At the annual Oregon Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers (APCO) and National Emergency Number Association (NENA) conference last Wednesday night in Bend, DPSST’s Telecommunications Training Program Coordinator Tami Atkinson received the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is Oregon APCO-NENA’s highest award, created to recognize a distinguished member of the chapter who has demonstrated a commitment to the advancement of emergency communications in Oregon. Candidates are chapter members who have demonstrated outstanding leadership within the chapter and who have made significant contributions to emergency communications in Oregon and the Oregon APCO-NENA chapter over his/her lifetime.
Tami began her public safety communications career as a dispatcher with Lincoln County Communications (LinCom) in 1984. During the past 34 years Tami has accomplished a lot. While at LinCom, Tami was actively engaged as a trainer, coach, supervisor, and also served as acting director. She also worked on the consolidation of LinCom into Willamette Valley Communications Center in Salem. Tami has served as Oregon APCO/NENA President and she co-chaired the training committee for the organization’s recent Western Regional APCO conference. Tami’s career path would eventually lead her to DPSST where she serves as our Telecommunications Training Program Coordinator.
In her role at DPSST, Tami oversees the State's 9-1-1 Training Program that provides basic and advanced training to more than 900 men and women around Oregon who answer our calls for emergency assistance.
DPSST's Director Eriks Gabliks said "Oregon's 9-1-1 and emergency medical dispatch standards and training program is used as a national benchmark of excellence in large part due to Tami's hard work and dedication and the partnerships she has created and maintains with our public safety partners around the state. We are very proud to have Tami on our team and are excited that the Oregon Chapter of APCO and NENA has honored her with their Lifetime Achievement Award."
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The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) operates the Oregon Public Safety Academy which spans more than 235 acres in Salem. The Academy is nationally recognized for its innovative training programs and active stakeholder involvement. Eriks Gabliks serves as the Director, and Sheriff Jason Myers of the Marion County Sheriff's Office serves as the Chair of the Board. The department implements minimum standards established by the Board for the training and certification of more than 40,000 city, tribal, county and state law enforcement officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, fire service personnel, telecommunicators, emergency medical dispatchers and private security providers.
DPSST provides training to more than 25,000 students each year throughout Oregon and at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem: certifies qualified officers at various levels from basic through executive; certifies qualified instructors; and reviews and accredits training programs throughout the state based on standards established by the Board.