By: ELIZABETH ELLIS, Staff Writer 05/25/2005
Officials have recommended that the town outsource fire and ambulance dispatch to nearby Guilford under a one-year contract and at a net cost of approximately $153,000.
"There are two options available to Madison for dispatching police, fire and ambulance," said police Commissioner William Nicholls at a May 12 Police Commission meeting held at the Town Campus Police Department. "With either option some of the dispatch operation would change from police department control and budget to the Office of Emergency Management under John Bower, a full-time town employee."
According to Nicholls, the options would be to keep all dispatching in its present location at the Department of Police Services at Madison Town Campus, which would require the hiring of a full-time supervisor of dispatchers and two part-time dispatchers.
Additional costs would total $91,500, with $46,000 earmarked for the supervisor's salary and $32,000 for part-time salaries.
The alternative involves outsourcing the fire and ambulance dispatch either to Valley-Shore in Westbrook or Guilford.
"We have a number of pacts with Guilford, and it would be a good match because of the commonality of the towns and the knowledge of the road structure," Nicholls said.
Nicholls said Guilford currently is in a mutual aid agreement for the fire, ambulance and police departments in Madison. Wayne Vetre, assistant chief and deputy fire marshall for Guilford, said Madison and Guilford also belonged to the New Haven Area Special Hazards team (N.A.S.H.) and the Valley-Shore mutual aid association.
"Those are the things we are similar in," said Vetre. "Every municipality in the area enters into mutual aid agreements. It is not unusual to have agreements between each other [Madison and Guilford]."
Guilford's proposal would require an annual payment of $193,000, and would include a cost of $25,000 in equipment changes, but fewer Madison dispatchers would result in a cost reduction of $40,000. Valley-Shore's annual imbursement would be $127,000 with the same amount of cost reduction as Guilford, but Nicholls noted that Valley-Shore would feature addition costs due to capital improvements and a "Micro Wave" transition system.
"I've had four meetings with [Madison police] Chief [Paul] Jakubson and hopefully we have a firm recommendation," said commission Chairman Robert Cerosky. "I agree with where we are going, but we have to check with Guilford to make sure everything is alright."
Nicholls noted that one challenge would be how to transfer 911 calls to Madison ambulance and Madison police, who are the first responders, so that both are dispatched. The concern will come under discussion at the commission's June meeting.
A special meeting of the commission will be held on May 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Town Campus. The agenda will feature continuing discussion on the hiring of a deputy police chief.
©Shore Line Times 2005