The Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications (DEC) proudly announces that it has achieved national training program certification. The Agency Training Program Certification (ATPC) by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International certifies that public safety communications agencies' training programs meet APCO’s National Standards and best practices. APCO submits all its standards to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). After the agency’s training program was revamped under new leadership, work was underway to have the new program certified.

“This certification is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team, highlighting our commitment to providing the highest level of training and service to our community,” says DEC Director Melissa Alterio. “This recognition places Cobb County 911 among the elite agencies that have demonstrated excellence in their training programs, ensuring that our emergency communications personnel are well-prepared to handle any situation.”

To certify, public safety communications agencies examine their curriculum, training materials, methods, approaches, and supporting documentation to ensure compliance with national standards. The process begins with an application, and then all documents are reviewed and evaluated by APCO’s ATPC Committee.

The months-long process took a team effort from DEC team members Deputy Director of Professional Standards & Development Robbie McCormick, Training and Quality Assurance Manager Todd Borowski, Professional Standards Manager Marta Sorchik, and Training and Quality Assurance Coordinators Leighann Schultz and Jamie Mumford.

“It was a pleasure and an honor to take this group through this process,” said Deputy Director Robbie McCormick. “They grew in their knowledge of the standards development and use process, the formalization of a training program, and how the process is designed when agencies work to resubmit to become nationally certified. I had been through the process before in a previous agency, so it was a joy to watch this very talented group carry out this work and see it to fruition.”

Training and Quality Assurance Coordinator Leighann Schultz took the stage to accept the DEC’s plaque at APCO’s 2024 Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida.