The shared radio system that connects Elmhurst police and firefighters to their 911 dispatchers is up for expanded access agreements with agencies in Cook and Kane counties.
The DuPage Emergency Telephone System Board's Policy Advisory Committee meets Monday, July 6, at 2 p.m. to vote on modifying access to the county's emergency dispatch radio network, known as DEDIR. The system carries every 911-dispatched radio transmission for DU-COMM's 45 member agencies, including Elmhurst Police and Fire, Villa Park Police, and Oakbrook Terrace Police and Fire.
What's on the table
The committee, chaired by Chair Selvik, will consider three memorandum of understanding modifications that would grant or expand DEDIR access for outside organizations:
- Wheaton College — access under the ETSB's non-public-safety/schools policy
- Cook County ETSB — cross-county radio interoperability
- Tri-Com Central Dispatch (St. Charles, Kane County) — mutual-aid radio access across the DuPage-Kane county line
The agenda also includes a resolution updating Policy 911-005.6, which governs the emergency button on DEDIR portable radios. That button gives a first responder immediate priority over all other radio traffic on the same talk group and triggers a dispatcher backup protocol. The policy was last revised January 5, 2026.
A separate resolution would approve DEDIR talkgroup access for DU-COMM itself, and the committee will vote on granting CommandCentral Aware software access to Roselle Fire Department and Warrenville Fire Protection District.
How the system works
DEDIR runs on Motorola's STARCOM21 network, a 700/800 MHz digital trunked system that lets multiple agencies share frequencies without interference. The ETSB funds the radios through a $1.50-per-device monthly surcharge on wireless and wireline phones in DuPage County, according to the ETSB's board page. The system is maintained through December 31, 2028, per the intergovernmental agreement framework.
DU-COMM, headquartered in Wheaton, processes roughly 1 million phone calls and dispatches 700,000 incidents each year, according to the agency. It is one of the largest consolidated 911 centers in Illinois.
What happens next
Items the PAC approves Monday that involve new policies or intergovernmental agreements must still clear the full 12-member ETSB board by supermajority vote (8 of 12), according to the county's ETSB ordinance. ETSB Board Chair Greg Schwarze, a DuPage County Board member representing District 6, presides over that body.
The public can attend Monday's PAC meeting via Zoom (Meeting ID: 858 3634 4183, Passcode: 811487). The next PAC meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 3, 2026, at 2 p.m. in Room 3-500A.
