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Regional Dispatch: What it means for Harvard
As you may have heard, Harvard has been invited to participate in a cooperative regional dispatch initiative with the communities of Shirley, Lancaster, Lunenburg, and Devens. The proposed center will be located on Devens and will provide emergency dispatch services for police, fire, ambulance, and public works for all five member communities. Efforts to regionalize dispatch in the past have all failed due, in part, to the large capital investment needed to fund such a large project. After several years of work, we now have before us the opportunity to take advantage of available grant money to fund this initiative. In short, Harvard has the chance to become one of the founding members of the proposed Regional Emergency
Communications Center (RECC).
The question that I’m sure many residents have is “What does this mean for us”? Traditionally, our dispatchers have provided services above and beyond the call-taker/dispatch function. They handle walk-in and telephone inquiries for many non-emergency related services in town and act as a point of contact for many municipal services. If Harvard decides to join the RECC, we will be faced with separating core dispatch functions from the ancillary functions the dispatchers currently perform. To ensure continuity of services currently provided, I propose staffing the police department during business hours with a customer service/administrative person. Funding for this new position would come from the
estimated $135,000 savings realized by sharing the costs of dispatch operations with the other member communities. During non-business hours, our business lines will be answered by dispatchers at the RECC, and walk-in inquiries will utilize state of the art audio/video technology at the public safety building to connect with RECC staff to have their questions answered.
Many citizens fear losing the sense of community, or personal touch, associated with having our own dispatch center. I truly believe that by staffing the public safety building during business hours we can retain that “personal feel” that many of you have grown accustomed to, and at the same time, take advantage of the cost and operational efficiencies realized by joining the RECC. I am confident that collectively we can devise solutions to address any customer service related issues that may materialize as a result of participating in the RECC.
I’m certain that there are questions and concerns that you, as residents, have regarding this issue. I invite you to review the information provided about the RECC and forward any thoughts you may have to Town Administrator Tim Bragan, who will then direct your concerns to the appropriate parties.
Chief Edward D. Denmark
Harvard Police Department
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