Twelve years after the first study and two years after ground was broken in a far corner of the Lake County government campus in Libertyville, a modern cornerstone for 911 and emergency management services is making its debut.
With construction of the $53.8 million Regional Operations and Communication Facility essentially complete, county officials opened the doors for a behind-the-scenes look Friday with nearly 300 in attendance.
The facility was built for a new consolidated 911 agency called LakeComm and goes fully operational later this summer. Created in June 2024 to provide faster, more coordinated emergency responses, LakeComm now comprises 25 members representing 30 police and fire agencies in Lake County.
“We’re just fine tuning the equipment to make sure it operates well,” said Carl Kirar, the county’s head of facilities and construction services.
Carl Kirar, Lake County’s director of facilities and construction, walks through the 911 dispatch center at the new Regional Operations and Communications facility known as “The ROC” in Libertyville.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
However, the Lake County Emergency Management Agency and its Emergency Operations Center — with more and new equipment and significantly enhanced capabilities — is up and running on the east side of the 37,426-square-foot facility nicknamed “The ROC.”
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A third major operation to be housed at The ROC is the Joint Emergency Telephone System Board of Lake County, which receives the 9-1-1 surcharge funds and provides operational oversight of the overall 9-1-1 system.
Natural light throughout the building, soothing colors, an expansive work area with tension fabric ceiling to absorb sound, individually adjustable radiant heating and cooling systems, and desks that can be raised and lowered are among key features designed with input from telecommunicators to reduce stress and retain employees.
The ROC also is the only net-zero Lake County government building — meaning it produces through solar and geothermal sources more energy than it consumes. A storm shelter — a building within a building — with windows that can deflect a two-by-four traveling 140 mph and withstand an F-2 tornado are among other features.
Dan Eder, Lake County Emergency Management Agency director, discusses the Emergency Operations Center at the new Regional Operations and Communications facility known as “The ROC” in Libertyville.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Lake County is a LakeComm member but does not operate The ROC, which has space for 31 telecommunicators and three supervisor positions.
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The county funded the majority of the project and oversaw its construction. Officials describe it as a showcase to provide better and more efficient service by eliminating call transfers between jurisdictions and connecting participating agencies with uniform state-of-the-art technology.
“I’ve been doing this since 1996,” said Lake County board member J. Kevin Hunter, a retired firefighter/EMT representing the Fox Lake and Lake Villa area and chair of JETSB. “To see solutions and to see it in my lifetime is huge.”
LakeComm will use a computer software system introduced last year for local law enforcement and fire/EMS agencies that consolidates Computer Aided Dispatch, records management, law enforcement reporting and a dozen other systems into a single package.
Notable entities including Waukegan and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which operate their own dispatch centers, and Libertyville and Lindenhurst, which have contracted with Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center, have not joined. But there is room if that changes, officials say.
Jason Kern, LakeComm executive director, discusses the 34 work stations in the new Regional Operations and Communications facility known as “The ROC” in Libertyville.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
The EMA will seat up to 52 “critical partners” to coordinate during situations and planned events and includes room for ham radio operators, who will be pivotal in the event of a widespread communications failure, officials say.
It also will use the space to prepare and train Lake County and local towns for major storms, disasters and countywide emergencies.
The facility itself will allow for “greater partnerships between public safety and emergency management,” said Dan Eder, Lake County EMA manager.
