APCO Announces Inaugural Horizon Award Winners
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today announced the inaugural winners of its Horizon Award. The Horizon Award acknowledges the efforts of communications centers that have proactively assessed and met the technological and operational needs of their center, employees and service population and are presented to one large center and one small center. The awards will be presented at the APCO International 75th Annual Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nev. on August 18.
The 2009 Horizon Award for a Large Center is being presented to Fairfax County (Va.) Department of Public Safety Communications. The Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications is a next generation 9-1-1 center servicing Fairfax County, Virginia, a community of nearly 400 square miles and a population over one million. It is co-located with the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Transportation Traffic Management Center and the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management Emergency Operations Center.
The 2009 Horizon Award for a Small Center is being presented to Cambria 9-1-1 (Penn.). Cambria 9-1-1 provides 9-1-1 calltaking and dispatching for the 47 fire departments, 23 emergency medical stations and 37 police departments in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. They recently completed rebanding establishing full countywide interoperability.
“APCO International is proud to honor the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications and Cambria 9-1-1 with these awards and call attention to the technological advancements they have made to enhance their life-saving services,” APCO International Executive Director George S. Rice, Jr. said.
The APCO International 75th Annual Conference and Exposition will be held August 16-20 in Las Vegas, Nev. For more information on the APCO International 75th Annual Conference and Exposition, visit www.apco2009.org
