MIDDLETON and ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Essex County Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. and Executive Director Shad Ahmed are pleased to announce that the Essex County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ECRECC) in Middleton has met the minimum training standards for the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International Agency Training Program Certification and has been awarded certification as of May 31.

Public safety agencies use the APCO International Agency Training Program Certification as a formal mechanism to ensure their training programs meet APCO American National Standards (ANS). Initial and continuing training for public safety telecommunicators is important as they provide essential services to the public in an expanding and rapidly changing environment.

“I am very proud of the strides made by the Essex County Regional Communications Center, as it grows into a model program that serves as an example of what can be accomplished when communities work together,” Sheriff Cousins said.

The certification is part of Ahmed’s goal of creating a raining and documentation protocol that is in line with national best practices for emergency dispatch and telecommunications. The ECRECC is the first dispatch center in Massachusetts to receive the certification, also known as APCO P33. ECRECC is also just the second dispatch center in New England to achieve this.

“APCO accreditation means that our organization’s training programs meet or exceed national standards, allowing Essex County to serve as a model for other agencies around the region,” Ahmed said.

“America’s public safety communications agencies represent the first tier of emergency response. Ensuring that training programs and procedures are current, comprehensive, and effective is a key element to success in this role,” said Brent Lee, president of APCO International. “Achieving APCO Agency Training Program Certification is proof of an agency’s commitment to excellence and of their dedication to the communities they serve.”

Essex County Regional Emergency Communications Center will be recognized during the Food for Thought Luncheon taking place as part of APCO’s 82nd Annual Conference & Expo, in Orlando, FL, August 14-17. To obtain a complimentary press pass, please contact Meghan Architect at 571-312-4400 or architectm@apcointl.org.

For more information about the Agency Training Program Certification process, visit www.apcointl.org/p33/ for details.

About the ECRECC
Located in Middleton, Mass., the Essex County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ECRECC) operates under the authority of the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Frank G. Cousins, Jr. The ECRECC is the Regional 9-1-1 Center that provides emergency communications services to the communities of Amesbury, Essex, Middleton, Topsfield and Wenham, Massachusetts and is responsible for answering emergency 9-1-1 calls and dispatching resources such as police officers, firefighters and paramedics to citizens requiring assistance.

Additionally, the ECRECC is the primary answering point for wireless 9-1-1 calls in Essex County, northern Middlesex County, and 3 communities in Suffolk county. The wireless function is responsible for answering 9-1-1 calls and relaying them to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point, or PSAP.

About APCO International® (www.apcointl.org)
APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole – by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.