A Look Back - Nearly 50 years of Service by Tri-Com Emergency Communication Center

Most people don’t give much thought about 9-1-1—until they need to call. Whether it’s a medical emergency, a fire, or a crime in progress, that quick phone call can make the difference between life and death. Behind the scenes, a highly coordinated system is in place to ensure that help arrives fast and efficiently. This system, the 9-1-1 emergency communication center, is a critical lifeline connecting the public to first responders. Without it, chaos would often replace order in moments of crisis.

Below is an article written by Jerry Bleck the retired Tri-Com Executive Director who was on the ground floor when the Tri-Com Emergency Communications Center was established in 1976.  See a picture gallery at the bottom of the page. 

Tri-Com Central Dispatch, known simply as “Tri-Com,” is the 9-1-1 emergency communication center that serves as the police, fire, and EMS operations hub for central Kane County. Celebrating nearly 50 years of service, the center was established in 1976 by the cities of Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles.

For 29 years, Tri-Com operated out of the City of Geneva Public Safety Building. Twenty years ago, as its needs grew, it moved to its own dedicated facility near the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles.        

At its inception, Tri-Com was unique—it was founded through an intergovernmental joint powers agreement consolidating three separate dispatch centers into one. The innovative cost-sharing approach included a 95% grant, with 90% federally funded and 5% state funded, leaving the three cities to cover only 5% of the startup costs—about $5,000 each—a modest price for a service that has proved invaluable then and now.

Tri-Com dramatically improved communication and tactical coordination among the police and fire departments of Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles, as well as the Tri-City Ambulance Association. Over the past 25 years, the center expanded to dispatch for Elburn, Sugar Grove, South Elgin, Waubonsee College Police, and the Elburn, Sugar Grove, and North Aurora Fire Departments. In 2024 alone, Tri-Com handled 122,795 calls for service across all participating agencies.

The consolidation also facilitated the replacement of outdated radio equipment with modern technology, reducing operational expenses through shared costs. Furthermore, Tri-Com enabled the Illinois Bell Telephone Company to implement a unified 9-1-1 telephone system simultaneously for the original three cities—making it Kane County’s first 9-1-1 system and one of the earliest multijurisdictional consolidated communication centers in the country.

Recently, Tri-Com transitioned to the NG9-1-1 (Next Generation 9-1-1) system, which uses IP-based digital communications replacing legacy wirelines. This advancement allows for Text To 9-1-1 from cell phones and, in the future, may enable video communication—enhancing how emergencies are reported and managed.

Looking ahead to 2026, Tri-Com will proudly celebrate its 50th anniversary of providing critical 9-1-1 emergency communication services to central Kane County. The center remains committed to its mission: delivering timely emergency services by dispatching the right resources to the right location, protecting the lives, property, and safety of both the community and first responders.

Kane County also provides a 911 service to the Kane County Sheriff, Office of Emergency Management and other communties outside of the Tri-Com coverage. Learn more about KaneComm at https://www.kanecountyil.gov/pages/kanecomm.aspx​