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METCAD 9-1-1 |
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www.metcad911.org |
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9-1-1 In Champaign County
To fund our 9-1-1 system, we assess a surcharge of $1.50 per line on all wireline (home and business) telephone bills. In addition, public safety agencies who we dispatch for (we call these "Member Agencies") pay a user fee which is based on their usage of our systems. Wireless (Cellular, PCS, Nextel, etc.) users pay a surcharge of .75 cents per line. This is a state-wide rate. Funds are collected by the State of Illinois and distributed to the 9-1-1 centers, or Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP's). METCAD answers all wireless 9-1-1 calls in Champaign County using Phase II technology. METCAD is active in the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and the Illinois Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (INENA). Three telephone companies serve Champaign County; AT&T (formerly SBC) our "Host Telco" and Verizon.
The Federal Communications Commission realized several years ago that wireless telephone users needed to have the same guarantee of access to 9-1-1 services that they had become accustomed to at their home or business. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 mandated that all wireless devices have access to the 9-1-1 network with full location identification being provided to the 9-1-1 Operator. Until recently, one of the biggest problems of providing wireless 9-1-1 is funding. In the majority of cases, the telephone surcharge for emergency 9-1-1 can only be placed on wire line (home and business) telephone bills. There were no provisions for the surcharge to be placed on wireless telephone bills and no laws or rules which dictate how any portion of wireless 9-1-1 worked in the State of Illinois. This situation changed late last year when Governor Ryan signed a bill that will take effect July 1, 2000 providing for funding of the Wireless 9-1-1 system and operational rules and regulations. The surcharge has been established at 75¢ per month per line. On August 1, 2006, Champaign County successfully implemented Wireless 9-1-1 (W9-1-1) Phase II service. Wireless 9-1-1 Phase II provides the 9-1-1 Telecommunicator with the callers location, if it can be identified through a GPS chip installed in the phone or through triangulation off cell towers, depending upon the carriers chosen technology. Non-Emergency 3-1-1
By the way, did you know that in Champaign County the non-emergency number to use to obtain police or fire assistance is 217/333-8911? If you have a specific question for a police officer or fire fighter or to follow-up on a prior crime, accident, fire, etc., you should call the non-emergency telephone number for that agency. These numbers can be located in the business section of your telephone directory. 9-1-1... A NUMBER YOU CAN LIVE WITH!!
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METCAD uses a type of 9-1-1 known as
Enhanced 9-1-1. This system provides the METCAD operator with the callers name,
address and telephone number within seconds of answering the phone. Enhanced 9-1-1
is a 
One
of the biggest challenges facing 9-1-1 centers across the nation is Wireless 9-1-1.
With cellular telephones, Personal Communication Services and other two-way devices being
connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) at a record rate, it only stands
to reason that our 9-1-1 call volume from these devices will continue to grow. Few
devices have increased public safety like cellular telephones. In fact, studies have
shown that the vast majority of wireless telephones were purchased for the express purpose
of having them available in the event of "emergencies". There have
been a number of celebrated cases where someone in a serious emergency was able to summon
help because of the availability of a telephone in their car or their pocket. 
You may have heard about the new
non-emergency police telephone number 3-1-1. This number is being established in
some areas of the country (primarily major metropolitan areas) where the 9-1-1 systems are
commonly overloaded with non-emergency calls. In Champaign County, we have not seen
a critical problem with abuse of the emergency number 9-1-1. Of course, there are
calls which come in from time to time which are not emergencies, but overall we feel that
the citizens do a great job of deciding when to call 9-1-1 and when to call a
non-emergency number. As of today, there are no plans to implement a 3-1-1 system in
Champaign County.
