QUESTION: What’s the difference between an $8M Massachusetts State Police helicopter and Goshen MA Fire Department ‘s priceless 1937 Dodge fire truck?
ANSWER: About 3 feet.
FLORENCE, MA – The Massachusetts State Police held a 25th anniversary picnic/ceremony of the 911 system in Massachusetts. Local fire departments served by the dispatch centers in Northampton, Shelburne Falls and New Braintree were all invited to attend.
The following excerpt was taken from the MSP Facebook page and provides background information on the event and the history behind the state’s 911 system:
State Police Communications 25th Anniversary Celebration
The year was 1994, with the implementation of Enhanced 911 from the then Statewide Emergency Telecommunications Board (now State 911 Department), rural towns were tasked with developing a plan for how emergency calls would be answered in their respective communities.
Community leaders, with assistance from the Massachusetts State Police, formed three regional communications centers: SP-New Braintree (C-8, New Braintree Control), SP-Northampton (Station B, Northampton Control), and SP-Shelburne Falls (B-7, Shelburne Control).
These centers would go onto become pioneers in regional emergency communications, processing hundreds of thousands of calls for service every year. State Police telecommunicators became the first voice heard by callers reporting emergencies; and these same dispatchers were the voices that first responders forged bonds with each time they responded- oftentimes without ever meeting the person on the other end of the radio.
Today, these high-trained communications professionals are the forefront of public safety in their respective areas. Equipped with cutting edge technology such as NextGen911 and access to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Interoperable Radio System (CoMIRS), they provide an unmatched level of assistance to a large, rural portion of the state.
Towns served by State Police Regional Communications Centers:
SP-New Braintree – Brimfield, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Hardwick, Holland, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Petersham, Wales, and West Brookfield.
SP-Northampton – Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Granville, Hatfield, Huntington, Montgomery, Pelham, Plainfield, Russell, Westhampton, Williamsburg, and Worthington.
SP-Shelburne Falls – Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Monroe, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Rowe, Shelburne, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell, and Whately.
Additional photos of the event can be found here on the MSP Photos page.
