The third quarter meeting was called to order by President Fred Debowey. A roundtable introduction of members ensued.

The Governor's Wireless Telecommunications Committee is still in the appointment process, and there are two people left to be confirmed. Karen Krebsbach contacted Fred for recommendations for the committee.

Fred has received a number of calls regarding dissention with the last meeting's minutes. A comment was inserted regarding a summary of the Governor's discussion. The minutes will be amended.

Terry Traynor has forwarded a survey to complete on Y2K readiness with critical services. Members present are asked to complete the seven-question survey for the Association of Counties. Rick Hessinger stated there are a number of Y2K surveys floating around to relate the level of preparedness for Y2K. There is also a NENA survey going around which we could fill out at the same time. Fred is on the Y2K committee for the City of Minot and relayed a few items such as not being able to count on the military and the National Guard for any items.

The letter drafted in Bismarck was signed by Fred (on behalf of the Association) and Rick (on behalf of APCO) and sent to Dr. Clausen at Medical Priority. State Radio wants to utilize the flipcharts to train their dispatchers, and the vice president of the corporation said that was fine. The concern from Medical Priority was that a PSAP not be shorted a flipchart set when a call comes in. Rick requested a letter be sent to State Radio on this behalf. Each PSAP should follow-up and receive a reply on paper. The issue of utilizing other flipcharts was discussed. APCO, along with the ND 911 Association and the ND Health Department, would be able to establish a standard set of flipcharts for $285.

An EMD course has been scheduled October 18-20 in Devils Lake. Derek Hanson and Rick will work with Janelle Morgan to schedule refresher courses for the next six months. The issue is having some classes in the eastern and western part of the State. State Radio is also developing a web page and will be posting upcoming training dates for everybody to access. Jerry Bergquist stated that Derek is in the process of setting up refresher courses; however, Stutsman County also has one scheduled for November 9, 1999 which is contingent upon being able to use the flipcards. Rick suggested moving forward and getting something on paper from Medical Priorities before the classes.

Lyle just had a conference call yesterday regarding the National APCO Conference which was the largest ever held. There is a new formula for the Chapter holding the National Conference, they get so much for every attendee (above the last three-year average) as well as a flat guarantee of $25,000. Comments received from North Dakota attendees were great. We're kicking off a campaign for Year 2000 to obtain 2,000 more members. The APCO Communication Center accreditation criteria has been completed for centers interested--small or large. North Dakota received the population density award again and received two free registration fees to Boston.

Lyle was able to get in contact with Claire, Governor's Office, and was told that in less than a week the committee will be finalized. Pete Eggiman drafted a letter, in the form of a press release, regarding some of the things this Association has discussed regarding educating the public and service difference for wireless in comparison to landline. Some of the cellular companies have been educating their customers with flyers in their billings regarding cellular service and what to do when 911 is called. Discussion continued on related cellular articles and technology. The Association will forge forward to develop legislation to tax cellular lines when the legislature meets again. Lyle suggested contact be made with the legislative council to find out if there is an interim committee, whether landline or cellular, studying 911.

Lyle Gallagher reported that Federal Engineering has completed their contract with the State on the Public Safety Communications Plan. The plan is in three volumes; however, a brief synopsis was provided in the form of a brochure. The plan may become available on the State Radio web site.

Three alternative strategies were developed:

1. Baseline, where nothing is changed.

2. Evolutionary, where conservative, low impact, modern improvements, are made.

3. Revolutionary, where leading-edge technologies and improvements are suggested.

Lyle reported the State bid contract is nearly complete and will include two-way radio equipment and pagers; however, there will not be a lot of radio equipment on this bid. The rest of the bid will be a percentage off of the vendors catalogs. The bid contract will be offered to political divisions. If there is a specific item you would like to see included in the bid, input is welcome.

In the last Minutes, the polling of the 911 Coordinators was tabled, and Pete Eggiman would like to resurrect the issue. He developed a short, one-page agreement that could be sent (with the intent it would go to the 911 Coordinators in each county) to authorize the 911 Association to negotiate on their behalf with the cellular vendors for Phase I and Phase II, but they would

reserve the right to enter into any contracts. The 911 Association could negotiate on a statewide basis, but would not obligate the county for any amount of money. Gary Kostelecky suggested we generate some letters to show our interest. Jerry suggested the 911 Association could act as the liaison to deal with the wireless companies and negotiate. The question is whether we do this now or wait for the Governor's Committee. Each County's attorney will look at this document, and it may take some feedback time. Pete would like the Association to go on record with this being the path to take. Gary Kostelecky made a motion to put the draft together with an added signature line for the 911 Coordinator and proceed with the 911 Wireless Negotiation Agreement. The motion was second by Sherwood Monroe. Discussion continued regarding devising a cover letter providing an explanation of the document. We should try to have at least one attorney review the document and provide an opinion. Motion carried. Fred Debowey delegated Pete Eggiman to finalize the contract and the cover letter.

Sherwood Monroe made a motion to accept the June 28-29, Meeting Minutes, with the following excerpts removed: "This is a paraphrase due to the fact that it's impossible to get a straight answer or quote from a politician!", "in the event they forget their address", and "go mommy, go!". The motion was second by Tammy Lapp. Motion carried. Jerry Bergquist made a motion to also remove the excerpt, "Carol Lindsey's replacement". The motion was second by Gary Kostelecky. Motion carried with all in favor.

The Governor's Office will be added to the ND 911 Association mailing list.

Tammy Lapp reported the current balance in the account is $3,868.40. Mary Senger made a motion to accept the treasurer's report. Janelle Pepple second the motion. Motion carried with all in favor.

The letter sent to Medical Priority Consultants was not included in the last mailing. The document regarding 911 wireless tips was also not included in the last mailing.

The Association discussed a plaque for Keith Seaver which was also discussed at APCO. Lyle did send a biography to the Governor, who in turn sent a commendation to Keith's mother. Jerry Tollefson will make a copy of this commendation available to the 911 Association. Lyle Gallagher will also make sure that Keith Seaver's name and accomplishments are mentioned at the National APCO Conference in Boston.

Jerry Bergquist previously requested something also be done for Duane Schaff. Jerry Bergquist made a motion that the ND 911 Association provide a plaque and a letter to commemorate a deceased 911 Coordinator. Rick Hessinger second the motion. Motion carried with all in favor.

Jerry Bergquist reminded the Association a committee was set up to obtain a wallboard presenter. Mary stated that Jerry Marschke will be talking with a member of the National Guard to construct this item.

Rick attended an APCO Meeting where it was proposed we combined APCO and 911 Meetings. He felt this would be beneficial on a quarterly basis, and each committee would maintain their individual identity. The intent is to bring the meetings together and improve attendance while decreasing travel expenses. Janelle questioned whether this would be for training only, or include business meetings. Pete Eggiman felt APCO is more line-staff directed while the 911 Association is more management oriented. Rick clarified that APCO usually hosts two meetings a year, and we wouldn't have to try to combine four meetings. Gary suggested the APCO Board could meet 1-2 hours before the meeting.

Jerry Bergquist made a motion to accept APCO's proposal to host joint APCO and ND 911 Association Meetings for a trial period of one year starting in 2000. The motion was second by Rick Hessinger. Discussion continued regarding who would run the meetings. Janelle questioned whether Dakota NENA was looking at that too. Del Johnston confirmed that South Dakota was utilizing this method. Rick felt that if Dakota NENA wanted to host a joint meeting with our APCO and 911 Meeting, we would entertain that also. Jerry felt it would be beneficial if we utilized the trial period first. Lyle commented that he has been to several states where it is normal to see joint APCO/NENA Meetings. For the sake of discussion, Pete suggested we contact APCO to let them know they would still be responsible for the training and banquets. Motioned carried with all in favor.

Terry Traynor presented a draft survey on Y2K readiness. The Governor's Office has communicated with all of the cities and counties, and an interim committee for automation has also contacted the Association of Counties. The survey is to provide a summary on the statewide status without naming which counties aren't Y2K compliant. Mary asked whether the Association of Counties knows of any interim committees studying 911, and Terry responded there were none at this time.

Lyle stated Rolette County will be the only County without 911 in the year 2000. Bottineau would be the likely PSAP for that County, and Lyle would like to see the 911 Association draw some attention to the necessity of 911. They have voted it in but haven't started collecting the tax. Del was in Rolette County 3-4 months ago, and the County does not seem to know what their next step should be. Their telephone company, United, is interested in providing the service. No committees or organizations have been formed as of this date. They have no leadership to provide a focal point. Jerry Bergquist or Ken Jarolimek will talk with DuWayne Hoffman regarding an invitation to schedule a meeting in Rolette County to discuss 911 services.

Rick Hessinger would like to know whether there is a need to go out and provide NCIC training. Some members signified their agencies need the training, and Rick will work on a training calendar.

Lyle Gallagher announced that Rick Hessinger was appointed to the National APCO 911 Committee.

The Association will also add Terry Traynor, Association of Counties, to their mailing list.

The meeting was adjourned until 9:00 AM tomorrow morning.

Vice President Gary Kostelecky called the meeting to order.

Pete Eggiman will work on the negotiation agreement and finalize the cover letter. Sherwood Monroe requested more information in the cover letter regarding FCC requirements for readers to have a better understanding. Both items will be forwarded to Gary for his attorney to review.

Press releases written by the Association should be put on Association letterhead and forwarded to the 911 Coordinator with a cover letter. It will be up to the 911 Coordinator to get the release in their local paper. It was decided that press releases will be written on a quarterly basis or as the need arises. An ideal time for another press release is during Severe Winter Weather Awareness Week. Pete Eggiman suggested sending the press release to special interest groups: Legislative Council, Safety Council, etc. Janelle will also contact RaeAnn Kelch regarding assistance with public service announcements.

Ken Jarolimek spoke with Cornelius Grant and DuWayne Hoffman this morning. They thought it was four years ago that it was voted in; however, no money has been collected. Both the Tribe and the County want 911. Some of the commissioners did go to Cavalier County to look at their system. There is no 911 Coordinator at this time; however, it is being looked at and progress is being made. Ken told DuWayne there are people in the 911 Association that are open to give advice if he wants to contact them. Rick suggested that their County Commission develop a resolution to start collecting the tax and hire a 911 Coordinator. Gary recommended following up on their progress in 2-3 weeks. Lyle stated the Governor has directed State Radio to provide advice for Rolette to start their system. Rick will make a call to the auditor to get State Radio on the next commission agenda. This topic will be brought up for discussion at our next meeting for an update on their progress.

Jerry Bergquist had an article from his local newspaper. Touch America, in coordination with US West, would like to provide a one-number service. One phone number could be utilized for your home phone and wireless device. Gary stated that universal number is something we will be dealing with in the future, and GPS would be needed in those phones for 911 safety. Rick hopes that when the vendors see these articles, they will realize they need to do something additional for public safety.

Del Johnston does not see a lot of the news releases that are being discussed at this meeting. He's wondering which papers to subscribe to for the information. Janelle suggested that the ND Newspaper Association offers a news clipping service. They go through all of the papers in the

State and clip out the articles of interest for the customer. Ken stated Emergency Management uses this service through the National Guard. Janelle will contact them to check on the price for this service.

Rick stated we are 18 months out from the National Conference which will be in April, 2001. There are certain things that need to done in a time sequence. The first thing is the selection of the Conference Standing Chairs. The Chairs are responsible for the tasks

delineated as set forth in the manual for establishing a regional conference. There are twelve Chairs for the conference. If anybody is interested in serving as a Chair, please contact Rick and he will then give them the pages out of the manual showing their duties and tasks. The special interests groups will be included in this process also. Rick does have a tentative contract with the Radisson. Lyle will be President of APCO from August, 1999 through August, 2000.

The twelve chairs are as follows:

Jerry Bergquist suggested that Emergency Managers in the eastern part of the State not serve as Chairs due to the flooding season. It was suggested that Co-Chairs also be utilized to alleviate the burden.

Del asked Rick, since he is the State cellular coordinator, if he could notify the 911 Coordinators regarding new towers as they are placed. Rick is not always contacted when new towers are erected, unless they are causing routing problems. Del didn't receive any notification on the newest tower placed in his area. Rick explained the cellular companies do not notify him regarding cellular tower placement; however, he will contact them, on behalf of the Association, in regard to public safety and routing areas for PSAPs.

How will we be handling training issues with joint meetings? Jerry Bergquist stated that we don't want to get into a situation where people pay the $10 Association dues and think this will let them into all of the APCO events. The joint meetings will take some work to put together an alleviate issues such as the dues. Rick envisions, on an as need basis, we could do training such as NCIC training.

Del Johnston would like to see more in-service training to refresh the dispatchers on a particular subject or items that are not used often. Mary suggested utilizing the coordinated APCO/911 Conference for these training issues and bring trainers in to review topics such as TDD, etc. The APCO Training Committee members are Rick

Hessinger, Gayla Meiers, Becky Ault, and Derek Hanson. Some of the feedback from dispatchers seems to be more training in areas such as TDD, suicide, and domestics. Mary suggested soliciting comments from the dispatchers and have them tell us what they would like to see for training. The Training Committee will be scheduling some type of training for March, 2000. Lyle suggested that once the training certification standards are completed, we will have ideas on what is required. Denise Hendrickson suggested another possible training could be on school terrorism.

Ken stated that ND Emergency Management has a Terrorism Consequence, train-the-trainer Course. Applications are available through the local Emergency Manager, and participants will receive a resource book. The course is scheduled October 6-8, 1999 in Bismarck. Emergency Management will be paying the expenses for this course according to their regular policy.

APCO has appointed a committee regarding dispatcher certification. If a State goes to National and asks what is required for training, the courses will be listed in the certification program. Liabilities may decrease through dispatcher certification. Once there is a national curricula, the State could move forward and adopt the standard. Lyle stated there are a few states that have mandatory certification. Rick suggested this may be something to pursue in the next legislative session. The Accreditation for Communication Centers is listed in the APCO website and has been completed. Mary is concerned when the Association is talking about dispatcher certification due to the fact that there are a lot of 911 Coordinators that do not attend the Association Meetings and no input is received from them. It was proposed that the Minutes be sent to every 911 Coordinator. Rick suggested a personal call be made to the 911 Coordinators that are not members of the 911 Association. The 911 Association will forward a copy of the Minutes, a letter recommending application to the Association, and an application to 911 Coordinators who are not presently a member of the Association.

Jerry Bergquist received a letter from Brian McClure, ND One Call, who would like to receive the addresses from everybody in the State. State Radio has also been in contact with him. Lyle told Brian to understand what the law requires as far as 911 addresses and faxed him a copy of the law.

Gary read the letter of commendation written by the Governor. The letter will also be retained in the ND 911 Association files. Jerry Bergquist recommended that Lyle Gallagher submit the letter for APCO's Silent Key column. Jerry Tollefson will try to find a picture of Keith for the article.

A piece of legislation was passed in the legislative session regarding vandalism interfering with 911 services.

There are a lot of companies reselling dial tone. The block of dial tone purchased from the local telephone company is not included for 911 collection; the purchaser who is reselling the dial tone is responsible for collecting the tax on that block of numbers and remitting payment. The question is how the 911 Coordinator will know who is purchasing and reselling the dial tone.

Jerry Bergquist brought up the possibility of somebody from GM On Star coming to a 911 Association Meeting or APCO to discuss how their system works.

Brent Malsam: When you drive on the Interstate, you still see signs that say to dial *2121 in an emergency. This is a Highway Patrol program whereby the calls are routed to State Radio. When it first came out, it was proposed for non-emergency items such as a flat tire, etc. Janelle questioned whether the Association should send a letter on this regard. Lyle stated *2121 has eliminated some call transfers from other PSAPs to State Radio and foresees *2121 and the 1-800 number going away in the future. Jerry stated the Association went on record as being against the *2121. Lyle stated that State Radio was not even asked whether or not they would take the calls when the program was instituted. Brent mentioned that there are more and more signs prevalent on the Interstate for *2121. The intent was well placed and offered to the Highway Patrol free of charge. Maybe the signs should be changed to read "for roadside assistance, call *2121", if it's an emergency, they should be calling 911. Lyle will speak with the ND Highway Patrol and invite them to the next 911 Meeting.

Jerry Bergquist: His Center is in the process of changing our their 911 equipment to become Y2K compliant.

Lyle Gallagher: State Radio is doing Condition Three with Bismarck/Burleigh and it has been working really well. Condition Three does require the fact that you have to evacuate or abandon your Center. US West needs to be in contact with State Radio before the switch is made. If the personnel are still available in the building, the 911 lines can be transferred to administrative lines or another area in the building.

Gary Kostelecky: His Center is in the process of receiving new equipment and should be operational by mid-November.

Sherwood Monroe made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was second by Janelle Pepple and carried with all in favor.