By Luke Steere, Sentinel & Enterprise

Previous story: Townsend Chief Requests Support to Create New Dispatch Supervisor Position

TOWNSEND, MASS.  — Police Chief Erving Marshall and Lieutenant David Profit requested approval for a new, supervisory position in Townsend’s communications department Tuesday.

Selectmen unanimously passed a motion to support the creation of the position for fiscal 2013.

The proposal comes after the announcement of Barbara Ammendolia’s retirement. Instead of hiring a replacement, Marshall requested to hire a managerial position instead as a way to “add a layer of supervision’ to the communications department.

Such a layer exists in other aspects of public safety, Profit said, including fire, police and EMS.

A full-time telecommunicator salary is around $36,000 to $38,000 per year. In a memo to selectmen, Marshall and Profit said an estimated salary range for a communication supervisor has been set at $49,000 to $67,000.

Profit said a supervisor would have managerial control over the complex communications network and related technology that affects the whole of the town’s public-safety operations.

As such equipment continues to evolve, he explained, the state is also implementing dispatch standards that relate to staffing patterns and emergency call protocols.

Last year, the communications department handled 17,000 incidences and 552 were medical calls, said Marshall, who is the current supervisor of dispatch operations. He added that between the training and technical mastery required, “it is a little cumbersome.”

Another purpose for creating the position is minimize liability to community. According to Profit, costs incurred because of the outcome of a lawsuit due to a communications mishap could be far greater than the cost of hiring a supervisor.

For Selectman Sue Lisio, liability was number one. “As fiscally conservative as I’ve gotten to be, it’s is a have-to for us,” she said.

Selectmen Chairman Robert Plamondon said the issue isn’t about the quality of service, it is that “we live in a litigious society.”

Increasing management capacity means transferrability of knowledge and technology, said Town Administrator Andy Sheehan.

“Being overly reliant on a few people can have far-reaching effects on the community in the event of a catastrophic event,” he said. “It benefits the communiity to broaden that knowledge base.”

Marshall said the next step is to complete impact bargaining procedures for the position and create a description and pay scale in the new wage and compensation matrix. From there, the communications budget would have to pass Town Meeting.

Fire Chief Donald Klein also voiced his support for the position.

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