Maintain quality 911 dispatching in Bolingbrook!

The push to outsource government services has made its way to the Village of Bolingbrook, which is considering sending its 911 dispatch services out of the community.

The village’s police and fire calls are currently handled by 15 dedicated, in-house 911 dispatchers – members of the community who serve village residents and assist the police and fire departments in their duties.

WESCOM is a multi-jurisdictional agency that has one call center serving 19 different police and fire departments.  If it took over 911 dispatching, the Village of Bolingbrook would be sharing dispatchers and resources with those other local governments.

Elected officials need to hear that keeping 911 dispatching services in-house is what’s best for Bolingbrook residents and public safety agencies. You can help them get that message by signing a petition in support of keeping 911 dispatching services in-house.

Bolingbrook dispatchers are familiar with the residents, geography and emergency personnel of the village, which ultimately leads to more prompt and quality service. Because these dispatchers are employees of the village and accountable to its residents, the village has control over the training practices, emergency protocols and staffing levels of this dedicated work force.

If the village consolidates 911 services with an outside agency, it will no longer control these vital areas that make its dispatch service the award-winning, life-saving service it is today.

There are also questions about WESCOM’s ability to handle the volume of calls coming out of Bolingbrook – village dispatchers handle about 62,000 calls a year, while the 19 other police and fire departments using WESCOM generate about 120,000 calls in total a year. If the village goes with WESCOM, the company’s call volume would increase by more than 50 percent and it’s not clear staffing would be adequate.

Most of the communities covered by WESCOM are much smaller than Bolingbrook – too small to sustain their own dispatch center. Village dispatchers, on the other hand, have a proven track record of success.

The petition also includes contact information for the village’s elected officials – after you’ve signed, contact them and let them know that this vital service shouldn’t be sent outside the community.