The DuPage Emergency Telephone System Board's Policy Advisory Committee took up three memorandum of understanding modifications on July 6 that would expand access to the county's DEDIR radio dispatch system for Wheaton College, the Cook County ETSB, and Tri-Com Central Dispatch.

Official vote results had not been posted to the county's Legistar system as of the evening of July 6. All three items were listed for approval on the committee's agenda.

The DEDIR System, short for DuPage Emergency Dispatch Interoperable Radio System, is the backbone of 911 communications for DuPage County. It operates on Motorola Solutions' STARCOM21 network with roughly 130 talkgroups and carries every dispatch call for Elmhurst Police (call sign ECHO), Villa Park Police (VICTOR), Elmhurst Fire Department stations 1 through 6, and Villa Park Fire Department stations 81 and 82, according to publicly available radio system records.

What was on the agenda

Three MOU modifications were listed for approval on the July 6 agenda, according to DuPage County's Legistar system:

Wheaton College was set to gain access under two policies, one governing general DEDIR use and a separate policy for non-public-safety and school entities. The arrangement would allow the college's campus police to communicate directly with DuPage first responders during emergencies rather than relying on phone relays.

Cook County ETSB was listed for access under the general DEDIR policy, which would bridge the two counties' 911 systems for cross-border incidents.

Tri-Com Central Dispatch, the 911 center serving St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, and Elburn in Kane County, was also listed for an MOU modification. Tri-Com dispatches for 13 agencies, according to the City of St. Charles.

The agenda also included approval of access to CommandCentral Aware for Roselle Fire Department and Warrenville Fire Protection District. CommandCentral Aware is a Motorola Solutions cloud platform that displays radio locations, 911 calls, and camera feeds on a single map for dispatchers and commanders.

Emergency button policy

A separate resolution would formalize the language of Policy 911-005.6, which governs the emergency button on STARCOM21 radios. When an officer activates the button, the system displays their six-digit radio ID and alias on dispatch consoles, gives them priority over all other traffic on that talkgroup, and triggers a mandatory check-in from the assigned dispatcher, according to the ETSB policy document.

The agenda also included a resolution granting additional DEDIR talkgroup access as requested by DU-COMM, the consolidated dispatch center that serves 44 police, fire, and EMS agencies across DuPage County.

What it means locally

For Elmhurst and Villa Park residents, the proposed expansions would mean their officers and firefighters could talk directly with more neighboring agencies during mutual-aid calls without switching systems or relaying through dispatchers. Cross-border coordination matters when a pursuit crosses from DuPage into Cook County, or when a large-scale incident near the Kane County line requires resources from St. Charles or Geneva.

The PAC meets monthly. Its previous session was June 1.