APCO Arkansas

05/14/2026

✨ Save the Date, Arkansas 911 Family! ✨

The 2026 Arkansas APCO/NENA Conference is headed to Hot Springs — and this year’s theme promises a little magic.
🪔 “You’ve never had a dispatcher like me!”

Mark your calendars for September 13–16, 2026 at the Oaklawn Hotel & Event Center.
Training, networking, inspiration, and a whole lot of dispatcher energy — it’s all coming your way.

More details will be released as we get closer, but for now…
📅 Save the date and get ready for an unforgettable conference experience.

Visit ARAPCO.org for updates.

05/10/2026

🌸 Happy Mother’s Day to the incredible moms of Arkansas 911 🌸

Today, we honor the mothers who serve in our PSAPs and the mothers who support those who do.
The ones who balance headsets and homework… night shifts and nurturing… emergency tones and everyday tenderness.

To every dispatcher mom, step‑mom, foster mom, grandmother, mother‑figure, and to the moms who raised the voices behind the mic—your strength echoes through every call, every shift, every life you touch.

Arkansas APCO celebrates you today.
Thank you for the heart you bring to this profession and the love you pour into your families and your communities.

Happy Mother’s Day, Arkansas 911 family. 💛

04/01/2026

Help NENA celebrate the vital work of 9-1-1 professionals during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week!
Building on last year's success, we're thrilled to once again feature our 9-1-1 Hero Spotlight Program, proudly sponsored by Motorola Solutions!
Join your NENA peers in creating a short, one-minute video answering one of these questions:
What do you love most about being a 9-1-1 telecommunicator?
What words of encouragement do you have for your fellow 9-1-1 telecommunicators?
Videos will be shared by NENA during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 12 to 18) and throughout the year to honor and celebrate the vital work of 9-1-1 telecommunicators—our FIRST first responders.
Thank you for taking a moment to share a short video. Simply click here to record and submit yours today!

https://click-1306309.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=46789350&msgid=416268&act=4A2F&c=1306309&pid=1880612&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fvoicesofnena.gv-one.com%2Fvideo.html%3Fv%3DA4CUidTuhcE%3D%26token%3De8585769f892b8a4c45f8e4de6a955d7&cf=15107&v=244ce3f1a03f117cd070e0465d61176361a05152d7b8835d63755079e65c4102

03/30/2026

📣 Get Ready: 2026 Arkansas APCO/NENA Award Nominations Opening Soon

It’s almost time to recognize the incredible professionals who keep Arkansas 911 strong.

Arkansas APCO/NENA will soon begin accepting nominations for the 2026 statewide awards, honoring excellence across our profession:

• Director of the Year
• Supervisor of the Year
• Trainer of the Year
• Telecommunicator of the Year
• Team of the Year

As we prepare to open nominations, we encourage agencies across the state to start thinking about the people and teams who make a difference in your center every day — the leaders, mentors, trainers, and frontline professionals whose dedication deserves to be recognized.

Stay tuned for the official opening date and nomination link.
Let’s get ready to shine a spotlight on the best of Arkansas 911.

02/18/2026

Dear Arkansas APCO Membership,

Yesterday, February 16, 2026, marked a significant milestone in public safety: the 58th anniversary of the very first 911 call in the United States. On February 16, 1968, Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite placed that historic call from Haleyville City Hall to U.S. Representative Tom Bevill, who answered on a bright red phone at the local police station.

That moment was a revolutionary leap forward reducing the chaos of disparate local emergency numbers into a single, memorable, three-digit code.

Fifty-Eight Years of Evolution
Since that day in Haleyville, our profession has transformed dramatically:

Technology: We have moved from handwritten logs and basic rotary phones to Enhanced 911 (E911), which provides automatic number and location identification. Arkansas transitioned to ESInet and is a leader in the nation in our statewide implementation.
Training: Dispatchers are no longer just operators; they are highly trained first responders. Modern, comprehensive training protocols ensure our members are prepared to handle high-stress situations, providing life-saving instructions (like CPR) before responders arrive. The Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy provides Basic Telecommunicator instruction as well as specialized training for Telecommunicators. The Academy offers in-class and virtual classroom options.

To the Arkansas dispatchers, supervisors, and call-takers: I see you.

I know that while the technology changes, the emotional weight of the job does not. You are the unseen heroes, listening to the worst moments of people's lives and holding them together with a calm voice. You navigate panic, grief, and chaos, all while double-checking locations and feeding critical information to police, fire, and EMS to ensure they make it home safely.

It takes a special kind of strength to feel the weight of these tragedies and still show up for the next call. The work you do is essential, and your resilience is truly commendable. You are the backbone of public safety.

As we celebrate this 58th anniversary, take pride in how far we have come, but more importantly, take pride in the invaluable, life-saving work you do every single day. “The future is ours to hold, we simply have to grasp it, nurture it, and mold it.”

Thank you for your unwavering commitment.

Sincerely,

Gary E. “Bud” Gray RPL
Deputy Director
North Little Rock Emergency Services
Arkansas APCO President 2026

02/16/2026

02/01/2026

I’m excited to share a project close to my heart — Voices of Arkansas 911.
This spotlight series celebrates the amazing dispatchers across our state who show up with courage, calm, and compassion every day.

If you’d like to be featured or nominate someone who deserves recognition, you can submit a story using the link below.

01/16/2026

Nominations aren't just for dispatchers - they're for the trailblazers, the innovators, and the heartbeat of emergency services. Directors, GIS specialists, administrators, IT professionals, trainers, and other emergency services personnel who make a difference deserve to be recognized.

12/31/2025

🎉 Happy New Year from Arkansas APCO! 🎉

As we close out another year of service, strength, and unwavering dedication, we want to honor the incredible dispatchers across Arkansas who make every community safer.

You’ve answered the calls no one expects, steadied the voices that tremble, guided responders through the unknown, and held the line with courage that rarely gets seen — but always matters.

✨ Here’s to a new year filled with hope, growth, and moments of pride in the work you do.
✨ Here’s to the teams who show up for each other, even on the hardest days.
✨ Here’s to the voices behind the headsets — the calm in every storm.

From all of us at Arkansas APCO, thank you for everything you’ve done in 2025 and everything you’ll continue to do in 2026.
May this year bring you peace, joy, and the recognition you deserve.

Happy New Year, Arkansas dispatchers — you are the heartbeat of public safety. 💚🎧🚨