The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) is proud to award the 2019 Richard DeMello Award to Chief Barry Luke, NPSTC Deputy Executive Director [2012–2019].  The DeMello award is NPSTC's most important honor, and is presented to one individual in public safety communications who has demonstrated the highest levels of personal and professional conduct and performance in the local, state, and national public safety communications arena.

For the past 45 years, Chief Luke has been actively involved with public safety communications at the local, state, and national level.  Over the last 7 years, he has provided vision, leadership and technological expertise in managing NPSTC's Committees and Working Groups.  NPSTC is honored to offer our appreciation and recognition of his work that has helped to advance the cause of public safety communications.

NPSTC has produced dozens of technical and operational reports on public safety broadband and other technologies thanks to Chief Luke's ability to facilitate Working Group conversations.  His knowledge of operational, technical, and policy issues is unique and has helped him work with different organizations and groups.  Kevin McGinnis, former FirstNet Board member and current Vice Chair of NPSTC, said, "Chief Luke has been a consistently intelligent, informed, Influential, and committed force moving the ball steadily ahead in the public safety communications arena."

Chief Luke started his public safety career in 1974, at age 15, as a volunteer dispatcher for the Gainesville (FL) Police Department, through their Police Explorer program.  Two weeks after graduating high school, with only Red Cross advanced first aid training, he was hired as a full-time rescue technician and assigned to a rural fire station responding to EMS calls.  He subsequently worked as a firefighter, paramedic, law enforcement officer, and flight medic on a rescue helicopter.

Chief Luke has continuously advocated for improvements to public safety communications.  In 1988, while working as the Director of Public Safety Communications for the City of Gainesville, he helped convince local officials to support a countywide consolidated communications center which would bring all public safety agencies into a single operation on the same radio platform.  That mission was accomplished in 1996 with a historic vote of the City and County Commission agreeing to the merger.

In 1997, Chief Luke was hired by Orange County, Florida Fire Rescue where he served in a variety of roles, including Fire Communications Manager, Division Chief, and Deputy Chief up to his retirement in 2008.  During those 11 years he helped manage dozens of natural disasters, including the Hurricane Charley in 2004 which traveled directly over the agency's communications center.  He received an award from the Congressional 911 Caucus on behalf of his agency's handling of emergency communications in the aftermath of the storm which generated 465 emergency incidents that were holding for dispatch.

In 2008, Chief Luke started working with NPSTC and was appointed Deputy Executive Director in 2012 where he has remained through his retirement in July of this year.  He is a Life Member of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and has received numerous awards during his 45 years in public safety.  "This has been an incredibly exciting journey and I am thankful to have worked with so many amazing people over the years," he said.  Some of his most memorable projects involved the creation of technical reports on public safety broadband and managing a survey of over 670 EMS agencies on the use of video to support patient care.  "Both of those initiatives involving talking with first responders and learning a lot from industry about new solutions that support public safety."

Chief Luke has provided a true service in furthering the cause of public safety telecommunications through his unwavering commitment and expertise.  NPSTC and the public safety communications community thank him for a job well done.

The official presentation will be made to Chief Luke in New York City at the Radio Club of America (RCA) awards dinner on November 23rd.