What safety projects ComEd grants are funding in suburban towns

A $170,000 ComEd grant will help 25 suburban towns purchase lifesaving equipment, digital messaging and speed notification signs, cameras and other safety initiatives.

The villages of Fox River Grove, Lake Zurich, Lombard, Plainfield, Spring Grove, Streamwood and Villa Park are among the Powering Safe Communities program grant recipients.

Each community or public agency will receive up to $10,000. Grant recipients match ComEd's contribution with their own funding.

Grant applications were reviewed by an advisory committee comprising public safety and local government officials and other professionals. Here's what the money is funding:

• Fox River Grove - four new automated external defibrillators for village squad cars to improve police officers' ability to respond to cardiac arrests in the field.

• Lake Zurich Fire Department - a golf cart to provide emergency medical services at large events and more than 800 acres of Lake County Forest Preserve land, improving the department's response time and access to patients.

• Lombard Police Department - a new electronic fingerprinting system, known as LIVESCAN, to enhance its technological capabilities.

• Plainfield Police Department - a variable, portable, digital message board to give immediate safety updates and directives. The message board will be shared with the public works department, and fire protection and park districts.

• Spring Grove Police Department - solar-powered speed signs and solar-powered flashing stop signs for installation throughout the village.

• Streamwood Police Department - an unmanned drone, equipped with a thermal imaging camera and a high-resolution zooming camera, for its search and rescue program.

• Villa Park - six flashing LED stop signs and a radar speed display to be installed at intersections with high traffic volumes, including some near schools.

Since 2015, ComEd's program has funded $670,000 worth of public safety projects throughout northern Illinois in collaboration with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which administers the grants.

"For the past four years, we have been able to leverage over $1.8 million for 95 local public safety projects," said Joseph Tamburino, Hillside mayor and caucus chairman. "Our partnership with ComEd has put our shared public safety commitment into action and increased community resiliency."