Tuesday, July 3, 2018
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Springfield Emergency Communications Director D. Jeremy DeMar announce the City of Springfield’s agreement with the State 9-1-1 Department to begin accepting Phase II Wireless Calls directly from 9-1-1 callers.
Beginning July 5, 2018, “Phase II” wireless calls made to 9-1-1 within the City of Springfield on a cellular phone will automatically be routed to Springfield Emergency Communications (Springfield 9-1-1), bypassing the Massachusetts State Police Call Center in Northampton. Prior to this agreement, all cellular phone calls to 9-1-1 within the City of Springfield we’re routed to Northampton Control (Massachusetts State Police). The 9-1-1 caller would then be asked for the location of their emergency, and once confirmed, be transferred to Springfield’s 9-1-1 Center. While “Phase I” wireless calls will continue to be answered in this fashion for the time being, Phase II wireless calls, which provide more detailed location information of the 9-1-1 caller, will bypass this added step and be delivered directly to telecommunicators at Springfield Emergency Communications.
Mayor Sarno said, “First of all, my thanks to the proactive leadership of our 9-1-1 Director Jeremy DeMar – he’s been a great addition to our City team. Also, my thanks to our CAFO TJ Plante and collaborative working spirit of City Councilors Tim Ryan and Jesse Lederman. Our 9-1-1 dispatchers are not only a key first and front line conduit, just as importantly, they’re vital partners with all our public safety first responders to deal with all emergency situations in an efficient, effective and compassionate way.”
Director DeMar stated, “In an emergency, every second counts. Since the majority of phone calls placed to 9-1-1 nationally and in Springfield are initiated on a wireless/cellular device, removing the added step of call transfer from the State Police to Springfield’s 9-1-1 Center will save precious time. This will allow Springfield’s 9-1-1 professionals to answer your emergency call more quickly, and get emergency services on the way to you that much faster.”
“This is another outstanding example of the city’s Emergency Communications Team’s efforts that will result in a benefit to residents and visitors in the City of Springfield. This streamlined approach will continue to reduce the amount of time from when a citizen calls in an emergency and an officer responds to it on the street,” said Police Commissioner John Barbieri.
“This new enhancement to the 911 system will enable the Springfield Fire Department to more effectively respond and pinpoint emergencies. This will also enable the Department to respond faster due to one step being removed from the 911 answering process,” said Fire Commissioner BJ Calvi.
City Councilor Tim Ryan congratulated Mayor Sarno, Police Commissioner Barbieri and Fire Commissioner Calvi for this needed and important upgrade to the 911 emergency system. He said, “It is crucial that 911 calls made in Springfield are answered by emergency responders in Springfield. I look forward to working with the Mayor and our public safety team to make further, ongoing improvements.”
City Councilor Jesse Lederman added, “Streamlining and modernizing our dispatch center with Local 911 will allow our public safety professionals to respond as quickly as possible. In emergency situations, seconds count. Having met with state officials in Boston on this issue, and consequently with Director DeMar, I thank Director DeMar and Mayor Sarno for pursuing implementation aggressively in partnership with the City Council to serve our residents and visitors.”
For a more detailed explanation of the differences between Phase I and Phase II wireless calling to 9-1-1, please visit the following link on the State of Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security website: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/state-911/e911/about-e911/wireless-911.html