Norwood Joins SEMRECC Intermunicipal Emergency Dispatch Center

NORWOOD, MA - Norwood will join Foxborough, Mansfield, Norton and Easton as a member of the South Eastern Massachusetts Regional Communications Center in an effort to modernize and enhance the town's emergency dispatch system following a 3-1 vote last week by the Board of Selectmen. Bristol County's mutual aid control operations is also a member.

"Our mission is pretty expansive," SEMRECC Executive Director Robert Verdone said as he described the government authority. "Obviously 911 is our bread and butter. But we also support police, fire and EMS dispatch."

All 911 calls, whether via a landline or a cell phone, flow through to the regional dispatch center without going to the state police. The operation currently covers more than 100,000 people and exceeds 100 square miles. It is one of the largest dispatch centers in the state.

The average call answer time is "two to three seconds," according to Verdone, beating the national standard by seven seconds. He noted that a large percentage of the Commonwealth is regionalized at this point.

"We use techniques and tactics and training and technology to make sure that anyone who calls 911 - whether they know where they are or not," he continued. "If they say they need help, we have a duty to find them. And we do a great job at doing that."

In one example Verdone gave, they were able to find someone in the woods within three meters of the signal.

The site compiles data including emergency profiles with contact information and listed medical conditions so that responders will have a comprehensive view of the callers' potential needs. Callers have the ability to text and livestream a video to the command center to show dispatchers the situation in real time.

Although the program is largely funded through grants, they are derived from phone surcharges paid by every phone line in the the state. It is put into a trust fund that is protected by state and federal law to exclusively fund this type of operation.

During the pandemic, SEMRECC monitored caller trends to monitor caller symptoms and risks.

"Pre-COVID, before we even knew COVID was a thing, our data was showing a spike in fever and cough," Verdone said. The data SEMRECC compiled aligned with COVID-19 diagnostic statistics throughout the entire pandemic.

The switch from local emergency dispatchers would be phased in through "a very deliberative process," he continued.

Norwood Police Chief William Brooks expressed his approval of joining SEMRECC.

"I wouldn't say that unless I believed wholeheartedly that this was the best move," Brooks said. "Because of SEMRECC's size and design, their call takers and their dispatchers in almost all circumstances are different people."

There is currently a lone dispatcher at the station taking calls during a shift, so there may be a wait time before a caller receives a response. The dispatcher also must answer questions at the desk and occasionally monitor prisoners. At SEMRECC, the dispatchers send out personnel while the dispatcher can remain on the line with a person.

"At SEMRECC, the dispatcher is never on the phone," Brooks added. "That's not his job."

Norwood Fire Chief David Hayes said he was hesitant at first until he took a tour of the facility.

"They're very professional," he explained. "They can train their people to a much higher level than we can just by the sheer volume of people they have. You cannot really as a town afford the technology they have."

General Manager Tony Mazzucco added that the dispatchers will be offered severance and early retirement incentives, and Norwood would be only community to do this.

The state will pay the entire cost for the first few years that Norwood is in SEMRECC. Even as state aid is phased out, the town can expect to see some budgetary savings.

Selectman Helen Abdallah Donohue said she disagreed that the regionalization of 911 calls would benefit the town and improve safety.

When 911 first was adopted in Massachusetts in 1991, calls were placed on house phones, Verdone said. Today's technology allows much greater mobility and accuracy. He gave the example of 15 people calling if someone sprains an ankle on a soccer field and how the current system could be bottlenecked.

He paralleled it to the expansion of EMS since the 1980s. Now emergency medical technicians can perform ultrasounds and administer medications while the patient is in transit.

Donahue called the center "overwhelming" and "very cold." She also said that Norwood didn't have much in common with the other communities.

"We focus on the person and the issue," Verdone responded.

Norwood Deputy Police Chief Christopher Padden added that SEMRECC would "give more information to the officer on the street," which would be invaluable. While 911 will move to SEMRECC, there will continue to be staff at the desk to answer questions.

Board of Selectmen Chair Tom Maloney called the decision "common sense."

"I've heard from some people this sort of 'We're Norwood' line of reasoning," he said of those who oppose the decision. "It makes us sound so high bound and parochial and backward."

Selectman Bill Plasko recused himself from the proceedings, while Donahue voted against it.

The town will now enter into an intermunicipal contact with SEMRECC pending review by Town Counsel.