The Village of Lake Bluff partners with the Cities of Highland Park and Lake Forest, as well as the Village of Highwood, to provide consolidated police and fire emergency dispatch services with the Village of Glenview. Calls from the residential and business communities are received through a dispatch center operated by Glenview staff from the City of Highland Park's Police Station. An intergovernmental agreement was entered into in 2014 for a seven year term and will save the Village almost $1 million over the term of the agreement, as well as provide access to new and improved technology for all public safety responders. The goals of partnering with other communities and consolidating services are to obtain increased efficiency and significant financial and infrastructure savings, including without limitation, by: utilizing shared radio frequencies, streamlining technology upgrades, and building redundancies to provide consistent dispatch services to each community.
What to Expect When You Dial 9-1-1
When dialing 9-1-1 from a telephone in Lake Bluff you will be connected with a professionally trained dispatcher. Calling 9-1-1 is very stressful and it becomes easy to feel overwhelmed. Dispatchers are trained to guide callers through the experience, but knowing what to expect can help make the 9-1-1 call go smoothly and get emergency help where and when it's needed. Please follow the helpful tips below:
- Stay calm;
- Know the location of the emergency and the number from which you are calling. If, for some reason you are disconnected, emergency crews will know where to go and how to call you back;
- Wait for the dispatcher to ask questions, then answer clearly and calmly. If you are in danger of assault, the dispatcher will still need you to answer quietly, mostly "yes" and "no" questions;
- If you reach a recording, listen to what it says. If the recording says your call cannot be completed, hang up and try again. If the recording says all call-takers are busy, wait! When the next dispatcher is available to take the call, your call will be automatically transferred;
- Allow the dispatcher to guide the conversation;
- Follow all directions received from the dispatcher. Listen carefully, follow each step and ask for clarification if you do not understand the directions;
- Pay attention. You may be asked to describe victims, suspects, vehicles or other parts of the scene; and
- Do not hang up the call until directed to do so by the dispatcher.
In the event you mistakenly dial 9-1-1, please stay on the line; verify your name, address and phone number with the dispatcher and advise the call was an accident. A good explanation can help avoid an emergency response to your location. Please know that all 9-1-1 calls will dispatch a police officer to the location of the call.
