Communications

Comms STR Newsletters

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Comms Newsletter July 2021 - Issue 3 PDF icon COMMS Newsletter Monthly Jul 2021.pdf 06/30/2021

IEMA Radio Equipment Request

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is announcing a distribution of surplus StarCom21 mobile radios. As you may know, last year IEMA reduced the number of authorized radios paid for with grants from 3,788 to 2,500. Agencies whose StarCom12 user fee were no longer paid for were notified and offered the choice to return the radio or keep it and pay the fee themselves. Some agencies retained their radios and a few hundred radios were returned. Some were reallocated to special teams and statewide caches. However, 200+ radios are now available for distribution back to public safety. This distribution program is authorized and conducted by IEMA; however, ILEAS is overseeing the logistics and managing the distribution. 

ILEAS stays involved with statewide communications activities by representing its members on state level communication committees to include State Interoperable Executive Committee (SIEC), ITTF Communications Committee and STARCOM21 Advisory Sub-Committee.

One of the elements of the ILEAS Mission is to meet the needs of law enforcement in matters of emergency response. After action reports tell us that communication difficulties among emergency responders continues to be an ongoing challenge. This is most difficult in matters of interoperability among multiple agencies.

ILEAS is dedicated to improve communications operability and interoperability for its membership alongside our other public safety partners. As communications and interoperability become more complex, training resources are even more important. ILEAS has created this communications page to share training and resource material which member agencies should find most useful.

Radio Quick Start Guides: These guides are designed to be quick references to the operation of the radio. The guide also gives a description of the Illinois Interoperability Template as well as when and how to use it.