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March 28, 2024

Edgar County ETSB Center Operating without IDPH License –

By John Kraft & Kirk Allen

On February 11, 2015

EDGAR CO. (ECWd) –

During the Edgar County Emergency Telephone Systems Board meeting held February 9, 2015, a board member presented evidence that the 911 Dispatch Center had been operating without any license from the Illinois Department of Public Health since at least 2002.

April of 2013, the ETSB Director, Nanette Crippes was given the application for licensure, and as we are finding out, chose to do nothing about it and ignored it.

The statute is clear, the responsibility for licensing is the Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB), and by default for being their only employee, not to mention the person in possession of the application, the fault of the ETSB Director.

Here is a link to the Paris Beacon News article (here) from February 10, 2015 – and a link to the WTHI-TV News story (here) on the same subject. (note WTHI-TV is incorrect on how long they have operated without a license as they have NEVER had a license)

This follows along the lines of this article from several years ago that is part of the very statute on this issue.  It also happens to be the very issue that started ECWd (video here) , where the ETSB let their dispatchers go with expired licenses for as much as 6 years.

The responsibility is not with this Sheriff or any previous Sheriff, it is with the ETSB. “If the dispatcher operates under the authority of an Emergency Telephone System Board established under the Emergency Telephone System Act, the protocols shall be established by such Board in consultation with the EMS Medical Director.”

Emergency Medical Services Systems Act (here) in conjunction with Section 5-15 of the Illinois Administrative Code has the details:

[gview file=”https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/EMD-Section-515.pdf”]

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5 Comments
  • sandy gray
    Posted at 23:28h, 11 February

    So we have seen that Ms Crippes doesn’t give a damn about the safety of the citizens of the county, were the board members aware that these licences were not being taken of also? If they were and let it go then they should be held accoutable along with the director and her husband who most likely was in on it. The excuse of not getting along with Mr. Motley does not fly, this has to do with her attitude about the safety of our citizens. I believe she should be forced to resign her position and appoint a person who really cares, she obviously doesn’t. The board members who let this happen should be ashamed of themselves. The sad thing is they probably don’t or didn’t care either. We’re paying for a system where the director is only concerned about one thing, money for herself and her exsheriff husband. Push to get this county back on course, if these board members can’t or won’t do it then elect members at next election who will get the job done right. Thank you to the owner of our great ambulance service for bringing to our attention, again, and thank you ECWD for staying on top of this situation.

  • concerned resident
    Posted at 09:43h, 12 February

    I wonder what Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurance carriers such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, United Healthcare and others would say about the past reimbursement to an unlicensed provider? I seriously doubt if it was an issue when it was a hopsital based service.

    Curious

    I still have family in Paris, please withhold my name

  • John
    Posted at 16:52h, 12 February

    You say the statute states that “If the dispatcher operates under the authority of an ETSB….”.
    THAT’S THE KEY, in this county they don’t!!!! The dispatchers in Edgar County do not operate under the authority of the ETSB, they operate under the authority of the Sheriff, they always have. The ETSB and Crippes have no liability to do anything you are claiming they are negligent in doing, the responsibility is entirely that of the Sheriff. The ETSB has NO AUTHORITY over the dispatchers, they contract with the county for this service, therefore everything you are claiming the ETSB is required to do, is actually required to be done by the Sheriff. Is this a result of your stupidity or you bias against the ETSB and Crippes????

    • Kirk Allen
      Posted at 18:19h, 12 February

      Read the whole statute and the Admin code. It will shed light on a lot of facts you fail to mention. If you would FINISH the quote you reference you would find that particular section does in fact point to ETSB as the board responsible for Protocols approved by Medical Direction. What you failed to include in your quote: “….the protocols shall be established by the Board in consultation with the EMS Medical Director”.

      The BOARD has never done this as mandated by law. ETSB is responsible for establishing the protocols. The Sheriff’s office has employees that are dispatchers and their duties include the operation of dispatching emergency medical calls, which is not a Sheriff’s duty to do.

      Emergency dispatch for EMS IS NOT a power and duty function of the Sheriff office. It is a power and duty of any “COUNTY” that has adopted and operates an ETSB.

      As far as contracting with the county, you cant contract with yourself. ETSB can not be sued as they are a county entity nor can they sue anyone. ONLY the county can sue or be sued for ETSB issues. If you would read your case law you would know that but please keep typing as your making great points to allow fact based counterpoints.

    • Kirk Allen
      Posted at 18:30h, 12 February

      The dispatchers are under contract with the County and the Sheriff. They are Co-employers. ETSB is the county side of that equation. The Sheriff has no duty what so ever to provide EMS dispatch. That is a statutory duty of ETSB. How ETSB gets that task done has nothing to do with who is responsible for the licensing.

      When you say its not the fault of the 911 board or Crippes that they are not licensed then please explain why the application was sent to the 911 Director? Please explain that? The very director that failed to turn it over to anyone!

      And to humor you, if what you say is true, that it is the Sheriff who is responsible for the license, does that mean Tim Crippes is to blame for this not being done in 2002 when it was mandated?

      Please provide one shred of statutory reference that EMS Dispatching is the Sheriff’s responsibility.

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