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Commissioners hear that Somerset Regional Communications Center handles 62 daily 911 calls and nearly 7,000 monthly business‑line calls
Summary
RCC staff reported the center averages about 62 911 calls per day and roughly 6,960 business‑line calls in June; commissioners discussed staffing, technology and standard operating procedures to reduce overload on dispatchers and asked staff to return with options.
The Somerset Regional Communications Center (RCC) briefed commissioners on operations, workload and staffing concerns during Workshop 2. Tammy, representing the RCC, said the center answers roughly 62 911 calls per day and recorded about 6,960 business‑line calls in June (approximately 4,700 incoming and 2,100 outgoing calls).
"When dispatchers take a 911 call, sometimes they're starting their own ambulance while they're EMD," Tammy said, describing the multiple functions a dispatcher must manage simultaneously. She explained that business‑line calls include a wide range of non‑emergency tasks—follow‑ups, records requests, ATM requests and coordination calls for tows or hospital transfers—and that many such calls are not recorded as separate calls for service.
Commissioners raised concerns about the stress on dispatch staff and asked whether technology—phone trees, automated triage or AI—could relieve some workload without sacrificing critical judgment. Tammy cautioned that automation can miss contextual or life‑safety cues and that some calls require dispatcher expertise; she also noted problems caused by VoIP phones registered in other states that can misroute calls. "There is technology that's being used... But those calls are still gonna come to us," she said.
Commissioners discussed policy options to reduce non‑emergency business‑line traffic, including developing SOPs for towns to handle non‑emergency secretarial tasks instead of routing them through the county 911 center, pursuing targeted technology or consultant reviews, and limiting expectations placed on the RCC as towns add personnel. One commissioner suggested commissioning a consultant or technology review to find cost‑effective solutions that reduce personnel growth while maintaining service.
The board asked staff to continue the conversation, prepare deeper breakdowns of business‑line calls and potential technology/consultant options, and return with recommendations that balance service quality, dispatcher wellbeing and budget constraints.
