<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=31aXqr_0vkcipb500" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=31aXqr_0vkcipb500" width="1200" height="322" >Residents of Madison County will sometime in the not-too-distant future be provided with an opportunity to contact 9-1-1 in connection with emergency needs by sending a text message rather than only being able to do so with a conventional call.This is coming about as the result of the county board’s recent unanimous support of a resolution establishing a contract with AT&amp;T Illinois concerning the implementation of such a system.Arron Weber, the county’s 9-1-1 coordinator, said the agreement with AT&amp;T was pursued in conjunction with a statewide program allowing for emergency situations to be handled in this manner with the Illinois State Police being responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the system.The county’s cost, which covers setting up connections through AT&amp;T needed to get the project started, is a one-time expense of $98,296, as explained by Weber. Weber said an extensive effort will be made to publicize this alternative means of contacting 9-1-1 including social media announcements and information on the county web site.The legislation as recommended by Weber was brought forward to the county board by its public safety committee consisting of Chairman Terry Eaker of Bethalto, Stacey Pace of Troy, Valerie Doucleff of Godfrey, John Janek and Bob Meyer, both of Granite City, Bill Stoutenborough of Alton and Alison Lamothe of Edwardsville.The same committee and full county board additionally is expected to approve a resolution in October setting up a five-year contract with a different source provider of AT&amp;T Illinois for services related to the 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point based in Glen Carbon, the total estimated cost of $144,000 being broken down into monthly payments of $3320 each.This action was undertaken as part of a countywide consolidation of PSAPs which, in this case, involves one in Pontoon Beach being closed and combined with Glen Carbon’s.The Troy PSAP has been dissolved and became part of one based in Edwardsville. Weber estimated that, by the end of January, all of the previous 16 PSAPs in the county will be reduced to seven as a result of a 2019 directive from the state level to pursue such consolidation.There is a surcharge designated for 9-1-1 support on everyone’s telephone service bill, showing up on it every six months, which is collected by the state, that was initiated as a means of helping offset the costs of purchasing and installing the necessary equipment with a share of those funds provided to each county. The expenses for the county mentioned herein will come from the funds in its 9-1-1 budget, Weber said.Connected with the aforementioned order to consolidate the PSAPs, the state is now keeping a much greater share of that surcharge income with the counties getting less. Another factor involved in this situation concerns how the previous 9-1-1 system had become obsolete, thus necessitating its replacement.This process has been unfolding for several years, an original plan submitted for Madison County having been denied followed by an appeal and a request for administrative review.It all started on January 1, 2016, when the Illinois General Assembly’s adopted legislation, going in effect then, amending its Emergency Telephone System Act, repealing provisions in existence at that time, for the purpose of consolidating local 9-1-1 units in preparation for a statewide conversion to a modernized “next generation” system.Most significantly for municipalities and counties, the new act severely limited local control of the operation and maintenance of emergency telephone systems by rescinding the authority of those government units to collect telecommunications surcharges and instead replacing them with a statewide surcharge while also ordering the consolidation. </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

County Moves Ahead on 911 Upgrades

Residents of Madison County will sometime in the not-too-distant future be provided with an opportunity to contact 9-1-1 in connection with emergency needs by sending a text message rather than only being able to do so with a conventional call. This is coming about as the result of the county...