There are dead zones in Rochester. Places where emergency radio communication is broken up or nonexistent. That's a big problem, and one that proponents of 911 regionalization say will be fixed by joining a regional center.

Duxbury, Plympton and soon Halifax are part of the Regional Old Colony Communications Center, a regional 911 center that kicked off in 2013.

On Tuesday, Duxbury Fire Department Chief Kevin Nord and Capt. Rob Reardon led an information session about the regional center Rochester may join.

Nord said these regionalized centers have become increasingly common in the state, particularly in the western counties, because of the increased efficiency in dispatching.

“Regional centers are better prepared because there are more people in the room,” he said. “There’s a better response time when we work together.”

One of the biggest differences between how Rochester’s dispatching services currently work and the regional model is that there is one person on the line in Rochester, versus two in the regional center.

For example, if someone were to call Rochester with a medical emergency, the dispatcher could have to talk someone through CPR instructions while simultaneously trying to dispatch EMS and any other emergency services. However, the regional center has two people per call, so a certified emergency medical dispatcher could talk through instructions on the phone while the dispatcher could send out an EMS crew.

“Calls used to get dispatched in about one minute, now we have that down to ten to twenty seconds,” Nord said.

The number of dispatchers would increase as more towns joined the regionalization.

If Rochester chose to join the regional system the town would also receive an improvement in radio and communications equipment, according to Reardon.

He analyzed the Rochester Fire Department’s radio system and found that in a handful of spots the radios didn’t work.

“If they don’t work on the street, they won’t work in a house or in a basement when you’re battling a fire,” he said. “The tower is great, but the equipment is horrible. The antennas, the repeaters…everything needs to be replaced.”

The state provides funding for regional centers such as this one, so an upgrade to technology could be paid for through the state.

Nord and Reardon emphasized that the technology upgrades Rochester would receive would improve the overall efficiency of the services as well as improve safety for firefighters and police officers.

“It’s a technological and efficiency advancement,” Nord said. “We’re providing this service because we believe in it.”

The regionalized system also uses more accurate mapping technology to allow police and fire departments to more easily locate people in need of help.

Often 911 calls from cell phones go to the state police and are then transferred either to the town or to the local state police barracks and then to the town, but the Old Colony regional center will start taking these calls to reduce response time and dispatch help sooner.

Some residents at the forum wondered what would happen to the current dispatch employees and whether their office would sit empty should Rochester join the regional center.

Selectmen Chair Naida Parker said that the office would keep someone in it at least during business hours during the week.

“We wouldn’t go dark,” she said.

Reardon assured residents that dispatch employees from towns joining the regional center always take priority for the job opportunity that opens up there.

“Why wouldn’t we want people from Rochester working for us? They know the town, they know the people,” he said. “They get priority.”

Rochester Police Chief Paul McGee and Fire Chief Scott Weigel were at the meeting and neither were ready to take a stance one way or another quite yet.

“I am very open to the concept if I think it will benefit the residents and officers and emergency services,” McGee said. “We have great dispatchers here, but if we can get a better product I think we should evaluate. And that’s what we’re doing, we’re evaluating. It’s too early to decide…I’m waiting for the facts.”

Weigel didn’t pick a side either, but did say the communication issues his department faces is a concern.

“We understand that the radio station is not what it should be. We have some issues,” he said. “That’s my greatest concern, and we’ve seen [the regional center] and it’s second to none… We want the communication system to work.”

The Selectmen said they are still months away from a decision and that they’re trying to gather as much information as possible first.

“We do feel this meeting was a little preliminary, and we want to make sure financially it’s a responsible decision,” Selectman Brad Morse said. “We will continue to have open forums.”

Parker echoed this, emphasizing that the resident’s opinion will be taken into consideration.

“I don’t think any of us want to make a decision that everyone in town is against,” she said.