911 Call Center Regionalization Study 

The Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency has been contracted by the Connecticut Department of Public Safety to examine the potential for regionalization of Communication Centers for its towns of Berlin, Bristol, New Britain, Plainville, Plymouth and Southington along with the towns of Meriden, Newington, Rocky Hill, Thomaston, Watertown, Wethersfield and Wolcott. 

A. Purpose

Throughout most of the Country, regional communication centers are used frequently.  However, a lack of county government in Connecticut has created a situation in which many towns have their own communications center.  Connecticut has more communication centers per capita than any other state in the nation.  In 1996, a legislative task force concluded that Connecticut would be equally or better served by far fewer communications centers.  Reducing the number of centers creates economies of scale, which is to say that the same service is provided with fewer expenses in equipment and personnel. 

Towns can benefit from regionalization in the following ways:

·         By facilitating and encouraging other regional activities with public safety agencies.

·         Instant communications interoperability amongst the towns, a critical component of today’s public safety needs.

·         Reduced equipment replacement costs.

·         Additional level of supervision with the communications center.

·         Improved provision of service by having sufficient staff to handle peaks (multiple calls occurring simultaneously, major events, emergency medical dispatch instructions to callers).

·         Lower costs due to the reduction of staffing needs.

·         Opportunities for dispatch staff.

·         Positions towns to build a regional radio system and take advantage of Federal Emergency Management Administration funding anticipated in the future.

The most notable difficulties with creating a regional communications center would be that the towns involved would need to: form a governing board representing each town; construct a joint communications center; acquire radio, telephone and other communications equipment; and negotiate with personnel. 

This is not the first regionalization study to take place in Connecticut.  A study was completed for the Capital Region Council of Governments in 1999.  The towns included in this study were East Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester, South Windsor, Vernon, Avon, Bloomfield, Canton, Granby, East Granby, Hartland, Simsbury and Suffield.  There are currently eight consolidated regions in Connecticut, ranging in number of towns from two to 19. 

C. Study Areas

The aforementioned towns are actually taking part in two separate studies.  However, there is flexibility to create a group with towns from each study if it proves to be the best option.  The towns are broken into the following groups:

Most of the towns have representatives from the Police or Fire Departments. 

D. Key Issues

·         Number/location of communication centers.

·         Organizational Structure and Government.

·         Personnel.

This project began in December of 2004 and should be completed before the end of 2005.