Consolidated Dispatch Saves St. Clair Shores $250,000

St. Clair Shores has saved $250,000 a year by participating in a regional dispatch center with Roseville and Eastpointe, city officials report.

Police, fire and EMS dispatch services for all three cities were 18 months ago, and run by the Southeast Regional Emergency Services Authority.

Since it was formed, call volume has exceeded expectations with nearly 189,000 calls received in the first year. The largest number of calls made to the center - which has a staff of 18 dispatchers and four supervisors - came from St. Clair Shores.

"We have had a vision that became reality," said St. Clair Shores City Manager Ben Hughes, who acknowledged that there were some "hiccups" in the early days.

As communities are pushed from the state level to consolidate, Hughes and SERESA Executive Director Cherie Bartram said there is room for expansion if other communities would like to join.

While there has been discussions with communities, the only formal expansion is the sharing of information about buildings in the member communities with the Clinton Township Fire Department. The information from Clinton Township was also shared with SERESA for mutual aid incidents.

SERESA is also looking to extend its reach into the community by establishing an 8-week citizens academy to share information about the center and hold presentations in schools to teach children how to properly use 911.