10/02  Due to errors with the radio bids, they have will to go back to the vendors for re-bidding.  This will probably put the system 2-3 months behind.  Online March 2003?

10/3/01 Update from acting 911 Adminstrator

Yesterday I had a telephone conference call with all of the phone companies involved with Macoupin County.  There are 25,569 phone lines in the County and I have only 10 phone lines (we call them errors) that are not addressed.  Some of these could be on a RR track, a tower (I know 2 are MCI lines and I cannot find them), only 2 of these are residents and I do believe these are cabins somewhere out by Palmyra.    In order for a 911 center to be operational, they must be at 98% accuracy.  We are almost at 100% and have been for almost 6 months.  This is something I am very proud of.   
 
 I still have not received the layout for the dispatch area (remodel project to make room for the 911)  This is suppose to come from the radio consultant, then I need to get approval from the Sheriff, our Board then the County Board.  I was hoping this would have been done before our meeting on Thursday.  This just puts us a little further behind if I can't get this done because of the once a month meetings.
 
We plan on putting the sign maintenance out for bid.  The man was just down last weekend and he did not get all of them completed, cost us 1700.00 this time.  We really need someone locally that can do the work immediately.  When this was originally bid, no one wanted to do it, now I have several people wanting this job, for that kind of money I would do it too.
 
9/28/01 Update from acting 911 Adminstrator
The new radio consultants are Geo Comm and are the same as those over in Jersey County.  Jersey is also having trouble with frequencies.    We licensed one frequency that will be used for talk-in.  We found 3 other frequencies that can be used for the talk out but they are licensed by 3 small towns.  We now have to find 3 frequencies for replacements for these 3 towns and this is the problem right now with the frequency.
The tower we hope will be built at the new Highway Dept.  This can be used by Highway and the Sheriff if he needs it.   There was a lot of controversy if we should use the tower at Beaver Dam or build our own.  If we used Beaver Dam, we would be paying long distance charges for all calls used by the tower.  It would also cost around $25-30,000. to make it work for us.  Our new tower will cost right at $95,000., no long distance calls and can be used by all County entity's.
We are putting micro-wave repeater towers on water towers in 4 small towns at the four corners of the County, this is to avoid dead air space.  The forms for the tower will be built put in this fall and the tower itself will be built early in the spring and will take only 3 days to complete.
We may have a problem with radios for responders in the NW part of the County. They received a grant but I do not know what the money was used for.
I am in the process of  laying out floor plans to remodel the dispatch area.  This will be to move a wall and put in a computer floor and install new computers and the radio furniture.  I figure this could be bid and completely done by the end of the year.  I am pushing.
The phone companies are ready to install their equipment.  The radio equipment has been ordered and  is being built in Florida.  All responding agencies will have a fax machine at their garage and will receive a call notice and a map of where the emergency is.
The Illinois Commerce Commission requires about a 50 page application before we go live.  We submitted a preliminary app about 2 years ago.  The original needs to be submitted about 4 months prior to us going on line.  This cannot be submitted until all the frequencies have been licensed.  Every T must be crossed and every I dotted - no errors. 
The mapping company that we used (Miller from Columbia Mo) has gone bankrupt.  We did have a performance bond on them but now the bonding company has gone under.  We did file a claim in the event we find numerous errors, we wont know until we start testing.  So I am doing all of the addressing and mapping.
Once we get the dispatch area done and the tower built, the frequencies licensed and the ICC application completed we can begin testing.  This will take 6 weeks or 80% of all lines, whatever comes first.   We are asking all of the emergency responder to help for the areas where they represent.  Once we start testing, the equipment can never be turned off so this will be it.  We still need to hire dispatchers and train them  

9/4/01  911 Administrator Dave Thomas resigns   By Jim Zuber  (from www.CarlinvilleOnline.com)
The September meeting of the Macoupin County Board was held Tuesday, Sept. 11.   <Snip>   Betty Sternickle with the Macoupin County Emergency Telephone Systems Office spoke to the Board regarding he 911 system. She announced that Dave Thomas has resigned, effective Sept. 4. The system has run into tumbling blocks in regard to securing a frequency from he FCC, and is looking for input from elected officials in hopes of remedying the problem.**
    Sternickle outlined 911’s desire to locate a communication’s tower at the new highway building site.  The tower may be as tall as 300 feet and secured with guy wires. The tower could accommodate not only 911, but also the Macoupin County Highway Department and the Sheriff’s Department. Due to time constraints, the tower would likely need to be located in the field east of the highway building. She also expressed frustration with the many acts of vandalism to the 911 road signs around the county. Sternickle explained that at present, an Iowa-based firm replaces the signs, however, it is hoped that a local firm could be hired in order to get the signs replaced quicker. She added that it is hoped that the system will be up and operating by June or July 2002.

9/01 Enhanced 911 will be a reality soon in Macoupin      By Jim Zuber
    Enhanced 911 service is designed to identify the source of an emergency call and place it on a computer grid map. The location can then be identified without the caller speaking. The system is designed to speed up the response process while serving as a backup to human dispatchers.
    According to Dave Thomas, administrator of the Macoupin County Emergency Telephone System Board, the communications aspect of the project has caused delays. Thomas said the board is presently looking to find an available frequency on which to run the system that can be licensed exclusively for that purpose. Thomas explained that with the county’s close proximity to St. Louis in its southwest corner and to Springfield in the northeast corner, it makes it difficult to find an available frequency for Macoupin County.
    "Additionally, we’re a rather large county in terms of the amount of area that we cover," Thomas added. "So it makes it difficult to find one frequency that will cover the entire county." He added that a frequency has been found which may be feasible for use for the system. Officials are presently working toward applying for a license. Thomas explained that the process has to go through the state coordinating office first and then the FCC before the board can proceed.
    "Once we get set up with a working frequency," Thomas added, "we’ll have a better understanding of how things will work with the various agencies involved, such as police and fire departments."
    He went on to explain that the system’s database can be tested with live calls, but dispatchers must be ready to respond and contact the appropriate agencies. That cannot be done without a frequency.
    While Thomas could not pinpoint an exact date by which the system would be ready for use, he is hopeful that it will be in the very near future. "We are seeing some progress," Thomas said, "and we’re moving along, so hopefully it won’t be much longer now."  
Source: Macoupin County Enquirer, Aug. 30, 2001; www.CarlinvilleOnline.net

3/15/01 - The database for E911 is nearing the accuracy level that will allow for the testing of the system.  The database is maintained by Verizon Telephone Company in Temple Terrace, Florida.  Global Technical Systems, Inc. of Jacksonville has filed an application for the licensing of frequencies for the E911 system with the FCC.  After the review and licensing of the frequencies, the ETSB can proceed with all the call handling agreements with all of the participating emergency response agencies , the bidding of the communications equipment and the testing of the database.  The ETSB has received permission from the county board to construct the 180-foot tower at the Carlinville Dispatch area behind the Sheriff's Department. Global Tech and the ETSB have been working with several communities with agreements to set up and maintain antenna equipment on water towers.

1/10/01 - Ken Clark of the Macoupin County Emergency 911 Board addressed the county board regarding the possibility of constructing a 180-foot tower on the west side of the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department  building. By doing so, Clark explained the county would reduce the cost of constructing a building which may not be needed in four or five years, saving the  county several thousand dollars. Following a discussion the board agreed to the building of the tower with the understanding that this tower does not interfere with the sheriff’’s department radio system. If problems of that nature do occur, the cost of the necessary corrections would be paid by Emergency 911.

11/23/00 - The ETSB has reached 97% accuracy level in the 911 Enhanced Database.  The ICC requires a 99% level of accuracy before testing of the system can begin.

Participating Emergency Response Agencies
There are eighteen (18) law enforcement agencies, twenty-one (21) fire departments, and twelve (12) ambulance services serving Macoupin County.

Benld Police Department Benld Volunteer Fire Department Alton Memorial Ambulance Service 
Brighton Police Department Brighton Betsy-Ann Fire Department Bunker Hill Ambulance 
Bunker Hill Police Department Bunker Hill Fire Protection District Carlinville Area Hospital Ambulance Service 
Carlinville Police Department Carlinville Fire Department Gillespie-Benld Area Ambulance Service 
Gillespie Police Department Dorchester Fire Department Sangamac Ambulance Service 
Girard Police Department Farmersville-Waggoner Fire Department Northwestern Area Fire and Ambulance Service
Medora Police Department Gillespie Fire Department Medora-Chesterfield Ambulance Service 
Modesto Police Department Girard Fire Protection District Mt. Olive Ambulance Service 
Mt. Olive Police Department Greenfield Fire Protection District Shipman Area Ambulance Service 
Palmyra Police Department Hettick Fire Department Staunton Area Ambulance Service 
Shipman Police Department Litchfield Fire Department Farmersville/Waggoner Ambulance Service 
Staunton Police Department Medora Fire Department Litchfield-Montgomery County Ambulance 
Virden Police Department Mt. Olive Fire Protection District  
Wilsonville Police Department New Douglas Fire Department  
Nilwood Police Department Palmyra Fire Department  
Royal Lakes Police Department Raymond Community Fire Protection District  
Macoupin County Sheriff Department Scottville Modesto Fire Protection District  
Illinois State Police Shipman Fire Department  
 Staunton Fire Department  
 Virden Fire Protection District  
 Wilsonville Fire Department 

Participating Communities in Macoupin County
Benld , *Brighton, Bunker Hill,  Carlinville, Chesterfield,  Dorchester, Eagarville, East Gillespie, Gillespie, Girard, Hettick, Medora, Modesto, Mt. Clare, Mt. Olive, Nilwood, Palmyra,  Royal Lakes, Sawyerville, Scottville, Shipman, Standard City, 
Staunton, **Virden, White City,  Wilsonville 
* This village is also in Jersey County                ** This city is also in Sangamon County
 
Telephone Company/Exchange Listing
There are five telephone companies serving Macoupin County: Ameritech, GTE North, Illinois Consolidated Telephone Company, Frontier Communications of Midland, and Gallatin River Communications. They serve twenty-five (25) telephone exchanges. They are:
 Brighton Ameritech 618-372  Virden GTE 217-965 Girard GTE 217-627  Palmyra GTE 217-436 
Greenfield GTE 217-368  Hettick GTE 618-778 Chesterfield GTE 618-753  Carlinville GTE 217-854 
Gillespie GTE 217-839  Benld GTE 217-835 Mt. Olive GTE 217-999  New Douglas GTE 217-456 
Bunker Hill GTE 618-585  Medora GTE 618-729 Waverly GTE 217-435  Murrayville GTE 217-882 
Farmersville ICTC 217-227  Raymond ICTC 217-229 Litchfield ICTC 217-324  Dorchester Frontier 618-362 
Woodburn Frontier 618-278  Shipman Frontier 618-836 Modesto Frontier 217-439  Scottville Frontier 217-484 
Staunton Gallatin 618-635     

Rural Addressing
To begin the task of rural addressing in Macoupin County, the E.T.S.B. contracted with Miller Management Services, Inc., a consultant company out of Columbia, MO. Our project manager was Jim O’Loughlin. NENA Standards were adhered to in the naming and addressing of Macoupin County rural roads. The following steps were taken to collect road names:

Macoupin County Road Commissioners were asked to provide the E.T.S.B. with any long standing road names in each of their districts. Macoupin County Fire Departments and Districts, Ambulance Services, Sheriff’s Department, County Highway Department, and surrounding county Enhanced 9-1-1 offices provided the E.T.S.B. with similar information. At this point, one common map was compiled by Miller Management Services.

The E.T.S.B. then made copies of the appropriate sections of the map to be posted in the Macoupin County local Post Offices. Press releases were issued throughout the county which stated that citizens were urged to go to their local Post Offices to review the road name configuration for accuracy. At this point, approximately 70% of the rural roads were named. Petitions, to either change a current road name or to propose a new road name for one that was unnamed, were available at each Post Office. The E.T.S.B. did, however, place precedence on any road name provided by an Emergency Service Provider. In other words, if a citizen proposed a road name change to a road that was named by a Fire or Ambulance District, every effort was made to keep the road name as it was.

A Public Hearing was held January 23, 1997. This was a forum for Macoupin County citizens to review their road names one last time before the map was given to the Macoupin County Board for a final approval vote. The road names were approved by the County Board at the end of January, 1997

The Macoupin County E.T.S.B. feels that it gave the citizens every opportunity to provide input into the naming of their roads and to keep them aware of the progress of the project.

The addressing guidelines adopted by the Macoupin County Emergency Telephone System Board and the Macoupin County Board provided that all dead end roads would be designated as "lanes" and that all roads that were not dead ends would be designated at "roads". The house numbers were determined by using a corner point grid system which began with the 0/0 designation in the southwest corner of Macoupin County. This same corner point grid system was used by the Macoupin County Highway Department to put up rural reference marker signs in the unincorporated area of the county in 1980. Since many emergency service responding agencies were familiar with this addressing and location system, the Macoupin County Emergency Telephone System Board used the familiar grid system to provide the address numbers for the unincorporated area. To allow for future growth and to allow for sufficient addresses in congested areas, 1000 addresses were assigned per mile. All structures in the unincorporated areas of the county which have or may have a telephone at some time in the future, will be assigned a two to five digit house number. Even numbers will be assigned on the east side of north/south roads and on the north side of east/west roads pursuant to NENA standards. Existing addresses within municipalities will be retained unless a change is requested by the municipality.

The rural road signs, which assist emergency responding personnel, have the road or lane name on the top of the sign, the road or lane grid coordinate in the lower left portion of the sign and the block number of the road, which you may turn onto at the intersecting road, in the lower right corner.  By using the county grid number and the block number of the intersecting road, it will be possible to determine a location based on the 0/0 designation at the southwest corner of Macoupin County.  The county grid showing 11000 N indicates a location 11 miles north of the county's southern border.   The 18000 E designation would indicate 18 miles east of the western border of Macoupin County.

The rural addressing and signs are all part of the Enhanced 9-1-1 project which is intended to save lives and property.