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Date: 7/26/2021
WESTFIELD – The first steps of the effort to merge Westfield’s and Southwick’s emergency dispatching centers have begun, but the process will be slow going forward as the communications infrastructure is laid out.
Westfield’s Public Safety Communications Director Nina Barszcz said a new dispatcher was appointed July 21 to add more staff as the project moves forward.
“The next steps will be time intensive as we are doing the back bones of the infrastructure,” said Barszcz.
She said laying out the fiber optic cables and upgrading the radio infrastructure is the next step, and that it will take about a year to complete.
“Those things will take approximately 12 months until the next round of grant funding is available. So, unfortunately, there’s not much excitement from here until another year or so,” said Barszcz.
She said that the cut-over date – the day on which the dispatching centers officially merge – will be determined around this time next year, as more of the infrastructure is completed.
Westfield’s City Council and Southwick’s Select Board had considered and voted on an inter-municipal agreement for the emergency dispatch center over the last two months. It was signed by Westfield Mayor Donald F. Humason Jr. on June 18, and by Southwick’s Chief Administrative Officer Karl J. Stinehart June 28.
Southwick had once looked into joining the Westcomm Regional Dispatch Center in Chicopee, but ultimately chose to commit to working with Westfield.