Emergency Management Chicago Style

      It began as a state-of-the-art 9-1-1 center for the city of Chicago; a replacement for the antiquated dispatch system run by the police and fire departments, where dispatchers kept track of cars using blinking maps, handwritten cards and magnetic boards. Today, it is known as Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) headquarters. Housed in a five-story building at 1411 West Madison Street in the city's West Loop community, the OEMC is home to an integrated dispatch system for the city's police, fire and emergency medical service, and also to multiple operations centers for coordinating all aspects of Chicago's emergency services.

How It Began
      Back in the 1960s, the CPD's dispatch center was cutting-edge. But by the early 1990s, it was unable to keep up with the volume and pace of 9-1-1 calls. In fact, by the time the new 9-1-1 center opened in 1996, the old CPD Dispatch was only answering 50%–60% of all calls within 12 seconds or less. Clearly, something had to be done.

      The answer was a new $217 million Emergency Communications Center built in 1995. Funded by general obligation bonds, the new center used the latest Hewlett-Packard (HP) computer technology to send voice and data messages to first responder vehicles. The alignment of the center helped eliminate confusion and duplication by bringing together the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and Chicago Fire Department (CFD) into a single dispatch operation.

      "The goal was to vastly improve 9-1-1 services to the city of Chicago," says OEMC Executive Director Andrew Velasquez III. "The new 9-1-1 center did just that: Now we answer over 90% of all 9-1-1 calls within 1.2 seconds or less."

      Typically, about 30 call-takers and dispatchers work in the 9-1-1 center during a given shift, each one equipped with their own network-connected HP workstation. To provide a big-picture view of what's happening, a pair of projectors cast images on two wall-mounted screens. The projectors are able to select from multiple inputs, including computer images, broadcast or cable television, or surveillance cameras, depending on the need. The screens are located on either side of a map that shows Chicago's various ambulances, trucks and fire engines; multi-colored lights indicate whether the units are available or assigned, giving dispatch personnel a simple visual indicator to assess the state of the city.

The Success of Centralization
      If 9/11 had not occurred, perhaps the OEMC might not have ever evolved past its role as the city's 9-1-1 center. This evolution has been paid for in part by millions in Homeland Security grants. Today, the OEMC's 161,000 square feet include the city's Operations Center, City Incident Center and its Joint Operations Center (more details on this can be found in the May issue of EMS Magazine and online at www.emsresponder.com). The OEMC also oversees the Traffic Management Authority, which monitors Chicago roads using thousands of CCTV cameras, dispatches road crews as required and manages hundreds of traffic control aides, who provide traffic direction in the downtown area, along key roadways and at special events.

      All of the IT systems within the OEMC were built and installed by a combination of city personnel and outside contractors, including H-P, Northrop Grumman and AT&T. Among the key projects was the network software necessary to connect all the systems together. Meanwhile, BBD3 and IBM both played leading roles in expanding the city's fiberoptic networks (over which its surveillance cameras connect), as well as adding the necessary equipment for MPEG and video transmission and storage, Wi-Fi, and copper wiring.

      One interesting feature: The OEMC has its own 10-kilowatt, solar-powered battery-charging system, funded by the City of Chicago Department of Environment, Commonwealth Edison and the Illinois State Clean Energy Community Foundation. Supplied and installed by Spire Solar, the electricity generated by the OEMC's rooftop 'photovoltiac' panels flows to ComEd commercial batteries, and from there the energy serves the building's nonessential lighting network.

      By first bringing together CFD and CPD Dispatch, then all aspects of Chicago's emergency management resources, the OEMC has become a potent weapon in the battle against disaster situations, whether natural or man-made. To learn more, go to https://egov.cityofchicago.org.

James Careless is a freelance journalist with extensive experience covering public-safety communications issues.