Whispers about change often bring about shouts of opposition. So, as the residents of Rochester caught wind of the Board of Selectmen’s investigation into regionalizing the town’s 911 call dispatch, the town decided to host a public forum night to get residents immediately informed about the possibility of 911 regionalization and how it may benefit the town in the end.
The Council on Aging room was packed with residents and emergency response personnel on the night of December 13 as Duxbury Fire Chief Kevin Nord and Duxbury Fire Captain Rob Reardon gave a presentation on Duxbury’s regional 911 dispatch R.O.C.C.C. (Regional Old Colony Communications Center), which currently serves three towns including Halifax and Plympton. They are hoping to add Rochester to that list.
The facility is located at the Duxbury Fire Department, and recently the Rochester police and fire chiefs, as well as other municipal employees, visited the communications center.
Back in 2011, Duxbury secured grant money for a feasibility study and ultimately, after learning all they could about the proposed project and the benefits to starting a regionalized 911 service, state 911 funding began trickling in to provide money for development and training, as well as upgrades and infrastructure improvements the town would otherwise not be able to afford.
The main reasons for Rochester to make the switch, Nord said, would be better communication infrastructure, more efficiency, and all for a lower cost.
“Regional centers are much better prepared for that because there’s multiple people in the room,” said Nord, who added that for every 911 call answered, two dispatchers respond – one to give immediate instructional support and the other to dispatch help. “It’s a better response time and more efficient.”
Nord addressed some concerns over the distance of Duxbury from Rochester, but he said, with today’s modern technology, “It doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t hamper our abilities.”
Nord said Duxbury would also be accepting 911 calls from cell phones and, with the use of a new mapping technology he called “NextGen 911” that is a fusion between Google maps and the town’s GIS system, there isn’t anywhere in town that they cannot guide emergency response to. Each residence showing on the map would include a house number on the roof.
Cell phone pinpointing technology that would be available, said Reardon, actually allows dispatch to find the caller wherever they are and follow their position around until help can arrive.
Another benefit would be the state funding to upgrade the town’s outdated and insufficient radio and communications antennae and repeaters, which the Duxbury team tested and had nothing good to say about.
“First thing we did was grab the portable radio,” said Reardon. “It barely worked. That’s not right. It can’t happen.” He said, upon further inspection, the response was, “It’s horrible.”
If Rochester were to join with Duxbury, however, the state would fund all the upgrade work. Furthermore, added Nord, R.O.C.C.C. has every antenna, repeater, and generator backed up with additional equipment, as well as generators for emergencies.
Calling 911 would appear no different to a caller than it would today, except with the redundancy and back up that Duxbury provides, service would be more effective and consistent. Staffing is also doubled during storms, said Nord, alleviating some concerns from the audience.
“We believe in it,” said Nord, “It makes sense.”
After listening in on the dispatch of the police, fire, and DPW, Nord said they have a good understanding of Rochester’s call volume and current need. And if Rochester were to sign on with Duxbury, dispatch consoles would be further expanded and multiple dispatch staff members from Rochester could be hired to work in Duxbury as a result. Nord called Rochester’s dispatchers “top notch” and praised the employment benefits offered to dispatchers in Duxbury.
When asked by a resident whether or not he supported the proposal, Police Chief Paul Magee replied, “I am very open to the concept, especially if I think it’s going to benefit the residents.” He continued, “If we can improve what we got … and we’re not doing this because we have bad dispatchers,” he added. “If we can get a better product, then we should investigate.”
Magee said he couldn’t give a more definitive answer until the research has been completed, saying it was too premature for anyone to decide on it now.
“From the police side of the house, let’s sit, listen, and evaluate and wait until we have solid facts,” said Magee. “If it’s not in the best interest of the residents … or the police department, you will have my strong opposition.”
Selectman Brad Morse said the town was still months away from taking any definitive action on joining with Duxbury, and further public forums and information sessions would be held leading up to that point in time.
By Jean Perry