September 5, 2018 - 10:08 AM EDT
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ComEd, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Partner to Support 21 Public Safety Projects Throughout Northern Illinois

CHICAGO

$170,000 granted to fund innovative safety initiatives

In support of innovative public safety initiatives that are essential to local communities across northern Illinois, ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus today announced grants of up to $10,000 each to 21 communities to fund local public safety projects.

Each of the 21 projects to receive a Powering Safe Communities grant proposed a unique way to improve the efficiency and delivery of public safety programs, increase community resiliency, and address unmet safety needs. The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus — a council for Chicagoland’s chief elected officials to collaborate on public policy issues — reviewed all applications.

"At ComEd, safety is our number one priority — not just for our employees and our customers, but for the greater communities where we live, work, and play,” said Terence R. Donnelly, president and COO of ComEd. “For the last few years, we’ve delivered on that promise by partnering with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to carry out the Powering Safe Communities Program. We are pleased to see proposals from this year’s grantees to invest in innovative technologies that will strengthen their response to critical safety and health concerns.”

ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus share a commitment to ensuring that residents of northern Illinois are protected in their communities. Working together through the Powering Safe Communities partnership, they have put this commitment into action, delivering more than $500,000 in funding to 70 public safety projects in the last three years. ComEd has provided funding for the program since its inception four years ago, and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus has served as the program administrator for the last three grant cycles.

“The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus knows that we are stronger as a region because of the tireless work of our public servants. That’s why it’s so important to us that our local municipalities have the resources they need to keep both our public servants and the community members they protect safe and secure,” said Joseph Mancino, Mayor of Hawthorn Woods, Ill., and Chairman of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. “Thanks to ComEd’s generous support, we are once again able to realize this goal and assist over 20 local communities as they pursue tailored public safety solutions.”

Information on the Powering Safe Communities Program can be found here: http://mayorscaucus.org/initiatives/environment/psc/.

The 21 Powering Safe Communities grant recipients for 2018 are:

Village of Alsip

This grant helps fund equipment, goods, and services for the recently approved volunteer Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) run by the Village of Alsip’s Department of Emergency Preparedness (DEP). CERT educates individuals about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

Village of Arlington Heights

This grant allows the Village to purchase a Smart Board display to enhance disaster preparedness and community resiliency. In combination with other equipment that will be funded by the Village, the Smart Board display will augment the decision-making process in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Village of Barrington

This grant funds the purchase of two Lucas CPR mechanical assist devices. These battery-powered units enhance paramedics’ lifesaving efforts for cardiac arrest patients through automated chest compressions, allowing paramedics to concentrate on more advanced resuscitative skills, such as IV access, medication delivery, defibrillation, and advanced airway management.

Village of Bull Valley

This grant helps purchase a front-end loader, a tailgate mounted salt spreader, and a ditch bank mower, three pieces of equipment that will improve the safety of Village roads. Funding from the Village will also aid in the purchase and provide safety training for employees who use the equipment.

Village of Cary

This grant allows the Village to purchase two solar-powered RADAR message signs with trailers. The Village currently possesses only a single arrow board that does not have the capability to display other messages. The new units will serve as replacements for both the arrow board and radar trailer, providing greater flexibility for the Public Works and Police Departments.

City of Countryside

This grant helps purchase and install high-definition video cameras at the City’s most attended parks, Ideal Park and Countryside Park. This modern equipment will capture vital evidence in the event of a serious criminal incident, while bringing a heightened sense of safety and security to the neighborhood.

Village of Crete

This grant supports the purchase of three Thermal Imaging Cameras, two for the Police Department and one for Crete’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA). The cameras will be installed on specific patrol vehicles to greatly enhance the ability to see at night by combining night optics with heat sensing ability.

City of Crystal Lake

This grant enables the City to install electronic speed limit displays along Country Club Road to aid in calming traffic. The road, which is in a residential area, currently experiences a high incidence of speeding, with measurements at various locations showing speeds between 36 and 39 miles-per-hour (mph) when the posted speed limit is 25 mph.

Village of Elburn

This grant assists in purchasing traffic speed monitoring and safety signs. The signs will be used in neighborhoods, business areas, and around schools in the Village to monitor speeds and provide visual reminders to motorists.

City of Elgin

This grant allows the Elgin Police Department to equip two parks that experience a high level of youth engagement with pole-mounted security cameras. The new cameras will improve the overall safety and security of the area for teens and young children, as well as disincentivize activity in the parks after they close.

Village of Flossmoor

This grant funds two portable, programmable, and energy-efficient speed display signs to be used at multiple locations throughout the Village. The signs will allow the Village to set sign configurations, schedule operating modes, and gather traffic data for analysis. The Village’s goal is to increase motorists' awareness of their traveling speed in school zones and achieve better adherence to speed limits on residential streets.

Village of Glendale Heights

This grant funds the purchase of a portable 10-print fingerprinting system, which will allow the Glendale Heights Police Department to provide safe and private fingerprinting services to community members, local businesses, and school districts. It will also provide a private, secure location for juvenile offenders to be printed. Currently, the Department has only one stationary fingerprinting machine located in the adult section of its holding facility.

Village of Hebron

This grant allows the Village to purchase a new squad car to provide full-time police protection coverage. The Village recently added two full-time officers and made the chief of police a full-time position; however, its current squad cars are not reliable and break down often. With the grant, the Village will purchase a new 2018 Dodge Charger Pursuit through the NWMC Suburban Purchasing Cooperative.

Village of La Grange

This grant helps fund the purchase of four solar-powered speed display signs to be placed throughout the Village of La Grange. The display signs will not only provide a visual reminder to drivers of their current speed, but they also can be used to determine the amount of traffic in an area so that the La Grange Police Department can deploy its officers more efficiently.

Village of Minooka

This grant funds the purchase of a speed display sign and LED school zone sign. The signs will be used in conjunction to visually notify vehicle drivers of their speed and alert drivers that they are entering a school zone by displaying bright LED blinkers.

City of Northlake

This grant aids with the installation of a backup, natural gas fired, electrical generator at the public works facility. The generator will allow the facility to operate during power outages. It is the last City-owned building that does not have a backup power source.

City of Oak Forest

This grant helps expand the City’s AED (automated external defibrillator) program from nine to 20 units to help diagnose and treat community members suffering from life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. The City will replace existing AED units and deploy 11 AEDs in public buildings and on the street in police, fire, EMA, and public works vehicles.

City of Polo

This grant allows the City to update the electrical services at Millard Deuth Park, as the City is a small community that does not have a park district to cover the costs. The update will turn off electrical currents when the breaker is shut off, decreasing the likelihood of a dangerous fire outburst.

City of Rolling Meadows

This grant helps fund the City’s Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) Acquisition project through the purchase of six LIFE PAK CR Plus Semi-Automatic AEDs. Currently, none of the City’s patrol squads are equipped with AEDs. The grant will help enable patrol personnel of the Rolling Meadows Police Department to safely, effectively, and quickly administer and deploy life-saving external defibrillators to anyone suffering from cardiac arrest.

Village of Willowbrook

This grant funds the purchase and installation of 12 solar-powered LED stop signs at specific locations throughout the Village to improve the safety of both drivers and pedestrians. The 12 locations, including two near elementary schools, currently have traditional, unlit stop signs and are in need of upgraded signage.

Village of Worth

This grant funds the replacement of 12 tower type computers for the Worth Police Department. The new computers will allow the Department to effectively communicate with other public safety agencies in the region using a new “Superion Public Safety Records Management System.” The enhanced technology, through the speed and accuracy of data acquisition, will also improve the Department’s ability to comply with its mission of serving and protecting community residents and visitors.

About ComEd

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

About Metropolitan Mayors Caucus

The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus is a membership organization of the Chicago region's 275 cities, towns and villages. Founded in 1997 by then Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and leading mayors from nine suburban municipal groups, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus pushes past geographical boundaries and local interests to work on public policy issues. The caucus provides a forum for metropolitan Chicago's chief elected officials to collaborate on common problems and work toward a common goal of improving the quality of life for the millions of people who call the region home. For more information visit http://mayorscaucus.org/.

For ComEd
Hannah Mills
(312) 664-0153
hmills@kivvit.com
or
For Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
Brian Tomkins
(312) 201-4508
btomkins@mayorscaucus.org


Source: Business Wire (September 5, 2018 - 10:08 AM EDT)

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