Emergency Communications Center

Mission Statement

The goal of the Derry Fire Department Communications Center is to efficiently and effectively dispatch emergency apparatus for the fire and EMS departments of Derry, Auburn, Chester, and Windham. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the Derry Fire Department Communications Center to provide primary dispatching and support for the Southeastern New Hampshire Hazardous Materials Mutual Aid District.

Introduction

The Derry Fire Department Communications Center, also referred to as “Fire Alarm,” provides uninterrupted emergency dispatch communications for the fire and EMS departments of Derry, Auburn, Chester, and Windham, New Hampshire. These communities cover 139 square miles with an approximate resident population of 67,000. The center provides these services 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, and has proudly done so since its inception in 1982.

Communications Center personnel provide the vital first-link between citizens and the towns' resources. Their performance contributes directly to the safety and well-being of the Departments' members and towns' residents.

In the emergency management setting, the Derry Fire Department Communications Center is the primary notification and dispatching resource for the Southeastern New Hampshire Hazardous Materials Mutual Aid District. This organization is comprised of fire/rescue agencies from 14 communities spanning from the Town of Hooksett, northerly, to the Town of Salem, NH to the south. The district covers 353 square miles with an approximate resident population of 179,000. The district is responsible for hazardous materials mitigation and containment within its catchment area, dealing with emergencies ranging from gasoline spills to weapons of mass destruction responses.

In the event of a local disaster, either weather related or man-made, the center falls under the direction and control of the Emergency Management Director for the Town of Derry. To this end, the center is responsible for providing important emergency information to the inhabitants of Derry, such as emergency sheltering, road conditions, and any and all other information deemed essential for the safety of the community. This is accomplished through radio and cable television communications, along with a community notification system, capable of targeting specific neighborhoods for information dispersal.

Lastly, the center is the primary contact for the Border Area Mutual Aid District, an organization comprised of approximately 20 cities and towns along the southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts border.

Infrastructure

The Communications Center is equipped with a touch screen dispatching console, that monitors 7 transmit and receive radio sites, and two receive-only sites. The center is complemented with the Zetron Model 26 fire station alerting system, which is used by Derry and Windham Fire Departments. The center also monitors three radio box receiver sites and a municipal 100 mil system, currently used by Derry and the contracted towns.

The Communications Center has multiple redundant backup systems for CAD, radio, and IT systems. The Communications Specialists are trained to operate in the Derry EOC, located offsite from the Communications Center, and can operate anywhere from the Town of Derry Mobile Command Post.

The Communications Center currently operates RedNMX fire department management software, which houses dispatching information, incident reporting, preplans/site plans, water supply sources, run cards, inventory information, and other fire and EMS modules.

Click here to view or print our Emergency Communications Center Brochure.