On February 12, APCO President Becky Neugent met with Congressman Dale Strong (R-AL) in Birmingham, Alabama, to raise awareness of the issues facing the 9-1-1 community and how Congress can help address these challenges. Congressman Strong, who worked as a 9-1-1 dispatcher with the Huntsville-Madison County Emergency Communications Center and currently serves as a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the Monrovia Volunteer Fire Department, is one of only two members of Congress with experience as a 9-1-1 professional. During the meeting, President Neugent discussed the need to address health and wellness challenges in the 9-1-1 community, the changing landscape of 9-1-1 with the emergence of new technologies, and the importance of properly recognizing the protective nature of the work 9-1-1 professionals perform by correctly classifying them as a “protective service” at the federal level.
