Des Plaines considers joining RED Center (more)

“Our opinion is we’re just as good as them (RED).”

Des Plaines emergency dispatchers are rallying community support to keep the city's 911 center local. Rebecca Brink, a long-time dispatcher and union representative, has been distributing flyers highlighting the potential negative consequences of switching to the Regional Emergency Dispatch (RED) Center. She’s encouraging residents to attend the upcoming council meeting on Tuesday, September 3, to voice their concerns and push back against the proposed move.

The city is looking to save approximately $133,272 per year by joining RED, which handles only fire dispatching. Police dispatching would remain at the Des Plaines Emergency Communications Center (DPECC), located on the second floor of city hall. The police department is currently evaluating options, including possibly joining another dispatch center or maintaining DPECC operations.

Since Park Ridge shares the DPECC with Des Plaines, the two cities would need to move together for the plan to work. Park Ridge’s city council recently approved the switch, but Morton Grove and Niles have already pulled out of the DPECC this year.

If the move to RED goes through, calls received at DPECC would be transferred to RED for fire dispatch. Brink claims this process could add up to 45 seconds in response time due to the need for both centers to confirm caller details. She based this estimate on data from random call reviews.

However, Fire Chief Alan Wax argues that most RED partners handle fire calls almost instantly, without needing extra information. He says the small delay is more than offset by RED’s overall efficiency and service quality. “We want to provide the best possible service to our citizens,” Wax said, “and we can do that at a lower cost.”

Brink suggests that instead of moving to RED, the city should invest $1.3 million in modernizing the DPECC. She claims city officials didn’t push for necessary upgrades during the previous director’s tenure. While Wax acknowledged past decisions may not have been ideal, he noted they were made by the DPECC’s administration and board.

Another concern Brink raises is the ease of communication between police and fire dispatchers when they’re in the same building. She believes this makes coordination much smoother. However, Wax explained that under RED, coordination would require a phone call, but the time difference is negligible compared to the benefits of RED’s performance.

Currently, the DPECC has fewer than 25 staff members, including 17 dispatchers. Both the director and deputy director have left in recent months, adding to the uncertainty. “We’re doing everything we can to ensure service quality doesn’t suffer,” Brink said.

The city council had initially discussed the move last week but postponed the vote until September 3 to allow more time for input from Brink and others. Brink hopes to show the council that the team at DPECC is just as capable as RED. “We’ve worked with Park Ridge since 1992,” she said. “Our opinion is we’re just as good as them.”

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