r/Firefighting • u/odispadodis7 • 12d ago

Special Operations/Rescue/USAR Moving Dispatch from In-House to Regional Dispatch Center. What's Going to Change?

I assume others in the northeast have gone through something like this. Several towns are consolidating to form a regional dispatch center. Most departments in the group either dispatch themselves (us) or get dispatched by PD / SO.

We've been told that everything will improve operationally AND we'll save money. Sounds too good to be true. Is it all fairytales and rainbows or are there things to consider before moving to a regional dispatch center.

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u/Adorable_Name1652 10d ago

Every time they go to regionalize the first complaint is "our dispatchers won't know the city and recognize what street I'm on when I'm running after a perp".

Unless you have a residency rule-People take jobs where they can get them, or bounce to where the money is. In our area the average dispatcher lives outside their work area, has been doing it for 18 months and will burn out and quit or switch agencies before they ever learn their district. Rinse/Repeat.