Chief’s Corner
By Chief Steven J. Wojnar Dudley Police Department With many people now using cell phones as their primary home service, there are some important things to understand when making emergency calls. I recently saw an incident where one of these calls went outside our area. I wanted to provide some information for people to be aware of when making these calls. Our 911 call center is in Webster as part of the South Worcester County Regional Communications Center. Any 911 call made from either town, on a traditional land-based phone, should be automatically received there. This should be true no matter if you use standard telephone lines or internet-based phone services (such as Spectrum or others). Our dispatch center also has the capability to receive 911 cell phone calls. Any 911 cell call made within our area should be directed to our local call center. It is important to know; however, this may not always occur. Cell calls generally go through the nearest available tower. Depending on that location, it is possible these calls can initially be directed to a regional dispatch center run by the Massachusetts State Police. In some cases, due to our proximity to the State of Connecticut, the call may be received by a regional center in that state. It is important for people to know they may not be speaking with local authorities initially. There is no need to worry as these calls can be transferred to the proper community or call center. People must understand; however, this can take a few minutes to complete. That can be stressful, particularly in an emergency. You may experience a few brief moments of silence during the transfer process or even hear a “click.’ Do not assume the call was dropped and hang up. Wait for a response. If you hear nothing within approximately a minute or if you are in a poor service area, there is the possibility of “dropped” calls. If this problem occurs, try again to ensure the local emergency department has received your report. To avoid potential problems, you should make note of and program your cell phone with the local emergency number for your community. Here in Dudley, our business line of 508-943-4411 Option “0” should be added to your contacts under whatever title deemed appropriate (police, emergency, etc.). All emergency services (police, fire, ambulance, etc.) can be accessed in this way. This will ring directly to our dispatch center and assistance can be provided to you faster. |
You can still call 911 from your cell phone for emergency purposes. Many phones, even those which have been disconnected or are no longer in service, can call 911 should the need arise. It is important for people to be aware of how these calls are handled when they are made. It is also important to make a follow-up call if there is any possibility your initial call may have been lost. It is better to make several calls and know your message was received than take a chance that your only call did not arrive to its intended destination.
For those still seeking vaccination information, it can be found at www.dudleyma.gov or by calling 508-949-8036. Please continue moving forward with the “re-opening” of our state in a reasonable manner. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Another sign of good news is our local Senior Center is now open in full operation. If interested, please check out their schedule for events that appeal to you. During these challenging times, we, at the Dudley Police Department, greatly appreciate the support we receive from our community. Thanks again for your questions and comments. Please send them to me at the Dudley Police Department 71 West Main St. Dudley, Ma. 01571 or email at swojnar@dudleypolice.com. Opinions expressed in this weekly column are those of Chief Wojnar only and unless clearly noted, do not reflect the ideas or opinions of any other organization or citizen. |
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