Telecommunicator of the Year Award

The Telecommunicator of the Year Award is presented to a Telecommunicator in recognition of the exemplary handling of a specific emergency situation or a 9-1-1 call for emergency assistance.

Eligibility:

Nominees must have been employed in the applicable category by a public safety agency any time between January 1st, 2 and December 31st of the year in which they are being nominated.

Persons submitting a nomination or being nominated must be: residents of the United States or its Territories or members of the Texas Chapter of APCO, as contained in APCO Policy Manual Article XIII, Section 13.1.

Nominations for a calendar year will be accepted until January 31st of the following year.

Example: Nominees for 2025 awards will be accepted through January 31, 2026

Qualities:

Functions as a front-line dispatcher or call taker for police, fire, and/or EMS agencies.
Operates radio equipment to dispatch first responder units to request emergency services, receives radio traffic from first responders, and monitors emergency and support radio frequencies.
Practices both exemplary decision-making during critical incidents and multitasking skills.
Operates computer equipment to assist both officers and citizens with the retrieval of information.
Maintains appropriate security and confidentiality of information created or encountered in the performance of assigned duties.
Nurtures a teamwork environment and serves as a mentor to his or her peers.
Assesses situations from callers and ascertains pertinent information for dispatching a call.

Nominee's First Name

Nominee's Last Name

Nominee's Agency Name

Nominee's Job Title

Multi-line address

Country/Region

Address

City

Zip / Postal code

Agency Phone Number

Nominator's Name

Nominator's Agency Name

Nominator's Job Title

Multi-line address

Country/Region

Address

City

Zip / Postal code

Agency Phone Number

Nominator's Email

Describe the nominee’s public safety communications agency. Please include staffing levels, size, and discipline (Law, Fire, EMS, PSAP only, etc.).

Describe the nominee’s daily duties and responsibilities.

How long the nominee has been at this job and any previous public safety communications positions?

Describe how the nominee functions as a team player.

Provide an example of how the nominee goes above and beyond what may be required of an individual in this position.

Describe the nominee’s ability to interact with others and successfully forge a positive relationship within and outside the agency.

Describe the nominee’s overall performance throughout the year.

Explain how the nominee exemplifies and practices exemplary customer service skills that often define successful Telecommunicators.

In one page or less, describe why the candidate should receive the Texas APCO Telecommunicator of the Year Award.

Please upload a photo of the nominee to be used at the awards gala should they be chosen as the winner.