Will County dispatchers complain of safety concerns at 911 center

Union representatives complained that fumes from a generator at the Laraway Communications Center caused dispatchers to become dizzy and nauseated three times in the past several months.

The incidents occurred when a diesel-powered backup generator in the building turned on, producing exhaust that entered the area where the dispatchers were, according to the union.

The Laraway Communications Center provides 911 dispatching services for about 30 police and fire agencies in Will County. It opened in 2017 as part of the effort to consolidate local government units.

The first incident occurred Aug. 25 when the generator turned on during a power failure. Anne Irving, the regional director of AFSCME Council 31, said the fumes caused workers to complain of headaches, dizziness and nausea.

Irving said the union filed a grievance and a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over the incident. Management at the center agreed to resolve the issue with the generator and create an evacuation plan for employees in case of another incident, according to a memorandum from the Will County Executive’s Office Human Resources Department.

“We thought it was going to get fixed,” Irving said.

But then on Nov. 19, fumes again entered the center, causing dispatchers to feel ill. A pregnant dispatcher elected to go to a hospital after being exposed. The union again filed a grievance.

“We made it very clear ... that our expectation was that our employees were not going to be forced to work in hazardous conditions,” said David Delrose, president of the AFSCME Local 1028.

Still, Denise Pavlik, the director of the Laraway Communications Center, said the November incident was “not to the degree” of the one in August.

Pavlik said that management tried to fix the issue so that when the generator is turned on for its weekly testing, dampers would close to control the release of fumes. After the third incident March 24, she said they programmed the dampers to close 10 minutes before the generator turns on.

Still, Delrose said he’s concerned that if the generator turns on during a power failure, there could still be a slight delay for the dampers to close, allowing for fumes to be released.

Pavlik said she’s planning on having the generator checked to adjust its air intake so that no fumes could enter the building. She said she’s not sure when they’ll be able to implement a lasting solution.

“We just want to prevent this from ever happening again,” Pavlik said.