New Lake County-wide dispatch system hires executive director
An executive director has been hired as the first official employee of the Lake County Consolidated Emergency Communications system set to become fully operational in 2025.
The board of directors of the agency known as LakeComm on Dec. 18 appointed Jason E. Kern to lead the system responsible for handling emergency calls for about 30 law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services agencies. He starts Jan. 20.
LakeComm is a countywide system created in June by the Lake County Board. It has been years in the planning and implementation and is designed to provide faster, more coordinated emergency responses.
An estimated 500,000 people will be affected by the consolidation, although Waukegan has been a notable holdout and Libertyville and Lindenhurst have approved dispatch contracts with Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center.
Kern has more than 30 years of public service experience with a background in law enforcement, fire, EMS, emergency management, legislative work, project management and 9-1-1 public safety communications, according to a county press release.
“I am confident that Jason’s many decades of experience in the public safety communications field will help LakeComm complete its transition to the new PSAP in 2025 and best position the agency for future success,” said Kevin Timony, chair of the LakeComm board and Vernon Hills village manager.
Kern previously served as the longest-tenured executive director at Southeast Emergency Communications (SEECOM) in Crystal Lake, a regional consolidated emergency communications center (ECC) supporting 12 agencies across more than 100 square miles and 200,000 residents.
Since joining SEECOM in 2015, Kern and his team achieved significant milestones for emergency medical dispatch and training programs, according to the release, and fostered a culture of mentoring training and quality assurance, improving performance and preparing staff for leadership roles within the ECC and industry.
“As a long-standing resident of Lake County and an industry professional, I’m excited to be a part of this project and to bring a decade’s worth of vision and collaboration over the finish line,” said Kern.
The new services are expected to be operational by late summer or early fall 2025 after construction of the $54 million Regional Operations and Communications Facility is complete at the county’s government campus in Libertyville.
Learn more at lakecomm911.org.