As with any large event there were good and bad parts.
Forever in my Heart
Mom
Saturday, August 11, 2018
APCO 2018: the good and the bad
The 2018 APCO Conference at the Las Vegas Sands Convention Center is over. Those of us who attended are now back home and back to our regular routines. How was this year's event in Las Vegas? I've been to three Conventions (2009 in, funny enough- Las Vegas and back when it was held in Sparks at the Golden Nugget in the 1990's). Showing my APCO Attendee badge allowed me to park for free.
As with any large event there were good and bad parts.
As with any large event there were good and bad parts.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Photos from APCO
I'll post more about the conference this weekend but here are some pictures from the APCO Block party and the final night's meet and greet dinner with Louie Anderson providing entertainment. One of the highlight's of the Block Party was playing Blackjack: winner moved earned a space nearest the fan. It was more for the fun of hanging out and enjoying one another's company. Thanks for a great time!
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| Fremont Street was lit up for APCO |
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| Me with a new friend Angela |
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| Fremont Street entertainment |
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| At the Block Party a friendly game of 21 with winner getting closest access to the fan |
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| Meet and Greet before the dinner |
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| final President's message before sweating in of new |
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| Swearing on new Presidential Board 2018-2019 |
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| Louie Anderson |
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
APCO Monday 6th
The Sands expo is nice but not quite as large as the Las Vegas Convention Center. On has to park at the Palazzo or Venetian. When you walk inside, there are banners and signs welcoming you to the Conference. It is easy to find sessions.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
First day at APCO
Today I went to two sessions: Imagine Listening - Your Worst Day is My Everyday and The Voices Behind the Incident: A Discussion Panel With the Dispatchers Involved in the Las Vegas Shooting.
Imagine Listening was put n my Ricardo Martinez II, the man behind the IAM911 movement. He has a podcast focusing on Public Safety Telecommunicators that is a must hear for anyone wanting to know what our job is truly about. Some of the stories are heart-breaking, some funny, and some just make your cringe. Today he played some audio and then invited the audience to share stories.
Many of us left the session with wet eyes. It was very emotional.
So what did I go to next? The Las Vegas Fire Communications Center panel discussion. WOW! They started out by playing a montage of 911 calls accompanied by video footage. The room was dead quiet as a packed Ballroom of Dispatchers watched and listened. Then the Dispatchers stood up one-by-one and shared their take on the night's event and how they have coped since then. Each one received a raucous round of applause and a standing ovation at the end. To hear about what they handled in that short amount of time was crazy.
I left the conference after that to meet with my son and daughter-in-law. We spent a nice afternoon at the Lion Habitat Ranch. Then we went out to lunch. Denise wanted to check out Zak Bagan's Haunted Museum. We went ahead and took the tour. I have to admit, there were a few parts of that tour that truly creeped me out.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are full days. The vendor area open up and I have a request to bring back swag.
For any of you at APCO reading this, I have signed copies of the Dispatching History book with me. Find me and say hello. Maybe you'll walk away with a free book!
Stay safe out there!
Imagine Listening was put n my Ricardo Martinez II, the man behind the IAM911 movement. He has a podcast focusing on Public Safety Telecommunicators that is a must hear for anyone wanting to know what our job is truly about. Some of the stories are heart-breaking, some funny, and some just make your cringe. Today he played some audio and then invited the audience to share stories.
Many of us left the session with wet eyes. It was very emotional.
So what did I go to next? The Las Vegas Fire Communications Center panel discussion. WOW! They started out by playing a montage of 911 calls accompanied by video footage. The room was dead quiet as a packed Ballroom of Dispatchers watched and listened. Then the Dispatchers stood up one-by-one and shared their take on the night's event and how they have coped since then. Each one received a raucous round of applause and a standing ovation at the end. To hear about what they handled in that short amount of time was crazy.
I left the conference after that to meet with my son and daughter-in-law. We spent a nice afternoon at the Lion Habitat Ranch. Then we went out to lunch. Denise wanted to check out Zak Bagan's Haunted Museum. We went ahead and took the tour. I have to admit, there were a few parts of that tour that truly creeped me out.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are full days. The vendor area open up and I have a request to bring back swag.
For any of you at APCO reading this, I have signed copies of the Dispatching History book with me. Find me and say hello. Maybe you'll walk away with a free book!
Stay safe out there!
Friday, August 3, 2018
The long drive to Vegas
I made the drive in a decent amount of time. Wanting to avoid the traffic, I left at o'dark thirty from Reno. It didn't matter. I still hit traffic. Once the sun rose, and I left Washoe County, the traffic thinned out.
Darn, the smoke from the multiple fires was bad. It made for a gorgeous sunrise but it didn't clear until I passed Tonopah. I put in a CD to practice my private karaoke skills. after a while, I flipped on the Sirius Music classic rock. The view was nice: lots of mustangs and later, some burros, and some amazing scenery. Thankfully, I didn't see any suicidal critters on the road.
No accidents and minor constructions kept me going steady. I made a few pit stops to top-off the tank in Yerington, Tonopah, and Death Valley (I wandered around the famous candy store but left empty handed). I finally broke down in Beatty and turned on the air-conditioning for a bit when I got stuck behind a slow-moving truck.
Tomorrow is check-in day but I mostly have it to myself. I will be taking pictures and posting them daily.
Stay safe out there!
Darn, the smoke from the multiple fires was bad. It made for a gorgeous sunrise but it didn't clear until I passed Tonopah. I put in a CD to practice my private karaoke skills. after a while, I flipped on the Sirius Music classic rock. The view was nice: lots of mustangs and later, some burros, and some amazing scenery. Thankfully, I didn't see any suicidal critters on the road.
No accidents and minor constructions kept me going steady. I made a few pit stops to top-off the tank in Yerington, Tonopah, and Death Valley (I wandered around the famous candy store but left empty handed). I finally broke down in Beatty and turned on the air-conditioning for a bit when I got stuck behind a slow-moving truck.
Tomorrow is check-in day but I mostly have it to myself. I will be taking pictures and posting them daily.
Stay safe out there!
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