City Council Approves Provisions for Regional 911 Dispatch Center

FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham City Council has unanimously voted to accept provisions that could lead to the creation of a regional emergency services communication district, which would initially be shared between Framingham and Natick.

Councilors conducted the vote during their meeting at the Memorial Building on Tuesday, May 21.

The municipalities would enter into an agreement to form the “Middlesex Regional Emergency Communication Center District” in an attempt to make operations cost-efficient and emergency communications more effective. The deal would be in place for an initial 10 year period, with a trio of additional five year terms automatically kicking in after that.

The regional dispatch center would be located at 188 Concord Street, adjacent to both the Memorial Building and the Framingham Police Department’s headquarters.

Opening a regional dispatch center in Framingham has been a goal that Mayor Charlie Sisitsky has emphasized. During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, he told officials about the challenges present at the current dispatch centers within the fire station along Route 9 as well as the police station.

“Both of those sites are functionally obsolete, require a very expensive upgrade to the equipment," Sisitsky said, "and there just isn’t enough room in those two buildings for them to operate properly."

Framingham Fire Chief Michael Dutcher noted that the State 911 Department could help reimburse costs for the regional center, as Massachusetts officials are looking to consolidate dispatch services wherever possible. 100% of all costs through the 2027 fiscal year could be covered by State 911, according to Dutcher.

While Dutcher added that there is a chance that the region could miss out on funding from the state level, he’s still confident in the application that has been submitted.

As for operations when the new dispatch center goes live, Dutcher believes that things can run without growing pains if officials look to other communities that have gone through this process.

“There’s been enough of these centers throughout the state that we can look to them and find out…We’re planning on not having those pitfalls and having increased efficiencies moving forward,” Dutcher continued.

Additional communities in the area could join Framingham and Natick in the Middlesex Regional Emergency Communication Center District down the line.