The Rochester Selectmen officially signed an agreement to join the Regional Old Colony Communications Center.

The regional 911 center kicked off in 2013 and is comprised of Duxbury, Plympton and soon Halifax.

After two public hearings to discuss joining the regional center, the board and fire and police departments decided it would be in the town’s best interest to move forward with it.

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

Joining the regional center also means Rochester’s radio equipment will receive a much needed upgrade. Currently there are dead zones in town that impede emergency radio communication.

The move to the regional center has a fixed cost of $300,000 for five years, but the town will receive $125,000 from the state each year to offset the costs.

“State 911 is willing to do a lot of upgrades for us to improve our infrastructure to make this work,” Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar said. “We’re going to need commercial grade antennas and repeaters, and state 911 will pay for that.”

To maintain its own dispatch department, Rochester appropriated $317,000 in the current budget, which includes four full-time and two part-time dispatchers. Those funds do not include healthcare or the funds needed to upgrade the outdated technology.

At one of the public forums, Police Chief Paul Magee said the only major difference is that no dispatchers will be in the police station, but he is going to make sure that there will be a civilian on duty during hours when people often come into the station with requests.

Additionally, dispatchers currently working for Rochester will get the chance to apply for positions at the regional center. Nobody is guaranteed a job but people with experience in Rochester will get priority.

Chair Naida Parker said that she is happy the agreement will help the town in terms of finance and safety.

“Our hope is yes, to save money, but to also provide the best possible service under the police and EMT dispatch services,” she said.