|
Madison
County emergency responders are mourning the loss of one of their
own after longtime 911 systems technician William "Bill"
Janes III died unexpectedly Friday.
Janes,
57, of East Alton, died from an apparent heart attack at
Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. For the past 17 years he’s
been looked to as the "go-to guy" when it comes to
maintaining and repairing the county’s emergency telephone
system for its 16 public safety answering points.
Many
who knew Janes were shocked to learn of his death.
"He
was far too young to have this happen," said Dave Whipple of
Alton, who is the former 911 coordinator and Janes’ former boss.
Whipple
remembered Janes as a good man and someone who was extremely
knowledgeable in his field.
"He
was good at what he did," Whipple said. "He could
troubleshoot most any problem and was very technical in his approach.
Not everyone liked that, but he knew his job inside and out."
Madison
County Sheriff Robert Hertz said he was serving as chair of the
Emergency Telephone System Board when Janes was hired.
"We
brought him on because of his distinct qualifications," Hertz said.
Janes
had been working for a private company installing radio equipment in
police and emergency vehicles when the ETSB hired him in 1994. Janes
served on several statewide committees with the National Emergency
Numbers Association and the Association of Public-Safety
Communications Officials.
Hertz
said that Janes was an intelligent and hardworking man.
"Those
kind of people are hard to come by nowadays," he said. "I
wish his family all the best.
Janes
is survived by his wife, Melodie, and two adult sons, William IV and
David, their spouses, and a granddaughter, Josie.
Brent
Wells, who is Janes’ neighbor and a sergeant with the East
Alton Police Department, said he was truly going to miss a man he
considered a friend.
"I’ve
lived next to him for the past 14 years," Wells said.
Wells
said the two have drank more than their share of beers together
through the years talking about a little bit of everything to include
work and family.
"We
had a lot in common," he said. "I’m going to miss
him. The whole neighborhood will."
East
Alton Police Chief Dwynn Isringhausen said it’s sad knowing he
would never see Janes walk into his station again.
"I
liked Bill," Isringhausen said. "We may not have always
agreed on everything, but he was always easy to work with. He really
knew what he was doing and was good at it."
Isringhausen
said because of Janes’ technical expertise, once a problem was
reported it was fixed as quick as Janes could make it to the station.
He said he knows that Janes put in a lot of hours at all times of the
day and night, too.
"Whenever
you called he was there," he said. "He really was
dedicated to what he did. He took pride in it."
Madison
County Board member Chris Slusser, R-Wood River, said he knew Janes
since he worked as a police cadet in Wood River.
"I
would always see him when he would come into the station and into
dispatch to work on the system," Slusser said.
Slusser
said that he continued to see Janes when he was hired as a police
officer at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
"Bill
was a good friend of my uncle’s," he said. "We also
developed a friendship over the years."
Slusser
said he believes that Janes was the most knowledgeable man in the
county as well as one of the most under-appreciated.
"He
was good at what he did," he said. "Not only will he be
missed by those in police and fire, his friends and family are going
to miss him as well."
|
