A proposal to switch emergency dispatch in the town of Adams from local dispatchers to those at the Berkshire County Sheriff’s office is being touted as a cost-saving measure, but public safety concerns are being raised.Adams town administrator Tony Mazzucco is driving an effort to regionalize the community’s dispatch services with the Berkshire County Sheriff’s office about 15 miles south in Pittsfield. About 20 communities including Lenox and Lanesborough utilize the service, but with about 8,500 residents, Adams would be the largest to do so. Additionally, the town is facing at least a $300,000 budget gap.
“The projected savings for the town are in excess of $1.5 million over the next 10 years,” Mazzucco said. “So it’s not unsubstantial. We certainly wouldn’t want to go into a service change like this if it was just a few dollars, so to speak. It’s really a game changer for the town in terms of its finances over the next 10 years. And that number doesn’t include the cost of upgrading or replacing our equipment which would add several hundred thousand dollars to that cost over the next 10 years.”
The move would eliminate three full-time dispatchers, which Mazzucco says is the biggest drawback of the proposal. Tony Piscioneri has been an Adams dispatcher for 18 years. He says the estimated savings are inflated since the police station needs to be manned 24/7.
“When you add up the cost of an officer or sergeant at their rate, which is well above a dispatcher’s rate, over the course of a year – those numbers are going to be much higher,” Piscioneri said. “So that in itself is important for the town to realize when they are looking at possibly making this move. I don’t think the numbers that they are putting out there are accurate.”
In response to concerns about straining the police force with other tasks handled by dispatchers, Mazzucco says he and the town’s police chief are confident those can be taken care of without disrupting current duties or unaffordable overtime costs.
“At the end of the day an emergency dispatcher should be focused exclusively on emergency dispatch,” Mazzucco said. “Any other tasks they are taking on, which may be helpful to the department overall, ultimately distracts them being able to focus exclusively on emergency dispatch.”
At a recent meeting, residents and some police officers highlighted the importance of having dispatchers with knowledge of local roads. The town’s fire chief is quoted as saying response times won’t change, but is not thrilled about losing local dispatchers. Although he doesn’t want to lose the service, Police Chief Richard Tarsa says the savings are hard to compete with. Meanwhile, Piscioneri says non-911 calls will still need to be handled locally.
“No matter where you go your 911 calls are always going to be the minority compared to your administrative lines,” Piscioneri said. “But that doesn’t mean that you don’t receive emergency calls on the administrative lines. We’re a town that has an elderly population that is familiar with our 743-1212 line, which has been the direct line into the police department for years. So people are familiar with that number and they call as well as all alarm calls – medical, fire and burglar – all come in on our administrative lines not 911.”
Dispatchers in Adams would be able to transfer calls to the sheriff’s office. Mazzucco says there is a trend to regionalize dispatch and other municipal services across the state. Adams has looked at combining dispatch with neighboring North Adams in recent years, but that’s been deemed unfeasible.
“There are over 250 public safety answering points in Massachusetts,” he said. “I believe close to 90 of them answer less than 10 911 calls a day. Our station happens to be one of those PSAPs that are answer less than 10 911 calls a day.”
A town consultant report that recommends the shift finds that 58 percent of 911 calls in Adams go directly to the town’s dispatch service because they are made from a landline. Cell phone 911 calls first go to State Police barracks in Northampton and then to Adams dispatch.
Mazzucco expects the Select Board to vote on the proposal in January. The town has applied for a $700,000 state grant to fund equipment upgrades and the transition, which Mazzucco says is contingent upon receiving it. He expects a decision in the next month.
Click here for more information on the proposal posted on the town's website.
