Earthquake calls hampered Tri-Com 911 center

When a Feb. 10 earthquake caused things to go bump in the night, lots of people called 911.

Some of the 250-plus calls to the Tri-Com 911 dispatch center were from people reporting a loud bang that shook their house. Others came from people who wanted to know what happened.

And all of them overwhelmed the center and its two dispatchers on duty at the time, causing some calls to go unanswered.

Now Batavia Fire Chief Randall Deicke is asking residents not to use 911 as an information service.

Instead, he said, tune into a radio or television news channel, the city's public access channel, BATV, or check the city Web site for an update.

Deicke posted the request Wednesday on the city Web site and sent it to local media and subscribers to city notices.

The request comes after dispatchers received so many calls after the earthquake that even their backups at nearby emergency dispatch centers - including one run by Kane County - were overrun.

That led to some callers receiving a busy signals instead of assistance. Fortunately, it appears nobody was denied emergency aid because of the problem, Deicke said.

"We have looked at other alternatives, such as additional phone lines (for Tri-Com)," Deicke said, but that still leaves the problem of staffing.

Tri-Com serves Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles, and the Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District.