The Daily Herald has an article discussing changes to the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center.
The Des Plaines public works committee Thursday night agreed to recommend to the city council the establishment of a Des Plaines dispatch center and emergency telephone system board to handle 911 calls for Des Plaines and Park Ridge.
It’s the first step toward the dissolution of the North Suburban Emergency Communications Center, which provides 911 dispatch services for Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Niles and Morton Grove, and the disbanding of the Joint Emergency Telephone System (JETS) Board, which governs the current 911 center located in Des Plaines.
The 24-hour center, which has been in operation for 20 years, has been handling emergency police and fire calls for Des Plaines and Park Ridge, and police calls for Niles and Morton Grove since 2004.
Morton Grove and Niles already have opted to leave the cooperative due to cost concerns and join with Glenview’s dispatch center. Des Plaines and Park Ridge considered joining with Northwest Central Dispatch System but that agency’s governing board declined their request for a feasibility study due to its own constraints.
The only remaining option is for Des Plaines to operate its own dispatch center out of City Hall with fewer employees. Park Ridge would contract with Des Plaines to handle its 911 police and fire dispatch calls, Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax said.
If approved, the Des Plaines 911 center would be governed by a five-member board consisting of the city manager, finance director, police and fire chiefs, and a citizen member appointed by the mayor with the city council’s consent, Wax said.
The cost of upgrading the antiquated dispatch system would have to be deferred until officials know whether the new 911 center will continue beyond the proposed two years. The center needs a new computer-aided dispatch system, which would allow for the transmission of text, video, and pictures. The estimated cost is roughly $2 million.
The entire article can be found HERE.
thanks Chris
