Communications

As of December 28, 2023 business calls and 911 calls to the Holliston Police and Fire Departments are handled by the Holbrook Regional Emergency Communications Center in Holbrook, MA. Please see the attached press release for more information. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Holbrook Regional Emergency Communications Center to Assume Dispatch Services for Holliston Police and Fire Departments

HOLBROOK — Holbrook Regional Emergency Communications Center Director Steve Hooke, Police Chief Matthew Stone and Fire Chief Michael Cassidy announce that HRECC will be adding the Holliston Police and Fire Departments to its list of partner agencies.

The HRECC and the Town of Holliston have entered into an Inter-Municipal Agreement for HRECC to answer 911 calls and provide dispatch services for Holliston’s public safety departments.

“We welcome the Holliston Police and Fire Departments, and look forward to growing our relationship with Chief Stone, Chief Cassidy, and their staff,” Director Hooke said.

HRECC will assume dispatch responsibility for police, fire, and EMS 911 calls on Thursday, Dec. 28.

The Town agreed to join HRECC after studying several options including creating a new regional communications center with several surrounding communities.

“We are pleased to enter this partnership with HRECC, which will greatly enhance our communications,” Chief Stone said. “Having access to increased personnel during busy periods can only improve our response times.”

“The safety and overall well-being of our community is our number one priority. I am confident that HRECC will aid us greatly in continuing that effort,” Chief Cassidy said.

HRECC has received a $14.1 million grant from the State 911 Department to be used for transition funding for Holliston and the towns of Rockland, Abington, Sherborn, and Norwood, the most recent communities to join.

The grant, known officially as the FY24 Regional Public Safety Answering Point and Regional Secondary Public Safety Answering Point and Regional Emergency Communications Center Development Grant, covers the annual assessment fees for towns in their first three years partnering with the center, with partial coverage of assessment fees in years four and five.

The grant also will cover the cost of new security and equipment for the Holliston departments.

HRECC serves 12 departments across Norfolk, Plymouth and Middlesex counties. HRECC also serves the Norfolk County Technical Rescue Team and the Fire District 4 Control Point.

Media Contact: Tom Zuppa
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: tom@jgpr.net

Please visit https://holbrookrecc.com/

The Massachusetts State 911 Department states, "The Next Generation 911 or “NextGen 911” system depends on high quality mapping: maps of emergency service zone boundaries, maps of address locations as points, and maps of roads. In the NextGen system, location information determines where the call is answered: for cell calls, longitude/latitude or an approximate location based on which cell towers receive the call signal; for landline phones, the addresses. When combined with an Emergency Service Zones (ESZs) boundary map, call locations will be used to route calls to the correct dispatch center. In the dispatch center, the call is displayed with a map to assist in verifying the location of callers; this map includes address locations as points. MassGIS has completed mapping the emergency service zones and draft mapping of address points and their address assignment for every community in the Commonwealth." 

• For more information on NextGen 911, click here.

• For information on the State 911 Department, click here. 

Text to 911

The State 911 Department encourages citizens to Text to 911 only when a voice call is not possible. Remember: “Call if you can, text if you can’t.”