SOUTHWICK – Southwick is moving forward with participating in a study on regionalizing its dispatch services.
Westfield is leading the charge to study regionalizing with Southwick, Agawam and Granville. The city has already taken the first step toward this by combining its own police and fire dispatch services into one center. Southwick Police Chief Mark Krynicki said there are pros and cons to joining a regional dispatch center.
“There is a possibility of saving money, but you have to wait for the study,” Krynicki said.
He said part-time dispatchers could be laid off. However, regionalizing would likely relieve the town of the costly two week training for 911 dispatchers, which is often an issue when newly hired dispatchers don’t work out.
“My take on it is that you lose control over your dispatch services,” Krynicki said.
Some of his concerns are that the two larger cities would dominate the services, how would the public access the departments without a dispatcher, and how would hiring work.
“When you regionalize, you will never have a 911 center again,” Krynicki noted.
Southwick Fire Chief Richard Anderson said discussions are a “little premature” but added that the two things he would look for from a regional dispatch would be professionalism and “good dispatch service.”
Anderson said he spoke with Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan and voiced his concern about where Southwick would fall in the “pecking order” of a regional system. Anderson did point out that in other states, dispatching is done by county.
“We just have to keep watching and see where it goes,” Anderson said.
Selectman Arthur Pinell said he would wait and see.
“I maintain a healthy skepticism when it comes to the state dangling carrots in front of us,” said Pinell.
