ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis County Council has appointed IBEW Local 1 Business Manager Frank Jacobs to its Emergency Communications Commission (ECC). The ECC administers the county’s emergency communications system including an interoperable county-wide wireless radio communication network providing communications links that permit participating governmental entities to communicate within the geographic boundaries of the county. This includes the radio system, the emergency alert system, and the enhancements to the 911 system.

Jacobs provides the perspective of more than 30 years of service to the St. Louis electrical industry. He chairs the Electrical Connection, a partnership of IBEW and the St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). For more than 70 years, the IBEW/NECA partnership has invested in training the most highly skilled and safe electricians and communication technicians in Missouri, all at no taxpayer expense. For decades, journey workers trained at the IBEW/NECA Electrical Industry Training Center have installed and maintained much of the county’s emergency communications system. Jacobs also chairs the IBEW/NECA Joint Apprenticeship Trust Fund, which oversees workforce training at the training center.

“It’s essential that we keep the county’s emergency communications system operating at peak performance,” said St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger. “Frank Jacobs will be a tremendous asset in helping the ECC keep its communication infrastructure up to date.” Jacobs noted that the IBEW/NECA training facility will continue to educate its workforce on all advances in communications technology. His term on the ECC will expire in December of 2020.

A native St. Louisan, Jacobs represents 7,000 IBEW members, including 5,000 active members working in the electrical industry. In addition to workforce development, Jacobs helps guide the Electrical Connection IBEW/NECA partnership in supporting economic development and a number of community betterment initiatives including Rebuilding Together St. Louis, Habitat for Humanity, Light up St. Louis, STEM initiatives and more. Jacobs is a Saint Louis Science Center advisory board member. He has served as St. Louis County Athletic Association president and is currently on the Ballwin Athletic Association board.