Tri-Com FAQ
Below you will find a list of Tri-Com's most Frequently Asked Questions. If you have a question you would like to see answered in the Tri-Com FAQ Library, email your question to the Tri-Com Director, Jerry Bleck at jbleck@tri-com911.org and your question and its answer may be posted here.
When should you use 9-1-1 to call for assistance?
The 9-1-1 telephone system in the tri-cities can be used at anytime the caller is requesting a police officer, firefighter or paramedic to be dispatched to their location. If the call is merely to ask for information, or to talk with a certain police officer of fire officer, it is better to use that department's administrative phone number. The administrative phone numbers are as follows:
St Charles Police 377-4435
St Charles Fire 377-4457
Geneva Police 232-4736
Geneva Fire 232-2530
Batavia Police 454-2500
Batavia Fire 454-2100
Elburn Fire 365-6855
When I call 9-1-1, what will the dispatcher ask me?
The 9-1-1 dispatchers are trained to always verify your location. Be sure to tell the dispatcher exactly where you are, including if you are in a house, an apartment, a vehicle, etc. Tell the dispatcher the telephone number where you are calling from so that they may call you back should you become disconnected or if more information is needed later. Be sure to the dispatcher the exact nature of the problem. In the event of a serious police emergency or an emergency medical service call, the dispatcher may ask you if you can stay on the telephone with them while the police or ambulance is enroute. Many times further information can be learned to help the police, or you may be able to help a sick or injured person (maybe even save a life!) with instructions from the dispatcher until the ambulance arrives.
How many calls for service does Tri-Com receive each year?
During the 2006 calendar year 84,760 calls for service were recorded. It breaks down by city as follows:
St Charles 39.04%
Geneva 23.94%
Batavia 28.01%
Elburn 2.03%
Tri-City Ambulance 6.98%
What type of calls are most frequent?
Most calls received are public service calls rather than criminal activity. Traffic accidents, assisting people locked out of their cars, and burglary/fire alarms top the list of the most frequent type of calls received.
How do dispatchers keep track of all the calls at once?
With three cities and four fire protection districts covering a total of 160 square miles and a population of about 100,000 people, many calls do occur at the same time. While in the early days, the dispatchers kept track of the status of the calls and the police officers, firefighters, and paramedics on a paper log, today they use a computer system. The computer displays the status of all events, the status of all personnel, street maps, and contains a large database of information needed by the dispatchers. The dispatcher's computer can even communicate messages to mobile computers in the police cars. It also allows the dispatchers to input or retrieve information about license plate registrations, drivers' licenses, missing persons and stolen property through the Illinois Secretary of State's Office, the Illinois State Police and the National Crime Information Center computers.