Christine Law and Jeff West of Kitsap County 911 Employees Guild will be recognized by the Association of Public Communication Officials June 18 at the annual Washington State APCO Awards in Wenatchee.
APCO is the abbreviation for Association of Public Communication Officials.
The Kitsap County 911 Employees Guild announced that Law, a 14-year employee of CENCOM, has been named Washington APCO’s Telecommunicator of the Year for Sustained Performance. This is the second CENCOM employee to be honored in the past two years. West, a former CENCOM employee, was also honored for the “Handling of a Critical Incident.”
Law started in the emergency services field in 1994 in Reno, Nev., as a dispatcher and as a part-time EMT. In June 1999, she relocated to Washington state and began work at CENCOM. She is now the communications training officer and is an active contributor to the training program at CENCOM.
West, who recently left CENCOM to manage his family’s business, is being recognized for the handling of a critical incident. In March 2012, he successfully managed an emergency situation involving a standoff in which a mentally ill woman attempted to rob the Silverdale Key Bank. For almost an hour, West remained on the phone with the woman, who claimed to have a bomb strapped to her body.
“I was simply doing my job and just trying to keep anyone from getting hurt,” West said. “I am very thankful to the APCO for the recognition and am proud to attend the awards ceremony in June.”
APCO is the leading organization for public safety officials, providing leadership and advice for countless Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) on an international and state level. Agencies nominate employees nationwide for categories such as Technician of the Year, Handling of a Critical Incident, and Sustained Performance. Last year, CENCOM employees were recognized for Sustained Performance and Technician of the Year.
At the ceremony, 911 Guild employees will have the chance to exchange information about the latest trends in calls, new technology and hear stories of high priority or traumatic calls.
