Southeastern Massachusetts Regional 911 District
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Robert Verdone, Executive Director
Few people can remember the days before 911 became the national emergency phone number. Local jurisdictions relied on conventional phone numbers to hail emergency services, and emergency calls were not always answered safely or effectively. Massachusetts passed legislation in 1990 that established a statewide 911 system and required that 911 centers be established across the commonwealth.
This role was largely absorbed by local police departments, and implementation was reasonably straightforward. Cell phone technology was still in its infancy, and GPS technology was not yet widely available to the public. Even in 2000, the pace of society was arguably much slower than it is today. During the next 20 years, however, public safety and society saw an explosion of technology and an unprecedented shift in the way people interact and communicate.
The attacks of September 11, 2001, highlighted the urgent need for updates to emergency operations. The Massachusetts 911 center model had become woefully outdated, and the pace of technological change left dispatchers under-trained and ill-pre-pared to face public safety challenges. Further, local 911 centers could not even accept wireless (cell) calls directly. Those calls went to state wireless centers and were then redeployed to local emergency teams, adding precious minutes to each 911 response.
In 2015, the contiguous Southeastern Massachusetts towns of Foxborough, Mansfield, Easton, and Norton recognized the need to modernize their 911 and dispatch operations. They shared similar public safety operational models and similar challenges. After commissioning a series of feasibility studies and working group meetings, the communities collectively agreed that it was both critical and mutually beneficial to utilize recently enacted state legislation that authorized the creation of special districts for regionalizing 911 dispatch and public safety operations.
By a unanimous vote of their select boards, the four towns formed the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional 911 District—now more commonly referred to as SEMRECC—in 2017. Under the governing agreement, a board of directors consisting of the chief administrative officers of the four member towns would set policy and direction and an executive director would manage day-to-day operations.
As a district, it could apply for and receive grants from the state’s 911 Grants Program to help construct, equip, and operate a new regional emergency communications center (RECC). The district applied for its first grant in 2017, and hired Robert Verdone as executive director.
The district had hoped to fund the RECC project completely through the state 911 grants program, but the RECC was larger and on a faster track than most other grant-funded projects, having recently purchased a retired Cold-War era former AT&T bunker. Recognizing that it needed a new financing approach, the district approached the commonwealth with an idea that ultimately changed the financing method for all new facilities in Massachusetts. It gained approval to use general obligation bonds to fund construction. These bonds were backed by the district’s full faith and credit, and the funding was available immediately, supplied by a newly dedicated funding stream, enabling construction to begin.
To provide an interim operational solution, a temporary RECC was opened in Foxborough’s former police communications center, and the new SEMRECC 911 Center came to life. Remarkably, despite the disruptions of COVID-19, the construction project was completed on time and within budget.
SEMRECC became fully operational on December 15, 2020, when the four communities transitioned all their public safety operations to the new facility. The center immediately implemented a 911 wireless-direct program, which allowed 911 calls from cell phones to be routed directly to SEMRECC. Another significant benefit to each member town was the ability to provide a higher, more sophisticated level of service while realizing annual savings of $500,000 to $700,000.
Considering the full array of benefits from this venture, one would be hard-pressed to find a more successful and cost-effective example of regional cooperation anywhere in the country.
