Orland Fire District Appoints New Head Of Emergency Dispatch Center

ORLAND PARK, IL — The Orland Fire Protection District named a new head of its dispatch operations.

The Board of Trustees voted to approve the appointment of Des Breese at its Nov. 18 meeting. Breese succeeds Gina Cortez as Director of Orland Central Dispatch, the Orland Fire Protection District's consolidated emergency communications center.

The center is the sole fire and EMS-only ECC in Chicago’s south suburbs. In addition to serving the district and its residents, OCD provides emergency communications services to the following eight fire departments and fire protection districts: Blue Island, Calumet City, Chicago Heights, Garden Homes, Lemont, Merrionette Park, Oak Forest, and Palos.

Additionally, OCD is the primary emergency communications center for Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Division 19. Orland Central Dispatch is also the secondary center for MABAS Division 22 and Division 24. In 2023, OCD processed 25 requests for MABAS Division 19.

Orland Central Dispatch operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The emergency communications team includes a director of dispatch operations, 2 communications shift supervisors, 12 full-time telecommunicators, 5 part-time telecommunicators, and 1 part-time quality assurance analyst.

In 2024, these first responders processed over 51,000 fire and EMS incidents and more than 125,844 phone calls. The phone calls handled include incoming and outgoing 9-1-1 and emergency calls from wireless and landline phones, RTT/TTY, alarm companies, and non-emergency calls on 7-digit and administrative lines.

Breese recently completed the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Center Manager Certification Program (CMCP #179) along with TCO Ryan Ellis. The rigorous course dives into the aspects of 911 center supervision and leadership.