It was the final day of APCO 2022 in Anaheim, California, and the Food for Thought Luncheon menu was loaded. It included recognition of thriving APCO chapters, agency certification, volunteer contributions to this year’s conference, and a look ahead to the 2023 conference. It concluded with insights of an American war hero on “Leadership Lessons From Blackhawk Down.”
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of APCO International Derek Poarch presented the award for Chapter Growth in Number of Members to the Florida Chapter for adding 652 new members. Chapter Growth by Percentage of New Members went to the Alaska Chapter for a 54.6% increase. And the Membership by Population Density went to the Wyoming Chapter.
Poarch also announced agencies that achieved Agency Training Program Certification standard from APCO this year. “Certification of an agency’s training standards by APCO demonstrates the agency’s commitment to meeting national standards, and represents a major accomplishment for the agency, its staff and the community it serves,” Poarch said.
APCO 2022 Conference Chair Maureen Will came on stage to thank expo committee members and APCO staff for making the 2022 conference a reality.
“I hope you’ve had an amazing time, enjoyed key training topics and experienced an amazing exhibit floor with innovative technology and subject matter experts,” Will said. “Most of all, I hope that you renewed old friendships and created new ones and are reenergized to return to this crazy world of public safety telecommunications, to become an even bigger part of the “we” of this association, APCO International.”
Members of the Tennessee Chapter followed on stage to sing the praises of Nashville, which will host APCO 2023, August 6-9.
“There is excellent shopping, dining, entertainment venues, and of course music,” said APCO 2023 Conference Co-chair Jackie Jackson. “We have been the home to some of the best artists of the last several decades. We are also the home of the Grand Ole Opry and The Ryman.”
Director of Public Safety with Verizon Frontline Cory Davis touted the carrier’s network built for first responders, Verizon Frontline, before introducing featured speaker Matt Eversmann.
U.S. Army First Sergeant Eversmann (Ret.) went to Somalia in 1993 as part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation, as told in the 2001 film “Blackhawk Down.” For his service in Somalia, Eversmann was awarded the Bronze Star medal with “V” device for valor.
Eversmann talked about attending a networking event at the British Embassy after he left the Army where he learned about the concept of “strategic shock” and its meaning: paralysis that happens when the worst of the worst things happen, and it leaves you on the precipice of flight or fight.
Eversmann said he could relate as he had encountered this in combat. “The way to combat strategic shock is to take action, and you have to act independently, authentically and immediately,” said Eversmann. “You can’t wait for someone else.”
Eversmann advised the audience to make sure that they do the basics of their jobs really well, “Even the mundane stuff that no one wants to do. Because if you don’t, then there’s a chink in the armor, and everything will fall apart during a crisis.”
