Chairman Robert Schillerstrom and the DuPage County Board unanimously approved the purchase of the EMnet system, a satellite-based warning and messaging system.
This sophisticated communications system will provide secure and verifiable information during emergencies. The board has agreed to fund the purchase, installation and operating costs for the new countywide emergency warning system.
The system, the first of its kind to be utilized in Illinois, will service all municipalities in DuPage County, communicating with fire protection districts, hospitals and emergency centers. The latest in technology, the system will allow the county to coordinate information, via a secure internet link, eliminating duplicate or inaccurate messages. The system is verifiable and will acknowledge immediate receipt.
The system will be used in any emergency or crisis situation, including weather-related emergencies or terrorism incidents.
"Last spring, DuPage County participated in the Department of Homeland Security's exercise, TOPOFF. That exercise demonstrated how critical it was to upgrade our countywide communications during times of emergencies," Schillerstrom said as he announced the project. "We all hope we will never face a tragedy again in this country such as we suffered on September 11, but we must be prepared. This system is state-of-the-art. It will greatly enhance our county's ability to rapidly and appropriately respond to any and all emergencies, assess our resources as well as any damages, expedite deployment of equipment and personnel and provide a fail-safe component to our communications. Last summer's blackout showed how important it is to have a communications system that can operate under any circumstances. We can no longer rely on faxes or standard, nonsecure e-mail links. This system will save lives in critical situations, and that is the bottom line for our Homeland Security office," Schillerstrom concluded.
Each municipality within DuPage County, as well as all emergency centers, fire protection districts and hospitals, will receive immediate notification over secure internet lines of all circumstances surrounding any incident. The system will ensure that information is uniform and accurate and will help avoid conflicting messages that come from multiple sources.
The county will also provide installation of the system and ongoing operational training.
DuPage County will receive and then distribute "hard copy" verifiable and authenticated warning messages and official bulletins from the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Springfield. The County EOC receives instant notification when messages are read, ensuring receipt of warning. The system includes the ability to receive National Weather Service watch and warning bulletins.
The county will contribute $268,000 toward the purchase price of the system. The remaining $409,000 is being funded by the Department of Homeland Security through a grant given to the state of Illinois. The purchase was approved in the 2004 budget but was allocated from the 2003 transfer of the sales tax revenue from the DuPage Water Commission.
The equipment will be owned by the county, but provided to each community on a permanent loan.
Thomas Mefferd, director of the DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management also serves as co-chairman of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force Communication Committee. He has championed this system for the state of Illinois. DuPage County is the first county in Illinois and one of the first in the country to utilize this technology.
