Des Plaines OKs deal for backup dispatch center in Niles

The Des Plaines City Council this week approved an intergovernmental agreement with the village of Niles for an auxiliary dispatch center.

Through June 5, the city’s 911 services and police, fire and emergency medical dispatching was provided by the North Suburban Emergency Communications Center, a four-community dispatch center located at Des Plaines City Hall, 1420 Miner St. The backup dispatch center has been housed in the Niles Public Services Building, 7104 Touhy Ave.

Once NSECC disbanded, Des Plaines started operating its own 911 system/dispatch center using former employees and equipment of the cooperative. City officials wish to continue having a back up dispatch center in Niles, which will have to be staffed. It will provide seamless 911 and dispatching services should the main center at Des Plaines City Hall become incapacitated by a fire, building damage, equipment failure, or system updates.

The Niles center also will handle call overflow from Des Plaines during emergencies such as blizzards, tornadoes and other high-volume periods. It also could be used to train new dispatchers or to retrain experienced dispatchers on new skills. Des Plaines will pay Niles $1 per year not including maintenance and operational costs — estimated at $215 per month — to operate the backup dispatch center for an additional year.