Excerpts from theTimesWeekly.com:
Will County is under pressure to consolidate its six 911 dispatch centers into three by next July, but many key details remain unclear. From location and funding to the services each center will provide, there are still more questions than answers.
According to Steve Rauter, executive director of WESCOM and a member of the Will County Emergency Telephone System 9-1-1 Board’s long-range planning committee, there are only two certainties: the county must submit a plan to the state by July 2016, and it must be fully implemented by July 2017.
Failure to meet these deadlines could mean losing state funds that are collected through phone service carrier fees, Rauter warned. “We’re taking this law seriously,†he said. “The Illinois State Police are in charge of enforcement, and if we don’t comply, we won’t get funded.â€
The current system includes Joliet, the largest center handling police and fire calls for city residents, and WESCOM in Plainfield, which serves 19 communities including Bolingbrook, Wilmington, and Braidwood. Other centers are located in Romeoville, Crete, Frankfort, and Will County itself, which only handles emergency calls in unincorporated areas without dispatching firefighters.
While most agree that Joliet and WESCOM should stay, the final decision isn’t set in stone. Will County Undersheriff Bob Contro, who represents the sheriff’s office on the 9-1-1 board, said discussions are just beginning. One possible new center could be part of the new sheriff’s campus on Laraway Road, though timing is tight given the design phase is set to start soon.
“Everything is on the table right now,†Contro said.
The consolidation effort was mandated by the General Assembly earlier this year, with the goal of reducing response times by minimizing call transfers between centers. The long-term vision is a statewide system, but the financial hurdles are significant. Illinois can’t use federal grants due to budget shortfalls, and it also needs to fund new 911 systems in nine counties where service is currently unavailable.
It remains unclear how much state money will be available for local consolidation. A state oversight board is expected to be appointed soon, and it will determine what counties need to include in their plans.
If Joliet and WESCOM are kept as two of the three centers, the remaining area would be covered by just one. Ideally, that center would be part of the new law enforcement campus, according to County Board member Denise Winfrey.
The county might even consider outsourcing dispatch entirely, handing over responsibilities to a new regional center. But with so many variables—community coverage, equipment needs, cost distribution—it's a complex process.
Typically, costs are based on the number of calls a town receives, but Rauter raised a critical question: Should towns that are newly added to the system pay more than those that helped fund a previous expansion?
Previous posts about issues with the 911 system in Will County are HERE and HERE.
Stand Up Bag Making Machine,Small Plastic Bag Making Machine,Self Stand Bag Making Machine,Plastic Bag Making Machine Fully Automatic
Wuxi Shengkun Machinery Co.,Ltd , https://www.skbagmakingmachine.com