City Employees Recognized with Awards for Service and Leadership
Champaign Police Lieutenant Kaitlin Fisher and METCAD System Administrator Brad Hardcastle were recognized among the state’s best through the Outstanding Young Persons of Illinois (TOYP) Awards, a program that honors individuals ages 18 to 40 who demonstrate excellence in their professions and a strong commitment to community service. Kaitlin Fisher was honored for Personal Improvement […]
Building a Strong Foundation: The City’s New Co-Responder Team
The City’s new Co-Responder Team has been actively building the skills and partnerships needed to support residents through a compassionate, community-centered response. The team recently completed Mental Health First Aid certification led by Dr. Kristal Hines, alongside members of the Police Department, Fire Department, and METCAD. The Co-Responder Team also participated in substance use response […]
Champaign Fire Department Thanks METCAD Telecommunicator for Job Well Done
Deputy Fire Chiefs Josh Jessup and Jason Rector made a trip to METCAD to congratulate Telecommunicator I Deanne Brazelton on how she handled a recent call for service. On October 12, 2025, around 4:10 p.m., METCAD began receiving multiple calls about an apartment building fire in Champaign. Brazelton answered several of these calls before taking […]
Fire Prevention Week 2025
Champaign Fire, Police, Equity and Engagement, METCAD, and Carle Arrow Ambulance kicked off Fire Prevention Week activities on Sunday, October 5 at Fire Station 1. Mayor Feinen presented the Fire Prevention Week Proclamation to begin the Open House and Resource Fair. Council Member Clayborn also attended the kickoff event. Throughout the week, there have been […]
METCAD Employee Receives Tyler Community Elite Award
In April 2025, Systems Administrator Tim Smith (METCAD) received the Tyler Community Elite Award from Tyler Technologies. Smith was nominated for the award by a law enforcement professional from another Illinois county who also uses Tyler public safety products. Tyler Community is a forum that Tyler clients use to seek advice on software modules, provide […]
Staff Engage with Local Job Seekers at Library Community Job Fair
On February 18, City staff from the HR and Police Departments and METCAD attended the Community Job Fair hosted by the Library. This twice-a-year event attracted 257 job seekers and 28 local employers and provided an opportunity for City staff to share and promote job opportunities and career paths available with the City. The next […]
Staff Attend Unit 4 Career Fairs
On February 12 and 13, 2025, City staff attended the Career and Technical Education Week career fairs hosted by Unit 4, visiting Central High School on February 12 and Centennial High School on February 13. Approximately 50 employers attended each event to talk with Freshmen through Senior students about local career opportunities, incorporating an interactive […]
METCAD 9-1-1 Enhances Efficiency with Implementation of ASAP to PSAP
On October 7, 2024, METCAD 9-1-1 Center became the 148th Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in the United States and the 2nd PSAP in the State of Illinois to implement the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP to PSAP). ASAP to PSAP creates a direct connection between alarm monitoring companies and Champaign County’s 9-1-1 telecommunicators. Previously, […]
Government 101: Resource Expo
On Wednesday, September 18, 2024 City staff from 6 different departments came together to execute the first ever Government 101 Resource Expo at the Champaign Public Library! This event was a collaboration between the City of Champaign and City of Urbana to be a low pressure way for community members to learn about City resources, […]
Brad Hardcastle Receives the Carle Challenge Coin Award
METCAD would like to congratulate Brad Hardcastle on receiving the Carle EMS Systems Office Challenge Coin! Dr. John Aguilar presented Brad with the coin on Tuesday, May 14. The Challenge Coin was awarded to him for his Fire/EMS dispatching during the recent Illinois Marathon Unified Command Post. Brad’s dispatching that day was described as “extremely […]