In the beginning…
By Dispatcher, Pete Miller

The year was 1975. Gerald Ford was president and the hit movie was “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.

That was also the year northwest public safety was born, in an eight-by-twelve foot room in Waterbury Fire Dispatch, on Field Street.

Actually, according to a former Manager, Pete Christensen, the money that made C-Med possible came about a year earlier, when the federal DOT wanted to upgrade EMS communications and provided a duplex radio system for EMS providers in the Central Naugatuck Valley.

In those early days, C-Med was a division of EMS Region Five, and provided ambulance to hospital communications for the twelve towns of CNV.

The Center averaged around 8,000 calls a year, and handled 9-1-1 medical phones for the City of Waterbury. The center continued that practice for another 10 years, when the political structure in Waterbury changed and the medical calls were given over to the fire department.

Back then, there were only four dispatchers, each of whom worked alone on 12-hour shifts to cover the board. But Pete reported that the Waterbury Fire Department dispatchers were happy to “watch the board” in the event that nature called.

The first communications manager was Tom Morey, who was Center manager for about three years before moving on. Bob Cole, the regional representative from Beacon Falls, was hired as dispatcher in 1975 and a short time later, he was promoted to Chief Dispatcher.

Bob later took over for Morey, as Manager, and Rick Shea took over for Bob, as Chief Dispatcher.

Pete Christensen came on board in 1976, just as the center was about to hit some lean times. State funding was entirely cut in 1977 and 1978, and in order to continue operations, Campion Ambulance assumed financial responsibility. The Center moved to Campion headquarters on Pond Street. Pete recalled that working alongside the ambulance personnel made for a fun working environment.

In 1980, C-Med moved to the 3rd floor of Waterbury City Hall on Grand Street, after the police moved to their new station on East Main Street.

Pete remembered that Naugatuck Ambulance was the first department C-Med took on for dispatching. Beacon Falls came next, followed by Bethlehem, Oxford, Prospect, and Woodbury was added later.

In 1981, Pete Christensen became Chief Dispatcher, replacing Rick Shea, and in 1982, a group within Region Five decided to venture out and form a private corporation: Northwest Connecticut Public Safety Communication Center, Inc. Bob Cole was named as Manager. The company was then, as it is now, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, operating under state guidelines, all from the Corporate Membership of the Towns we serve.

By the mid-80’s, the annual call load had jumped to around 20,000 calls, with the addition of the Housatonic Valley that included Danbury and New Milford Hospitals.

In 1988, the Center saw the addition of fire a dispatch console, and the hiring of two full-time Fire dispatchers who worked alongside the EMS dispatcher. The Center was re-shaped again, in 1989, with the installation of Enhanced 9-1-1 hardware. Previously, all calls from the towns we dispatched came in on seven-digit lines.

1991 brought several major changes to Northwest. Most notable was the passing of Bob Cole, just a few weeks after the Center moved to its new home in Prospect. The move was made possible by years of planning by Bob Cole, as well as hard work by Prospect Mayor Bob Chatfield. Together they were able to secure a $295,000 state grant that made the re-location possible.

1991 was also the year that a full-time overnight Fire dispatcher was added. In April, 1992, Pete Christensen was appointed Manager. Steve Savage was appointed Communications Supervisor, an updated version of Chief Dispatcher.

The new Center was formally dedicated in May, 1992, and Bob Cole’s years of dedication to the EMS and Fire service were fondly remembered.

In the days of September, 1996, the call volume grew to around 40,000 calls per year. Pete Christensen remained optimistic about the Center’s future, and he also enjoyed reflecting on the past, such as the time, in 1989, when Bob Cole put on his full turn-out gear and sat, face-shield down, at the console during a bomb scare at City Hall. And then there were all those shifts working alongside the Waterbury Fire Department.

“In the early days, we used to enjoy camaraderie with the Waterbury firemen,” he said. “We even shared a single TV antenna that you had to turn by hand on the roof.”

Today… the Center’s communication equipment and console design has been fully renovated. With new found inspiration, and under the direction of our new Executive Director, Susan Webster (who joined the Center in April, 2006), we have also renovated the entire downstairs Administrative Offices, the outdoor landscaping and are contemplating an architect for an addition to the Communication Center building. This new possibility will help provide more office space and much needed storage facilities for the Center.

Please stay tuned for more historical up-dates as they occur…