 In Logan County, a surcharge of $1.95 per landline phone and 85
cents per cellphone supports the emergency call-in and dispatch
system. Every county has its own set of rates, but Fulscher was told
in a conversation with the Illinois Commerce Commission that there
is a 20 percent deficiency between landline and cellphone surcharges
overall, across the state.
With fewer landline phones being used, the surcharge revenue has
decreased. Without legislation to increase cellphone fees to
compensate, the emergency telephone systems will struggle to
maintain their current quality of coverage and manpower.
Fulscher will report back to the board in December on any
progress with the legislators, but he is not optimistic about any
changes, with an election year looming.
Almost all of the 45 responding departments across Logan County
have now switched to the same frequency, in order to improve
communications during disasters and emergency situations. Pagers
were converted to narrowband. Atlanta was the exception, opting to
use a different frequency. Terry Storer, E911/ETS deputy director,
said there were some receiver problems, but those will be remedied
soon.
Fulscher said the Lincoln Police Department now has 10 new
Kenwood radios, purchased with state and local grants.
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Mark Mann, operations supervisor, reported October figures: E911
calls, 1,013; administrative calls, 3,237; dispatch calls to patrol
cars, 2,900.
Fulscher noted the records show there is a call to the center, on
average, every six minutes, and time between the initial phone
signal and a dispatcher's pickup time is 1.5 seconds. He commended
Mann and his department for the quick response and cooperation with
recent incidents that took diligence and focus to assist the police,
sheriff's deputies and emergency personnel for a successful
conclusion.
[By MARLA BLAIR]
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