North Reading Police and Fire Departments Begin Transition to North Shore Regional Emergency Communication Center for Dispatch Services

NORTH READING — The North Reading Police and Fire Departments will enter a regional dispatch center in November, both saving significant expenses and reinforcing strength and quality of service. 

The Departments will enter the North Shore Regional Emergency Communications Center (NSRECC) on Nov. 10 to 12. The move comes after seven years of research, studies, and approvals.

North Reading will receive the full scope of NSRECC services through its Intermunicipal Agreement, which is the contract offered to all member communities. Under the agreement, they are committed to NSRECC services until 2029. 

NSRECC will become the public safety answering point for Police and Fire, and will answer 911 calls, provide emergency medical dispatch services, answer business lines, dispatch police, fire and ambulance services, and monitor mutual aid frequencies. 

North Shore Regional 911 dispatchers will undergo training to learn more about North Reading to ensure a high level of response and knowledgeable service. North Reading public safety personnel will assist in the training, which will include the Town’s geography as well as key information and knowledge specific to North Reading and its public safety response.  

With NSRECC handling dispatch responsibilities and business and emergency calls, the Fire Department will have four additional firefighters (one per group) available to respond to incidents at all times, saving the Department an estimated $400,000 that it would require to hire new personnel.

Bolstering the number of personnel able to respond to an incident allows the Department to focus on timelier resource deployment and mitigation strategies during emergencies, resulting in greater operational efficiency and safer working conditions for crews. 

The transition to NSRECC will also allow the Police Department to focus on the growing needs of the community. The Police Department is carefully evaluating how the transition to the North Shore Regional 911 Center (NSRECC) will strengthen its ability to serve residents by dedicating more resources to meeting the growing needs of the community. 

In addition, NSRECC will save North Reading between $850,000-950,000 from hiring in-house Public Safety Dispatchers and additional monies in Police/Fire software and hardware required for dispatch responsibilities. The NSRECC is staffed with experienced dispatchers and is managed and supervised professionally at no cost to the Town.

Beginning in 2018, the Police and Fire Departments began a research and analysis process, evaluating their current public safety dispatch to determine whether in-house or regional dispatch would best serve the needs of both Departments. 

In February 2022, a letter of intent was signed for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State 911 Department and the North Shore Regional 911 Center to pursue a feasibility study. That study was completed and presented to the Select Board in June 2022. The Board voted to pursue on-boarding with NSRECC pending the approval of the State 911 Department in March 2023. 

In June 2023, North Shore Regional presented to the State 911 Department, and North Reading’s inclusion in the Intermunicipal Agreement was approved. 

After an 18-month long onboarding process, NSRECC will transition into its responsibilities from Nov. 10-12.  In October, dispatchers will participate in police and fire ride-alongs, giving them first-hand experience in the community as they continue to build their knowledge base.

About the North Shore Regional 911 Center

Headquartered in Middleton Massachusetts, the North Shore Regional 911 Center dually serves as a wireless 9-1-1 answering point for over 70 communities in the greater North Shore area, and as the primary answering point and dispatch center for the police and fire departments of Amesbury, Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Middleton, Rowley, Topsfield, and Wenham.