PLYMOUTH, Vt. – At their March 16 meeting, the Plymouth Selectboard ran through their annual board reorganization, reappointing Jay Kullman as board chair and Rick Kaminski as vice chair. Angela Kissell was reappointed as recording secretary and town clerk, and Cherry Nicoll was reappointed treasurer. The Vermont Journal was again named the newspaper of record. The board agreed to use Vermont Alert as their online platform of record for emergency management, and urged everyone to sign up for emergency alerts.
The board then heard from Fire Chief Jim Allen regarding dispatch services. Currently, the Ludlow Police Department is dispatching calls for Plymouth for an annual fee of $4,000. Allen reported to the selectboard that the fire department has been experiencing issues with the current dispatch services. He referenced a recent incident when there was a fire in Plymouth, but the Plymouth Fire Department was not immediately notified.
Kissell, a member of both the Ludlow and Plymouth fire departments, reported to the Vermont Journal that she only heard the alert because she was in Ludlow, and had called for a tanker truck while she was en route. Kissell and one other individual were the only two from the Plymouth Fire Department to arrive on the scene, a house fully engulfed and the fire spreading toward a neighboring house. Other fire departments were alerted and assisted.
Kissell said she “realized the lack of [alert] tone for Plymouth after the fact.” Kissell recounted, “Active Alert was hit for Ludlow Fire at 8:15 p.m., and then [at] 9:38 p.m. for Plymouth.”
Allen expressed his concerns about the situation to the selectboard, and said he believed that Ludlow may eliminate their fire dispatch. It seemed to Allen that Plymouth should look into other options.
Hartford is a “true dispatch center,” Allen stated, with extensive training and more services overall. He explained that dispatch officers in Hartford can tap a screen and call a town to alert them to an emergency, while Ludlow still relies on making phone calls. He further detailed that Hartford has many dispatchers available at one time, and their training allows them to assist people over the phone in the event of a medical emergency.
The more comprehensive services from Hartford would come with a much larger fee of approximately $25,000. Allen said the annual contract starts at $18,000, with additional fees based on the number of households in the town.
Kissell expressed that Plymouth does not have a contract with Ludlow, suggesting that either party could cease services at any time. “We’re trying to be proactive,” she stated, adding, “[Ludlow] knows we’ve been unhappy.”
Allen explained that there are not many other options for Plymouth. He reported that Proctorsville used to use Ludlow’s dispatch services, and has since moved to Hartford. Mount Holly uses Rutland, and Bridgewater uses Woodstock. He added that Woodstock said they would not be able to accommodate Plymouth the last time he checked, and recommended the town look into Hartford’s dispatch center.
The board unanimously agreed to begin the process of moving to Hartford’s services. Kissell said she would get a budget proposal to the board to review at an upcoming meeting.
The Plymouth Selectboard meets on the first and third Mondays of every month, at 6 p.m.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article made it seem that Ludlow would imminently be eliminating their dispatch services. It has been reworded to make clear that no statements to that effect have been made by Ludlow personnel.