FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2025
Eastham partners with Barnstable County Sheriff’s Regional
Emergency Communications Center
The Town of Eastham and the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office are pleased to announce that effective March 17, 2025, all Eastham 9-1-1 emergency calls and Eastham Fire/EMS dispatch services will transition to the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) Regional Emergency Communications Center.
The transition to the BCSO Regional Emergency Communications Center will allow Eastham to benefit from improved technology, greater coordination among regional public safety agencies, and more streamlined operations for handling emergency calls and dispatching Fire/EMS services. The BCSO Emergency Communications Center is equipped with state-of-the-art systems and staffed by trained professionals who provide prompt and accurate emergency response.
“Our Eastham Dispatchers do an incredible job with what we ask of them, but the demands placed on them have begun to exceed their capacity,” said Police Chief Adam Bohannon. “This partnership with the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office will ensure that we have the resources to continue providing the high level of public safety services that Eastham Residents and visitors deserve. The trained team at the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center can handle a high volume of calls, including multiple emergency calls happening simultaneously, while providing critical life-saving instructions over the phone while police and Fire/EMS are responding.”
This change will not affect emergency response times or the quality of the public safety service provided to Eastham residents and visitors. Individuals in the Town of Eastham should continue dialing 9-1-1 for any and all emergencies. The Eastham Fire Department will continue to operate as usual, with the BCSO Emergency Communications Center handling the dispatch and coordination efforts. The Eastham Police Department will retain the current Eastham Dispatch Staff, who will now focus on dispatching solely for the police department.
The Sheriff’s Office has a proven track record of providing regional dispatch services since the 1930s. Currently, they answer 9-1-1 calls for eight towns: Falmouth, Mashpee, Joint Base Cape Cod, Harwich, Chatham, Brewster, Orleans, and Wellfleet. The “Comms Center” as it is known, also handles emergency fire and medical dispatch for 11 fire departments: Barnstable, West Barnstable, Bourne, Mashpee, Orleans, Wellfleet, Brewster, Dennis, Harwich, Chatham, and Joint Base Cape Cod.
“Our Emergency Communications Center exists to provide life-saving emergency communications to the towns on Cape Cod,” said Barnstable County Sheriff Donna D. Buckley. “For any emergencies, always call 9-1-1. Our trained Public Safety Telecommunicators are ready and prepared to assist the residents and visitors of Eastham.”
If you have any questions about this transition, please contact either:
Eastham Police Chief Adam Bohannon
508-255-0551
or
Eastham Fire Chief Lisa Albino
508-255-2324