Study recommends creation of regional emergency dispatch centers to save money

PROVIDENCE – An independent study of public safety dispatch services in the state recommends the creation of regional emergency dispatch centers to save municipalities money, particularly since the 911 system is moving toward technology that can relay text messages, photos and video, according to a press release from the General Assembly.
A report received on Tuesday by the Joint Commission on Shared Municipal Services and created by Brown University’s Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions recommends a consolidation of the 72 dispatch centers across Rhode Island to save municipalities money both in the upfront costs of upgrading to the new technology, and in long-term operating and maintenance costs.
Consolidation also could prevent inefficiencies created by incompatible systems purchased by different municipalities or the financial inability of some municipalities to purchase the new technology at all, the report said.
The joint commission, which is looking at emergency dispatch services as one of the first possible municipal services that could be shared to save municipalities money, asked the Taubman Center to study the existing structure of Rhode Island’s emergency dispatch system and make recommendations.

All 911 calls in Rhode Island now are routed to the Rhode Island Enhanced-911 Center at the State Police headquarters property in North Scituate.
Telecommunicators there determine the nature and location of each emergency and connect calls – a minimum of 1,200 to 1,500 a day – to the appropriate dispatch center, which in turn, contacts the necessary emergency service personnel.

The statewide 911 center is upgrading to the Next Generation 911 (NG-911) system, which will enable individuals to report emergencies via text message, and eventually digital media, including photos and video.
“But unless the local dispatch centers also upgrade their technology to receive the new information, telecommunicators at the statewide center will have to verbally transmit any information they receive via text or other forms of media to the local centers,” the report stated.
“At a time when municipal budgets are stretched thin, the cost of such upgrades, and the necessary training to use them, might be prohibitive for many communities. But if municipalities got together soon to form regional dispatch centers, they could not only share the general operating costs, but they could also share the costs of upgrade, meaning a reduction in the individual costs for each town,” the report continued.

The report also said that having just a handful of regional centers instead of 72 spread across the state would make it easier to coordinate technology upgrades, as well as any future upgrades.
The study recommended that the statewide call center in North Scituate remain unchanged as local dispatch centers are regionalized.

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The report’s authors conducted interviews with public safety dispatch officials in Iowa and Vermont, both of which have statewide agencies overseeing uniform implementation of the NG-911 system.
Should the state pursue regional dispatch centers, the report’s authors recommended the state engage in at least three pilot projects to test the effects of consolidation on the chain of communication, including urban, suburban and rural communities.
The Joint Commission on Shared Municipal Services is co-chaired by state Sen. Louis P. DiPalma, D-Little Compton, and Rep. Robert D. Phillips, D-Woonsocket. Members include Sen. Catherine Cool Rumsey, D-Charlestown, Sen. Dawson Tucker Hodgson, R-East Greenwich, Sen. Frank Lombardo III, D-Johnston, Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, D-New Shoreham, Rep. Kenneth A. Marshall, D-Bristol, Rep. Patricia L. Morgan, R-Coventry, Rep. Lisa P. Tomasso, D-Coventry, and Rep. Larry Valencia, D-Richmond.

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