Vince Papale

On Monday, the 2011 APCO Conference’s main events kick off.

It all starts at 8:30 a.m. with the Opening General Session and Keynote Address. During the session, APCO will honor the 2011 winners of its Public Safety Communications Awards program. (Read the winner profiles.)

This year’s keynote address, Hold Fast to Your Dreams, will be given by Vince Papale, the former Philadelphia Eagles walk-on legend who in 1976 went from a 30-year-old, season ticket holder to a pro football player.

At the time, Papale was a school teacher and part-time bartender, and Philadelphia Eagles then-head coach Dick Vermeil did something radical: He invited fans to a team workout. Papale, a former track star, attended and ran a 4.5 second 40 yard dash, impressing Vermeil, who offered him a contract. But Papale still had to work to earn his spot on the team.

After overcoming the odds to become the oldest rookie in NFL history, Papale eventually became a team captain and played for the Eagles for four years. He was voted Man of the Year by the Eagles in 1978 for his many charitable activities and honored by the NFL. His “never-say-die” attitude became the inspiration for turning the Eagles into a Super Bowl team. Papale’s story will inspire and motivate us all. We might all leave this session Eagles fans.

Professional Development Tracks
From 1–2:15 p.m.
Mark Lee, the Denise Amber Lee Foundation, and David Garofalo, North Port City (Fla.) Commission, will discuss the grassroots campaign that resulted in the 2010 passage of state-mandated training for 9-1-1 telecommunicators in Florida during It’s a Shame It Took Something Like This to Get Something Done.

From 2:30-3:45 p.m.
APCO’s ProCHRT (Professional Communications Human Resource Taskforce) is working on its final report on its assessment of the current state of training, certifications, roles and responsibilities, professional recognition and identification, benefits, etc. of 9-1-1 public safety communications personnel. Hear what the taskforce has learned and its recommendations.

From 4–5:15 p.m.
All non-federal FCC Licemsees operating in the VHF and UHF bands are required to be narrowband compliant by Jan. 1, 2013. Learn more about the mandate during the panel discussion Narrowbanding — What You Need to Know to Be Compliant.

During Decoding In-Building Communications Codes and Applying Them, Jack Daniel will provide an in-depth look at in-building communications codes. The main focus will be on the National Fire Protection Association codes updated in 2010, which are considered the most demanding technically and require new types of operational alarms and 24-hour backup power. Understanding these codes will enable agencies to provide DAS system designers with the parameters they need to meet personnel certification requirements and use pre-approved hardware. Daniel will also provide an up-to-date report on new FCC rules for signal boosters.

“There are great opportunities for independent wireless engineering doing surveys, designs, compliance inspections in addition to integrating the DAS system itself,” says Daniel. “Sooner or later, you will be affected by these codes, and now is the time to get introduced to them.”

(View the complete schedule online.) http://s3.goeshow.com/apco/annual/2011/conference_program.cfm

Can’t Miss
From 2:30–3:45 p.m., attendees will have the opportunity to address such hot topics as the national broadband network, narrowbanding and 800 MHz rebanding with high-level staff during the FCC Regulatory Panel. 

Monday night, attendees are free to hit the town and see what the city of Philadelphia has to offer. Have fun, but rest up for Tuesday.