie Binns - Hillsdale County Central Dispatch, Kaycee Mohr -Hillsdale County Central Dispatch, Tamera Rose - Hillsdale County Central Dispatch.
APCO/NENA Minutes presented by Marc Gramlich. Motion to amend minutes to include Michelle Katt in the attendee portion made by Stephanie Lehman. Motion to approve the minutes with amendment was made by David Plumb and seconded by David Rapacz, motion carried, minutes approved.
APCO Treasurers Report prepared by APCO Treasurer, Phyllis Fuller and presented by President Sandra Nielsen. Chapter balances as of January 31, 2017 are as follows: Checking account balance: $19,189.28. Schwab account balance: $83,301.47. Total balance of accounts: $102,490.75. Motion to accept the Treasurer’s report as presentedmade by Rich Feole and seconded by Michelle Katt, motion carried.
NENA Treasurers Report prepared by Treasurer, Michelle Katt. Chapter balances as of February 15, 2017 are as follows: Checking: $607.19. Savings: $44,599.22. Total available funds: $45,206.41. TERT Savings: $11,277.27. Motion to accept the Treasurer’s report as presented made by Patricia Coates and supported by Christine Collom, motion carried.
APCO President Sandra Nielsen advised the national membership committee newsletter was sent out on February 15, 2017. Sign up is now open for national committees and the information is available on the APCO website.
NENA President Marc Gramlich reported Bob Currier will not be seeking re-election for the NENA national Northcentral region. If you are interested, or know someone who is interested in running, please contact Marc.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Training/Membership Activities KimOstin reported she is currently working on registration for the March training in Frankenmuth. The first day is “Active Shooter” training and it will be taught by the Michigan State Police. The second day of training is “Care for the Telecommunicator” and it is being taught by MACNLOW. The cost for the training is $200 per day and payment is being accepted via check or PayPal. Registration is currently at 19.
Professional DevelopmentStephanie Lehman presented report prepared by Don Glasgow. Michigan currently has 46 ENP’s. The study group with Mission Critical Partners is in progress and will end prior to the next exam period. The spring exam period is April 8th-22nd and the deadline for application is March 10th. Don has all the online study group presentations to date with presenter notes, so if you are interested in them, please contact him at .
Technical No report
Frequency Coordination/MPSFAC/700MHzKeith Bradshaw reported that DTE is bringing its gas operations onto the MPSCS. They have been issued a waiver of FCC rules allowing them to utilize public safety frequencies. DTE will be bringing channels from the B/ILT pool with them. DTE will not be using new public safety frequency resources for this project.
The FCC released Report and Order FCC 16-113 on August 23, 2016. This report and order gives railroad police officers the use of 700, 800 VHF and UHF national public safety interoperable channels. There are five (5) railroads in Michigan that have sworn police officers. By this ruling, a railroad PD may use these channels to communicate with local PD’s without an MOU. Should the railroad wish to use local channels, they still need an MOU. The report and order also allows railroads to erect repeaters. The report and order also gives responsibility to the state SWIC to coordinate these requests. The SWIC has agreed to allow the MPSFAC to do this coordination.
The MIDHHS is in the process of hiring a new communications person to perform the functions previously held by Brent Williams. This hire should be in place this year. Meanwhile, any requests for new HERN system PL phones can be directed to Jerry Ellsworth at or Keith Bradshaw.
Up until this point, applications for 700 MHz frequencies have been initiated through the CAPRAD program. After May 1st, all applications for both 700 and 800 will be entered using Spectrum Watch. CAPRAD will remain for planning purposes. The MPSFAC will be sending two (2) committee members to Dallas/Ft. Worth for training on the new application system in April.
The MPSFAC has been tasked with finding replacement channels for the FirstNet buildout in the region. All Band 14 licensees must relocated before January 1, 2018. All of the effected licensees operate mobile repeaters on the Band 14 channels. Question for the membership: How prevalent is 700 MHz VRS use in Michigan, particularly in Region 21?
The next MPSFAC meeting is March 16, 2017 at the Clinton County courthouse in St. Johns. The meeting beings at 10am.
APCO NationalKim Ostin reports APCO 2017 conference schedule at a glance and registration fees are now available at The conference is being held August 12th-16th in Denver Colorado. Registration will open on April 3rd with a “flash day.” This provides a one day opportunity for a $100 discount off the member full conference registration. This is available online only. Pricing for the conference will remain the same as 2016 pricing and housing for attendees will also open April 3rd. There will be a conference t-shirt design contest. The shirts will be sold at the conference. For commercial members there will be an “app island,” which are kiosks for companies that don’t have a booth.
Tracey Hilburn, currently on the board, is running for the second Vice President position. If you are interested in her information, please contact Kim. At this time, there are no applicants for the Sgt. At Arms position. Committee sign up is underway and open until April 1st. Anyone, at any level can submit an application. Scholarship applications deadline is March 31st and PSAP award deadline is April 1st.
The APCO Institute has expanded the eligibility requirements for individuals interested in applying for the Certified Public Safety Executive (CPE) program. Effective immediately, you are now eligible to apply for the program if you possess a high school diploma and have at least 10 years’ experience in public safety communications at the supervisor, manager or director level. Those who possess a Registered Public Safety Leaders (RPL’s) certification and those with an associate’s degree or higher are eligible as well. The CPE application deadline is April 15th. Scholarships are available, the deadline is March 31st.
Upcoming webinars - TDM Transition to Ethernet for Public Safety with Cybersecurity in Mind, February 22nd2-3 pm ET.
Social Media and Public Safety Communications: The Positive and the Negative, March 14th 2-3 pm ET
APCO Awards Sandra Nielsen reported the MI APCO awards are currently open. 2016 Michigan award winners will be submitted to APCO national for 2017 national awards.
APCO Fall ConferenceMichelle James reported the first meeting is today. If you are interested, please stay for the meeting. Call for papers will go out March 1st. The conference dates are September 20th-22nd and this will be APCO’s last conference in Tustin.
APCO Historical Rich Rybickireported the first Detroit police radio/transmission will be having its 90th anniversary on April 7, 2018. Presently, there is a commemorative marker and Rich would like APCO to participate in providing some type of plaque to add to it. Cost projection is $2000 on the high end. President Nielsen requests a draft or quote to present to the membership. The historical committee is still accepting photos of dispatch centers in their early stages. Please submit any photos to Rich.
NENA National Marc Gramlich reported the NENA national conference will be held June 3rd-8th in San Antonio, Texas. NENA will sponsor two (2) for the conference. If you are interested in attending, please send letter of interest to Marc. Deadline to apply is April 7th. Will announce who was selected to attend at the APCO/NENA meeting on April 20th in Isabella County.
NENA Michigan ConferenceChad Chewning reported the educational piece for the conference has been submitted to SNC for approval. Registration is forthcoming, pending SNC approval. Scheduled nightly activities are as follows: Monday – Lansing Lugnuts baseball game (young hero scheduled to throw first pitch), Tuesday – Vendor reception, Wednesday – comedian. Vendors have been very generous with their sponsorships. Currently looking at utilizing online registration. Online registration costs a nominal fee, but will be helpful with recordkeeping and receipts, as they will automatically be generated.
NENA Public EducationMarc Gramlich presentedJillKummer’s report. NENA Public Education page has been created on Facebook. Hopefully this will increase awareness of the public education committee. If you are on Facebook, be sure to like and share the page.
NENA LegislativeNo report
NENA Young HeroChristine Collom reported the deadline is March 15th. Motorola is continuing to support the program and will sponsor all costs. Requirements include: Child caller 12 years of age or younger at time of call and family must agree to participate. Presently, there are two (2) nominations. Additional information is available on the NENA website under the young hero tab.
APCO CommercialJason Bernard reported he attended APCO International in Daytona Beach, Florida. The commercial advisory committee is looking towards expanding the “app island” at the national conference and reaching out to vendors that didn’t return. The committee is also researching the decline in commercial membership. Jason noted that some chapters have been having success with utilizing Facebook live during meetings. In other states, it has helped increase participation and attendance. Discussion ensued about vendors sponsoring lunch at the meetings. General cost projection, depending on attendance, is approximately $400-500. Area of concern is, over extending the vendors and meeting spaces that can meet this accommodation. David Rapacz suggested trying it quarterly, so costs and attendance can be monitored. Other options discussed were: Combine lunch/meal with training or presentation, and/or vendor share the cost of the meal with APCO/NENA. Kim Ostin recommended creating a meeting subcommittee to work on location, food, logistics, etc. Sandra Nielsen recommends the APCO/NENA treasurers be involved with the subcommittee. Going to try this during the July meeting in Eaton County. This will give Jason time to reach out to other vendors at the NENA conference in May. Motion to approve the APCO/NENA board’s leeway to allow vendors to sponsor meals at meetings made by Rich Feole and seconded by David Plumb, motion carried.
State 9-1-1 Committee Rich Feolereported the next meeting is March 8th at 10am in the new headquarters building. Meetings scheduled for this year are: March 8th, June 14th, September 13th and December 13th. Gregg Clark is the new MCDA representative, replacing Tim Smith. Jeff Troyer is committee chair and April Heinze is vice chair. Sheriff Dale Gribbler retired from Van Buren County and Hal Martin (non-voting member) with the Attorney General’s office has retired. SNC-301 and 500 forms were approved for this year and the DTS 35 form for online course request is complete. The review for Genesee County has been approved and Monroe County is in the process. Mackinaw and Clare Counties are up for compliance review. Mackinaw County, Chippewa County, and Luce County are all dispatched together, so all three (3) counties will be reviewed in March. Clare County will be after those are completed.
State 9-1-1 AdministratorMarc Gramlich presented Harriet Miller-Brown’s report. Mailings for the SNC-500 and 301 forms to the counties are now out and due May 15th. The incentive deadline for the 18 months of state-funded Smart 911 is February 21st, after that it will be 12 months. So far 17 PSAPs have joined under the incentive period. There are now a total of 49 PSAPs using Smart 911 in Michigan. The State 911 office has a new admin starting February 21st, her name is Kristine Bond. As of 2/5/17 there are 29 counties and the Conference of Western Wayne taking text-to-911. The updated map was posted on the website on 2/15/17. Lastly, the SNC’s Annual Emerging Technology Forum will be held in Frankenmuth on April 18th and 19th.
MCDAChad Chewning reported MCDA has established a new bylaw to determine eligibility for MCDA membership. The bylaw is quite lengthy and can be found on MCDA’s website. This new bylaw will allow different levels of management (supervisor, manager, director, etc.) depending upon your agency needs. Minimal information from the MCDA lobbyist at this time, feels some forward movement has been made and will make updates as they become available. MCDA is working on establishing a “New Directors School.” This training will be done in segments and topics included will be: funding, resources, unexpected responsibilities, current legislative climate for 9-1-1, etc. Lisa Hall is chairing the committee to develop the school/training which will be a two (2) day training held in October. CCE is the tentative location. If your agency has a succession plan, the training will also be appropriate for 2nd and 3rdin command. MCDA is hosting Cyber Security training in Livingston County on April 6th. Registration will be forthcoming pending SNC approval.
TERTChad Chewning reported participation is the current concern. Lots of interest from agencies to participate, but running into an issue with EMAC. The issue is if a member’s county or agency doesn’t belong to EMAC. Possible solution would be to have two (2) different member lists. One for in state deployment and one for out of state deployment. This would create the need for revision to some current bills and the State Fire Marshalls office is willing to assist with this. Current TERT roster is 6-7 years old, plans in place to reach out to see who is still interested in participating and what newcomers are interested.
MABASChad Chewning reported MABAS is growing statewide. Lots of recent presentations upcoming for fire chiefs. One presentation was just held in Lapeer County, one is being held in the near future in Allegan County. Please watch for when the State MABAS group may be presenting in your area. Through these presentations, communication has improved between fire chiefs and dispatch centers.
TIMScott Tallmadge reported last meeting for MDOT task force was 2/1/17 in Bay City. Scott has submitted an application to be a trainer and has plans to create a 4 hour training class for dispatch. Will be applying for a SNC number. Currently, police, EMS, dispatch, road commission and towing agencies are well below the State threshold, with fire being well above. The Traffic Safety Summit will be held March 21st-23rd in Lansing at the Kellogg Center. Scholarships are available through MDOT. If you are interested or need further information, please contact Scott.
Nominating Committee
APCO – no report
NENA - Michelle James will be reporting for Phyllis Fuller under new business. Nominations for NENA will be open today.
FirstNet Brent Williams reported 2017 will be a transition year for FirstNet, as the network is expected to be deployed in 2018. FirstNet is currently dealing with a bid protest. The RFP for an industry partner to build the network was put out and within a few weeks of accepting a bid, a bidder filed a protest. The contract is a 25 year, approximately $ 1 billion contract. Resolution should be forthcoming in March or April, so the bid can be awarded. The Governor must decide if Michigan will opt in or out of FirstNet. If Michigan opts in, FirstNet will be build the network. If Michigan opts out, the State is responsible for building the network.
APCO Old Business Sandra Nielsen
APCO would like to change the bylaws to include online/electronic voting. Kim Ostin and David Rapacz have been appointed to the bylaws committee with plans to approach Jeff Troyer for his participation. Plans to start reviewing the bylaws are in place for March.
APCO New BusinessSandra Nielsen
Projected 2017 budget prepared by Treasurer Phyllis Fuller (see report)
RevenueExpenses
Chapter Dues $8,000Memberships $700
Annual Conference $49,000Legal/Professional Fees $100