Elgin will handle fire dispatch for South Elgin

A South Elgin decision to outsource dispatch services has given the city of Elgin a chance to explore a new revenue stream.

Village officials in South Elgin have talked about getting rid of their own dispatch center at least since 1997 when the current village administrator was the police chief. Larry Jones said he has continued to discuss the possibility with the current police chief, monitoring the cost of operating a dispatch center compared to the benefits.

Village board members approved a move for the police department from a South Elgin dispatch center to Kane County earlier this month. The same approval for the fire department is pending an intergovernmental agreement with Elgin — which received preliminary approval, at least in concept, from the city council Wednesday.

“It has to do with cost savings, and also just trying to run a more efficient operation,” Jones said.

Joe Cluchey, chief of the South Elgin and Countryside Fire Protection District, said the new setup should be ready to go by May 1. The next three months will be spent finalizing the formal legal agreement, coordinating the technical aspect — which includes buying new hardware and updating infrastructure — and training people on the new system.

The fire protection district chose Elgin after a request for proposals from five area dispatch centers. Although Kane County could handle the dispatch for less money, Cluchey said Elgin’s overall service level was better.

“The difference in their bid between them and Kane County was minimal, but the difference in terms of what they could do for us was huge,” Cluchey said.

After May 1, 911 calls from South Elgin will go to Kane County Dispatch, where police calls will be handled or fire calls will be forwarded to Elgin. Cluchey said calls outside of the South Elgin village limits already go through a similar process, being forwarded back from KaneComm to South Elgin’s dispatch center when appropriate.

While it may take seconds more for a call to be dispatched, Cluchey expects higher staffing levels at Elgin’s center and better equipment for South Elgin emergency responders to balance that out.

“We’re spending a little more money on our infrastructure,” Cluchey said. “We’re going to use technology to help make up that time.”

Based on the concept Elgin City Council members gave unanimous approval to Wednesday, the fire protection district will pay the city $55,000 a year for its dispatch services. Elgin does not expect to hire any new dispatchers to accommodate the approximately seven extra calls per day generated by South Elgin, according to a memo to council members.

Once the agreement is drafted it will come before officials in both municipalities for final approval.