Westcomm Regional Dispatch

On Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at approximately 9:37 PM, Springfield Police Department put out a BOLO for a red SUV with the license plate that was wanted in conjunction with a possible kidnapping.

Later that evening, WESTCOMM Regional Dispatch Emergency Communications Specialist (ECS) Bailey Center was parking his car after shift in a parking garage in Springfield when he noticed a "big, bright, red SUV" drive past him and park. Having seen the BOLO just before leaving work for the night, the vehicle caught his attention. ECS Center called into dispatch to verify the plate with the shift supervisor. WESTCOMM Regional Dispatch Emergency Communications Supervisor (ECSS) Shana Brodeur confirmed for Center that the vehicle he saw was indeed the one from the BOLO and she contacted Springfield PD. SPD arrived and was able to extricate the victim, who was still in the back seat of the vehicle and take the suspect in to custody.

In all aspects of public safety, attention to detail and situational awareness are key components to efficient and safe service. We would like to take this moment to thank ECS Center for his Commitment to Excellence. ECS Center, we are proud of your awareness, alertness, and your swift action that was pivotal in this arrest!

Happy 4th of July. A special thank you to all of our Emergency Communications Specialists working today to keep us all safe!

We extend our sincere gratitude to our Westcomm Regional day and evening shift teams for their exceptional performance during yesterday's 9-1-1 outage. Their prompt recognition of the issue enabled them to swiftly notify the help desk. Their expert knowledge of available tools, including the RapidSOS technology, allowed them to identify 9-1-1 calls on the map even when the phones were not ringing. They efficiently began returning these calls to ascertain if emergencies were occurring. Despite an increase in calls from individuals testing the system, they remained professional, courteous, and resourceful. Their dedication was evident in the fact that some came in from home to assist and others stayed past their shift to support their teammates. This incident exemplifies the advancement of the 9-1-1 emergency communication specialists' profession and the success of regionalization.

UPDATE

All 9-1-1 services have been restored.

UPDATE

9-1-1 service for wireless calls have been restored. Service for landline calls has not been fully restored.

*Massachusetts 9-1-1 Outage*

9-1-1 is experiencing an issue, and most calls are not going through. Please call the business line at (413) 594-1639 if you have an emergency in Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Monson or Ware.

Fun Fact Friday:
Did you know that unless a mobile phone’s battery is dead or the user is completely outside every wireless carrier’s service area, that phone can dial 9-1-1. No service plan needed. No fees. This is also true if your specific carrier is having an outage, the call will still go through piggybacking off of another carrier's service.

Fun Fact Friday: When you call 9-1-1, we ask a lot of questions. This does not delay response.

Westcomm is the only 9-1-1 center in Massachusetts where Emergency Communication Specialists are certified in internationally accepted protocols for police, fire and EMS calls. A lot of times we hear our callers say. "Stop asking so many questions. Just send them." Here at Westcomm we have call-takers and radio dispatchers. While the call-taker asks the appropriate questions, the dispatcher is sending help simultaneously. The call-taker stays on the line to provide lifesaving, pre-arrival instructions. This provides the best outcome for the caller and does not delay response.

Fun Fact Friday:
Unlike in the TV shows, 9-1-1 dispatchers don't always get your exact location when we answer your call. 9-1-1 calls don't use GPS on your phone to give us a location. Instead they triangulate your position from the 3 closest cell towers. The first question you will be asked is "Where is your emergency?" The dispatcher will often ask you to repeat the address for verification. We can't send you help until we know where you are!

Fun Fact Friday: Massachusetts has Text to 9-1-1 capabilities. If you are in a situation where you don't feel safe making a phone call, you can still text 9-1-1 and your text will be answered right away.

Here's a recap of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and our dispatchers' celebration. A very big thank you to Hampden County Sheriff's Office, The Polish National Credit Union, National Ambulance, Chicopee Fire Department, Longmeadow Police Department, and Therapy Dog, Rika and her handler, Deb from First Responder Therapy Dogs

Each year, the second full week of April is declared National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. As the week kicks off, I would like to take a moment to say thank you to all of the dispatchers out there but especially to our phenomenal group of dispatchers at Westcomm. We have the greatest people anyone could ask for working behind the scenes of public safety. We are so grateful for everything you do. Thank you!

Westcomm breaks ground on new dispatch center in Chicopee CHICOPEE — Elected officials, first responders and more gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of a new regional emergency communications center to be built at the old Salter College site at 645 Shawninigan Dr.

Thank you to all of our Emergency Communications Specialists who are missing their families on Christmas Eve and Christmas to make sure someone is there to answer your emergency call!

Thank you, National Ambulance, for dropping Christmas goodies off at our dispatch center. Happy Holidays!!! 🎄

We are honored to announce that Westcomm recieved the Patriotic Employer Award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. Pictured from left to right:
Westcomm Emergency Communication Specialist and Army Reserve Staff Sergeant Shana Brodeur, Westcomm Executive Director Erin Hastings and ESGR Area Chair for Massachusetts Earl Bonett

Westcomm is honored to have 3 members on the MA TERT Team-West. We were able to deploy two of our members to Springfield Emergency Communications for the mock deployment earlier this week. Great teamwork!

One of our Emergency Communication Specialists known as "Nick" has volunteered to spend Saturday, December 9th from 10am to 2pm at Smithland Pet Center located at 433 Center St in Ludlow. Bring your pet to have their picture taken with Santa!

Thank you to all of our Emergency Communications Specialists missing their families on Thanksgiving to make sure someone is there to answer your emergency call!

Westcomm honors the courage and sacrifice of veterans.

A special thank you to the veterans that we work with everyday at Westcomm.

Thank you for your service to our country.

Employees' emotional and mental health care can take on many different forms. This week, Handler Deb came to Westcomm with Paprika to visit with the dispatchers!

Huge shout out to First Responder Therapy Dogs for providing this awesome resource to First Responders 💛💛💛

Our team at Westcomm is always looking for ways to improve our leadership skills and better our culture. We were excited to host Joe Serio from 360 Dispatcher for a six month 9)-1-1 Supervisor Leadership Academy. Most of our line supervisors and admin staff were able to attend. We also had the pleasure of having members from other dispatch centers across the state join us.

It’s always bittersweet when a cohort that has been together for six months graduates from the 9-1-1 Supervisor Leadership Academy. Farewell Chicopee, MA. Thanks to WESTCOMM Regional 9-1-1 for hosting the program. I’ll miss you fine folks. 360dispatcher.com

Congratulations Dispatch Supervisor Jack Stavro on his Save Award!

Westcomm's very own Dispatch Supervisor Juliet Brown, Dispatcher Anna Florczak, and Human Resource Director Audra Staples participated in the Run to Remember over Memorial Day weekend raising money and honoring fallen 1st responders.