Earn Free CDEs With PSC Magazine Articles and Exams

Each issue of PSC magazine contains two continuing dispatch education (CDE) articles. Read the article and take the accompanying exam, available in the magazine and online, to earn continuing education credit. Unless indicated otherwise, each article and exam is worth one CDE.

Please note: Dated materials or information are current, applicable and relevant only as of the date of their issue and should not be relied upon as being current after that date. Nor is any of this information intended to serve as agency guidelines. As always, APCO advises you to follow your agency’s policies and procedures.

CDE #67616 Peas in a Pod

As a county emergency management department, having our physical office space within the only central dispatch building for the entire county is invaluable. You get immediate, 24/7 coordination and situational awareness. You foster relationships with the telecommunicators, supervisors, directors and other administrative staff, building that trust before a really bad day happens. You get to work closely on vital communications policy and procedure with different stakeholders to form a more “bulletproof” plan.

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How close links between the emergency operations and emergency communications centers facilitate emergency response.

CDE #67615 Emergent Activation

What is the impact of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and what transpires in one? According to FEMA, “an EOC is the physical or virtual location from which leaders from a jurisdiction or organization coordinate information and resources to support incident management activities.”

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Activating an emergency operations center in response to critical incidents requires care and planning before it’s required.

More CDE Articles

The following titles are currently available:

Using CDE Articles for Recertification

To receive a complimentary certificate of completion.
Take the CDE exam online. Go to ​http://apco.remote-learner.net/login/index.php to create your username and password. Enter “CDE article” in the search box, and click on “Public Safety Communications Magazine Article Exams,” then click on ”enroll me” and choose the name of the CDE to begin the exam. Upon successful completion of the exam, a certificate of achievement will be available for download/printing.

To use the CDE articles for credit toward APCO recertification(s)
Each CDE article is equal to one credit hour of continuing education

  1. Study the CDE article in this issue.
  2. Answer the test questions online or on the quiz page from the magazine article. (Photocopies are not required.)
  3. Add/upload your CDE article information and certificate of achievement in the “My Classes Taken” section of APCO’s Training Central.

To use the CDE articles for anything other than APCO recertifications and get a printed copy of the certificate:

  1. Answer the test questions. Photocopies are acceptable, but please don’t enlarge them.
  2. Fill out the ordering information below and mail with the completed exam to:
    APCO Institute
    351 N. Williamson Blvd.
    Daytona Beach, FL 32114
  3. Include payment of $15.