New Committee to Study Emergency Dispatch System

By Marianne Sullivan
Published on 12/2/2004

MADISON- Since May, the town's emergency medical and fire personnel and Police Department representatives have been meeting in an effort to determine what changes are needed, if any, in Madison's present emergency dispatch system. Now the Board of Selectmen has named a five-member communications committee to study the present system "including evaluating appropriate resources and staffing and making immediate recommendations to the boards of selectmen and finance." The first meetings began as a response to new state mandates concerning emergency medical dispatching--mandates that require 911 dispatch personnel to remain on the phone in emergencies until an ambulance arrives at the scene. The new mandate holds the potential to strain the present dispatch system, which is located within the Police Department. At times there is only one dispatcher on duty. In explaining the need for the new Ad Hoc Communications Commission, Helen Burland, an administrator within the first selectman's office, said, "The new state regulations make it appropriate to include fire and medical personnel in the discussion ... There is a requirement for a higher level of delivery of service in medical emergencies. Fire and medical representatives feel very strongly that they should be a part of any discussion of the allocation of resources." Currently all dispatch operations are solely under the direction of the Police Department, she added. The committee responded by naming a representative from each of the two volunteer fire departments--Robert Gerard, chief of Madison Hose Company 1, and Eric Alletzhauser, chief of the North Madison Volunteer Fire Company--as well as the director of the volunteer Madison Ambulance, Mary Hotchkiss. Lt. Robert Stimpson will represent the Police Department and John Bowers, director of emergency management, will serve as chair. Bowers told the selectmen, "The ambulance and fire personnel have been seeking more of a voice in the dispatch structure. This committee will bring all the players to the table." "The group's focus is the delivery of emergency services to the town of Madison," Burland said. "They will consider community needs, training needs, equipment. The goal is to give fire and ambulance organizations a say in the dispatch of services. Each organization has its own needs and should have a way to articulate them." The committee will be acting under an October memo entitled, "Communications Management Structure." It says the committee is responsible for assuring compliance with the state-mandated emergency medical dispatching requirements that became effective in July. It also says the committee "shall have management and oversight of fire, emergency medical, and emergency operations dispatching in cooperation with the Police Department, which shall retain day-to-day responsibility." Subhead: Possible Regionalization One of the possibilities the committee will explore, Burland said, was the possibility of regionalization of some dispatching services with neighboring Guilford. In the discussion First Selectman Tom Scarpati said, "The fire companies feel regionalization is mandatory, but I would rather see this committee formed first and let it [a plan] evolve. If regionalization is the right thing to do, then we'll do it, but let's start here. My preference is not to merge as a first step. I would like to see if this discussion can get resolved in-house." Nevertheless, one of the committee's charges, according to the motion approved by the selectmen, is: "With the direction from the town's business manager, develop a proposal for regionalized dispatching services through negotiations with the Town of Guilford for presentation to and decision by the Board of Selectmen." One of the additional responsibilities of the new committee will be to develop "immediate recommendations" on the costs of dispatching services for the remainder of this fiscal year and to develop a budget for the 2005-2006 fiscal year.