Marblehead throws in with regional 911 call center proposal

MARBLEHEAD-The selectmen have added the name of Marblehead to a list of a dozen Essex County communities planning a so-called Regional Emergency Communication Center, which is expected to handle all emergency calls for the towns involved.The board members voted to send a letter to Frank Pozniak, executive director of the State 911 Department, to notify him that Marblehead has agreed to participate in the planning and forming of a regional communication center.That means that the town will be included in an application for State 911 Department Development Grant funding to cover the cost of planning and building the facility. The state has about $7 million set aside for the grant program. If the grant is awarded, the selectmen will seek Town Meeting approval for a formal agreement to participate in the center, and to eliminate their local dispatch center.The other 12 communities involved are Swampscott, Middleton, Topsfield, Danvers, North Andover, Ipswich, Hamilton, Wenham, Essex, Manchester, Beverly and Methuen. No official site decision has been made but the Steering Committee is strongly considering land belonging to the Essex County Jail in Middleton. State officials hope that someday the site will service all 34 Essex County communities.Proponents say that the towns involved will save money, but they will also receive better and more efficient dispatch response. Center dispatchers will be trained as emergency medical dispatchers so they can offer medical advice to callers while ambulances are in route.Legislation has already been drafted to regulate the agreement between the communities, and the concept is supported by Gov. Deval Patrick and Secretary of Public Safety Kevin Burke. The grant could be awarded as early as this month.