Easton Police, Fire Join Regional Emergency Communications Center

EASTON, MA — Easton Police and Fire Departments announced on Tuesday that the town's 911 dispatch services will now be provided by the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Emergency Communications Center (SEMRECC).

SEMRECC, located in a Cold War-era building at 100 High Rock Road in Foxboro, will handle all emergency calls and texts from Foxborough, Mansfield, Easton, and Norton, using enhanced technology that has the ability to pinpoint a caller's exact location, said a press release from Easton Fire Department.

“Our transition from an in-house dispatch service to a regional center is a move that should ultimately shorten the Easton Police and Fire Departments’ emergency response time,” said Easton Police Chief Gary Sullivan in a statement. “With the center’s up-to-date communication capabilities and technology, our quality of work and response time will be greatly improved upon.”

Prior to moving to SEMRECC, Easton's dispatch services were housed at the town's police station, where they received approximately 15,000 911 calls each year. These calls will now be received at the regional dispatch center, which has 10 dispatchers who will handle approximately 50,000 calls each year.

“We are extremely pleased to be a joining member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Emergency Communications Center," Easton Fire Chief Kevin Partridge said in a statement. “We look forward to this new endeavour and how it will drastically improve our emergency services. Through joining SEMRECC, we will have the technology to streamline the process in which we receive information to better serve our community.”

As of Tuesday, SEMRECC is largest 911 district in Massachusetts and the first to service any Bristol County community. The regional dispatch district was formed in 2017, when they received their first grant, and are live in their new facility just three years later.

“While the average 911 regionalization project takes seven to 10 years from the first grant award, SEMRECC was able to accomplish their project in just three years,” Executive Director Rob Verdone said in a statement. “This abridged schedule is largely credited to the incredible teamwork and collaboration between all eight departments and the strong support from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and State 911.”

The SEMRECC project was paid for through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) State 911 Regional PSAP Development Grant and will save approximately $2 million per year.