Tewksbury, MA — On the evening of Sunday, November 2nd, dispatchers at the Northern Middlesex Regional Emergency Communications Center (NMRECC) demonstrated exceptional professionalism and composure during a particularly busy four-hour span, handling multiple major incidents across both Dracut and Tewksbury between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
During that short window, dispatchers managed several high-priority calls, including multiple mental health-related incidents (one involving coordination with Lowell Police for a phone ping to locate an individual in crisis), a sudden death, and a second-alarm residential structure fire (which involved multiple calls to mutual aid towns). These calls occurred alongside a steady stream of routine and emergency service requests.
What made the evening especially challenging was the timing. With each significant incident occurring nearly back-to-back, it left little opportunity for dispatchers to pause between emergencies. Despite the high call volume and complexity, dispatchers worked seamlessly as a team, stepping into multiple roles as needed to ensure every call was handled efficiently and compassionately.
Supervisor Joey Aberle oversaw operations for the shift, ensuring coordination between incidents and staffing as calls escalated. Supervisor Janice Judd managed multiple incidents for Dracut, while Dispatchers John Jouvelis, Kate O’Connell, and Trainee Girald Sales handled additional emergencies throughout both communities. O’Connell took the initial 911 call for the residential fire and did an outstanding job staying on the line with the caller, calmly encouraging them to exit the residence even as they attempted to extinguish the fire themselves.
“We train for nights like this, it’s our Super Bowl,” said NMRECC Supervisor Joey Aberle. “Everyone reacted just as I would have expected them to, including our new trainee, who’s only been on for about a month and a half. The way the team pulled together shows the professionalism and dedication we bring to every shift.”
Aberle also emphasized how NMRECC’s regional setup played a key role in managing the night’s workload.
“Having a regional setup allows our towns to have up to four dispatchers focused on major incidents when needed, something that wouldn’t have been possible before regionalization, when they may have had only one or two dispatchers working,” Aberle said. “Each dispatcher is trained to handle calls independently — to take the call, create the call, and send the call — but when large-scale incidents happen, we come together as one team.”
“Our dispatchers showed incredible teamwork and focus throughout the evening,” added NMRECC Executive Director Brian O’Neill. “When multiple major calls happen so close together, it truly tests the center’s ability to coordinate, prioritize, and stay calm, and this team did exactly that.”
The Northern Middlesex Regional Emergency Communications Center commends its dispatchers for their professionalism and composure during a demanding night of service, and thanks Dracut and Tewksbury Police and Fire Departments for their continued partnership.