Officials Report Regional Dispatch Center Now Online

By Sue Ellen Woodcock

It’s been well over five years in the making and now the Metro North Regional Emergency Communications Center, the regional dispatch center for Revere and Winthrop is now online taking emergency calls and dispatching public safety personnel.

The city of Revere has been on for two weeks and Winthrop  has been on for a week. The center for the regional dispatch is in the Revere Police Department building on Revere Beach Parkway. All dispatching for business and 911 calls to police and fire for both communities now goes through the center. The best part is the citizens of both communities will see no difference in service. For the time being the center is headed up by interim executive director Adrienne Javery. A permanent executive director will be appointed on Dec. 7.

“It’s been a seamless transition with six working dispatch consoles and room for growth,” Javery said. “If another community wants to come in there’s room.”

Javery said the state 911 system is pushing regional dispatch.

“When people call there will be no transfer of calls and a quicker response,” Javery said. “It also puts more police and firefighters on the street. Once a 911 call comes in the call will be dispatched before the call even ends.”

The center has a budget of $2.3 million with Revere kicking in 71 percent and Winthrop putting in 28 percent. The state kicked in $2.5 million to get the project started. The fee is based on call volume and population. There are 18 dispatchers, drawing from Winthrop and Revere.

Working on this project were Javery, Winthrop Fire Capt. Richard Swartz, Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty, Revere Deputy Fire Chief Mike Viviano and Winthrop Fire Chief Paul Flanagan. Revere retired Fire Chief Gene Doherty and current Fire Chief Chris Bright, Revere Police Chief Joseph Cafarelli, police Lt. Steven Ford, Capt. Dennis Collier, Capt. James Guido, Lt. Michelle Mangino, and Fire Capt. Michael Bowden. Also sitting in is Christine Wingfield, the regional coordinator of the state 911 department.

Vertical Communications is used by both communities for telephone service. They are responsible for working on the Lynn and Swampscott dispatch centers too.