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METCAD hopes automated fire dispatch will streamline communications

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — On Tuesday, Champaign County's METCAD 911 rolled out a new fire dispatch system. It's been in the works for about two years. A database administrator for METCAD said the new system is called 'Locution.' It's an automated dispatching and alert system. PREVIOUSLY: Champaign Co. plans to launch new system for first responders METCAD said a person was recorded saying the name of common locations, streets, departments and numbers. With Locution, the dispatcher receives the information from the caller and inputs the information into the system. Then, the system automatically communicates the information the dispatcher received to the first responders with the pre-recorded words. Dispatchers are now able to simultaneously talk to callers and send out dispatch information to first responders. METCAD said this will lighten the workload for dispatchers and also decrease response time. A METCAD official also said the system is easy to learn. After dispatchers receive recommendations from the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) System, the information is automatically sent to first responders. Locution said this eliminates the stress surrounding the need to speak clearly over the radio, or any confusion around the pronunciation of locations or other words. Champaign County offices ready to move into Bennett Center Locution is also meant to alert firefighters in a 'healthier' way. The Urbana Fire Department will soon have two new state-of-the-art fire stations. This also means they'll have updated technology and more advanced systems. In most fire stations, firefighters are frequently interrupted from sleep with loud noises and bright lights. Locution said this can pose a health risk, increasing stress and impairing decision making. To counteract this, Locution uses a system which delivers audio that gradually increases, optimized lighting for nighttime, and zoned alerting (which avoids waking first responders up unnecessarily). The Locution system will be added to the new stations, and could eventually be added to other fire stations in Champaign County. METCAD said they hope this change will streamline communications, decrease response time, and make the community safer overall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.