How Eversource Works Hand in Hand with 911 Dispatchers

Despite its close proximity to Connecticut’s capital city and being home to the state’s flagship university that welcomes tens of thousands of college students a year, Tolland County is best known for its rural character and scenic landscape, featuring rolling hills, extensive forests, and picturesque farmland. While that natural beauty and small-town charm is what attracts residents and visitors alike to the northern part of the Nutmeg State, the county’s geography also poses unique challenges when it comes to one of its most vital functions – emergency response.   

“Here in rural Tolland County, almost every road has more than a five-minute detour if it’s blocked by a downed tree or motor vehicle accident,” says Tolland County Mutual Aid Fire Service Operations Director Doug Racicot. “That’s precious time in an emergency when every second counts.”

Tolland County Mutual Aid Fire Service is a regional 911 center that serves 18 towns and 37 different fire departments across the northern region of the state. With so many municipal members, it makes the first line of communication they provide during emergencies that much more critical. That’s why local partners like Eversource are committed to fostering strong collaboration and coordination with these first responders year-round, which helps to ensure public safety and the reliability of essential electric, gas and water services for customers.  

“Outside of storms, our crews still respond to an average of 3,500 public safety calls per year,” says Eversource Director of Community Relations Jeff Pugliese. “These calls are the first priority for us as well as for the communities we serve, and strong, open lines of communication with our municipal partners are critical to responding as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible.”

With hurricane and summer storm season underway, Eversource recently met with Tolland County 911 dispatchers to discuss tools and procedures that help both teams communicate and work together during emergencies. One of those platforms is Eversource’s Municipal Hub – a vital online communications tool that public safety officials can use to report blocked roads and view outage information in their communities.

“The collaboration with Eversource and the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) community in the last five years has been extremely helpful in us being more efficient and accurate with the information that we’re delivering,” says Racicot. “That is supported even more by the open dialogue and personal contact from Eversource’s dedicated Community Relations liaisons.”

“Every municipality we serve in Connecticut has a designated point of contact on our Community Relations team, and they are the go-to resource for any specific needs or concerns in that city or town,” explains Pugliese. “Our specialists are constantly focused on nurturing these relationships, and frequent engagement is key to that effort – including offering regular trainings and valuable information that can streamline how we work together.”

That coordination is especially on display during weather emergencies, when Eversource activates its robust liaison organization to work directly with impacted communities. Each municipality’s dedicated liaison conducts proactive outreach with local officials so communication channels are open before, during and after a storm. The assigned specialists also help advocate for their municipality by escalating any community priorities and providing ongoing updates for any large customer outages or impacts to critical facilities like schools and hospitals.   

 “Since my appointment in Tolland, Eversource has always been a strong partner to the town during severe weather and other crises,” says Tolland Town Manager Brian Foley. “They are very responsive to our town’s needs during storms, and I’m happy to see their continued advance coordination and communication with our public safety dispatchers. With worsening summer storms and hurricane season upon us, it brings us great confidence to see the collaboration between Eversource and Tolland County Dispatch.”

“This level of streamlined communication has made the overall efficiency of our operations even stronger,” says Racicot. “We’re firing on all cylinders when residents need us most.” 

For the latest storm information and updates, follow Eversource on X and Facebook. You can also learn more about the energy company’s emergency preparedness efforts and restoration process.