Rock Island Today

Rock Island County Emergency Telephone System Board met July 9.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Anderson, Beswick, McCloud, Meyers, Ramsey, Seiver, VanKlaveren

BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Gault

OTHERS PRESENT: Jamie Morris, Rock Island Police Department; Travis Noyd, Moline Fire Department; Margo Sparbel, QComm; Chelsea Noe, Arsenal; Curt Champion, Rock Island County; Chris Johnson, Derek Radosevich, Milan Police Department; Amber Dennis, Coal Valley Police Department; Paul Andorf, Medic EMS; Tom Helbing, FirstNet; Tara Polek, RACOM; Stacey Bollinger, SECC; Jim Uskavitch; Wayne Mooney, Christine Cary, Bi-State

Regional Commission

1. Approval of the June 4, 2024 Minutes. Anderson moved that the minutes of the June meeting be approved as presented. Beswick seconded, and the motion was approved.

2. Financial Reports. Cary distributed the July Accounts Payable totaling $126,956.52, stating the RapidSOS Premium payment for year one is on the AP listing totaling $38,205.24. She also noted IT purchased 12 laptops from Dell, and each PSAP will receive three for on-site training use. There are also a few line items that will be billed back to the appropriate agencies, LexisNexis and the CentralSquare DORs and IRIS interfaces. Seiver stated that RapidSOS Year One includes a $1,500 set-up fee, and Years Two-Five will be $39,468 annually assuming we do not cancel within the first year. Anderson inquired to Sparbel if she had any regrets regarding RapidSOS. Sparbel stated they are moving along, and everything is going great, but there are a few things that still do not work in Solacom, but do work on the CAD computers. Seiver suggested expanding on this discussion later in the meeting. Anderson moved that the July accounts payable be approved for payment. McCloud seconded, and the motion was approved unanimously by roll call vote. The following financial report was presented:

POOL Balance:         $ 2,421,000.00

Checkbook Balance: $           274.45

TOTAL                       $ 2,421,274.45

June ‘24 Surcharge:  $    152,835.44

3. PSAP Reports.

a. County – Meyers reported 11 full time TCs, with one job opening posted.

b. Rock Island – McCloud stated they are fully staffed with one in training. Seiver congratulated McCloud and Morris on their appointments to Chief and Deputy Chief.

c. QComm – Sparbel reported 22 full time TCs, 3 in training, and 2 in background.

d. Arsenal – Noe stated they are at 5 fully-trained TCs, 3 going through onboarding, and all have local experience. She reported a four-hour QComm switch over a few weeks ago.

e. SECC – Bollinger reported they hired Melissa Ketcham as their new director, and she started on July 1. Overall, things are good.

4. Secondary PSAP Reports.

a. AMT EMS – No Report.

b. Medic EMS – Andorf stated everything is good on their side.

5. Technical Report.

a. Training Laptops – Mooney stated they have 12 new training laptops they are in the process of configuring and setting up.

b. CTI – Mooney reported CTI was on-site for about a week and a half working on the video wall repair/upgrade. He stated the video wall is mostly operational.

c. CentralSquare – Mooney stated he has been discussing with CentralSquare some of the different integrations they offer, specifically, CAD to CAD, Texty, and an API that integrates with the State’s Attorney Case Management System. He stated they have been getting quotes and additional information on those.

d. RapidSOS – Mooney stated he and Sparbel have been working with RapidSOS, doing some testing and troubleshooting, and they are getting things ironed out. He also mentioned that RapidSOS is supporting RCS, a new messaging standard that will support pictures and video at no additional cost.

e. Text to 911 Committee – Bollinger stated the committee met yesterday and decided on a goal of mid-August to roll out the campaign.

6. Other Business.

a. Bi-State Agreement – Cary stated the Bi-State agreement is up for renewal. The agreement runs from July 1-June 30, 2025, and either party can cancel with 90-days notice. She stated Bi-State handles payroll for Schipper, Mooney, and herself. They also assist with human resources, word processing, and posting agendas for ETSB. Anderson made a motion to approve the renewal. Meyers seconded, and the motion was approved by roll call vote.

b. Nearmap – Cary stated Nearmap is up for renewal. The new agreement would start on September 9 and will cost $13,625. She stated last year the cost was $12,500, and they received $9,375 in reimbursements from different townships, cities, and villages who also use the program. She stated the break down this year would be as follows: Townships – 27%, $3,678.75, Cities/Villages – 48%, $6,540 and ETSB – 25%, $3,406.25. Anderson made a motion to approve the renewal. Beswick seconded. Seiver called for a roll call vote, Anderson, Beswick, McCloud, Meyers, Ramsey, and Seiver voted yes, and VanKlaveren abstained. The motion was approved.

c. 2024 IPSTA Conference – Cary reported the conference is from October 21 – 23 in Springfield. Cary stated she, Mooney, and Schipper would like to attend. Meyers, Seiver, Anderson, and Beswick also stated they planned on attending. Anderson encouraged the other Board members to consider attending because the conference touches on legislative changes in Illinois specific to 911.

d. RapidSOS – Sparbel stated there are amazing things in RapidSOS, but there are a few things INdigital needs to work on. Mainly, Google Street View and the estimated floor level do not appear on the Solacom computers, but they do on the CAD computers. The chat and share feature has been tested with surrounding agencies, and it works well. Any agency with the RapidSOS chat and share can send a chat to notify of a call instead of tying up a dispatcher with a phone call. Seiver added that the screen shows ANI/ALI info, Apple and Android Health, etc. Sparbel added that it also shows the breadcrumbs of the call as well as the latitude and longitude. She stated that video streaming will eventually be available; however, there is a concern with dispatchers having to see video. Seiver stated RapidSOS is working toward making it so that the dispatcher can accept the video stream with a blur, so they are not actually viewing it. He stated presuming that our recorders can record it, we will be able to forward it in real time to the field. Sparbel stated she is working on policies as different parts of RapidSOS get activated, and that she would bring them to the Board once all the PSAPs have reviewed them. Anderson stated at the conference she noticed RapidSOS is partnering with everyone, which is really great. Seiver noted at the NENA Conference, we attended a meeting with our RapidSOS team, and they suggested making a trip to Rock Island County to map out their different modules and see what our needs are. Bollinger asked to be invited if they visit our area because SECC may be interested in the program. Lastly, Sparbel asked the Board if she could sign up to be part of the RapidSOS Safety Pioneer Program, which is testing new products before they are released. Seiver asked if the Board had any concerns, and the consensus was to move forward.

7. Public Comment. None.

8. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 10:28 a.m. The next monthly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at the Rock Island Police Department.

https://www.rockislandcountyil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08062024-986