The Communications Division (Fire Alarm) of the Beverly Fire Department is comprised of five full time Principle Fire Alarm Operators. The operators staff an office at the Headquarters station where they take in and process general and emergency calls as well as conduct Fire Department dispatching. The Fire Alarm Office is overseen by Principle Fire Alarm Operator Tim Price. PFAO Price reports directly to Chief Cotter. In addition to the five full time operators, there are intermittent operators that fill in shifts on a part time basis.
While Fire Alarm Operators primarily dispatch for the City of Beverly, the office also operates District Five Control. District Five Control is an entity that provides resource coordination during large incidents across southern Essex County so that the dispatch centers in the other communities can focus on managing their incident. Actions taken by District Five Control can include requesting apparatus from across the County or activation of regional teams like the Essex County Technical Rescue or Beverly Dive Teams.
The Beverly Fire Department is proud of to have Principle Fire Alarm Operators that dispatch with professionalism and an expertise that firefighters on the fire ground can rely on during an emergency.