Study Recommends Moving Forward With Regional Dispatch Center

A study by New London and two neighboring towns has determined that a proposal to regionalize emergency communications is feasible and could save the three towns a total of over $200,000 per year.

The initial feasibility study by four project managers recommends starting an implementation plan for a regional dispatch center. It says the plan should include labor negotiations, allocating technology, governance structure, and advocating to enable legislation and training.

The project management team was established by a memorandum of understanding in January between Mayor Daryl Finizio, East Lyme First Selectman Paul Formica, and Waterford First Selectman Dan Steward. The agreement said a regional dispatch center would be located in an existing Waterford location and would allow the towns to collect reimbursement from the Division of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications for planning and designing a regional center as well as transferring the systems from single municipality to multiple municipalities.

“Due to geography, mutual aid, and funding reasons, it is paramount that these three municipalities join together in this project before it is forced upon us with partners not of our choosing,” the study reports. “The regionalization of communications will optimize grant funding resources from the state and the federal government to offset municipal costs and reduce local tax burdens.”

The project managers said the three communities have cooperated in emergency matters, including mutual aid agreements and New London joining Waterford’s narrow-band radio system. It says having the ability to coordinate communications among the three municipalities would aid in coordination during both routine incidents and mass casualty disasters.

Most of the projected savings to the town would come from eliminating part-time positions in each of the three dispatch centers. East Lyme has 16 part-time dispatchers, New London has two, and Waterford has three as well as two police officers who are also trained as dispatchers. Full-time dispatchers—nine in Waterford, eight in New London, and four in East Lyme—would all retain their jobs. The total estimated savings among all three municipalities from cutting the part-time positions is $153,693.

The report says Waterford’s dispatch center would require the least amount of capital investment, although two of five work stations would require an upgrade at a cost of about $20,000. The report also estimates a total annual savings to the three municipalities of $61,000 for a shared dispatch system.

Other recommendations include having professional information technology personnel available to service both mobile systems and those at the dispatch center and a governance board to represent emergency services in each municipality.

The project managers who compiled the report are William Allen, an East Lyme firefighter; Sgt. Steve Bellos and Lt. Brett Mahoney of the Waterford Police Department; and Tammy Daugherty, director of the Office of Planning and Development and administrator in Finizio’s office.

“All interested parties and political bodies will have input into the process and will have a seat at the table,” Finizio said in a statement. “What this feasibility report demonstrates, however, is that the benefits of this regional approach from both a public safety and monetary standpoint, indicate that the time has come to act. It is time to move this forward.”

Formica and Steward also expressed support for taking steps to implement a regional dispatch center in the statement.

“We are encouraged by the potential safety enhancements and operating efficiencies that could occur with the possible regionalization of our public safety communications network,” Formica said. “It was clear that the project managers for each town worked very hard as a team to put together this detailed draft feasibility study.”

"We are very pleased with the report and the feasibility of the process,” Steward said. “The report reflects the professional attitude and diligence of our teams to provide accurate and helpful information. We look forward to further information regarding this process."

The same project managers will work on the implementation plan and are charged with presenting it on or before Dec. 31.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.