DALTON, Mass. — The Board of Water Commissioners will consider participating in a Central Berkshire and the Hill Towns Emergency Medical Services regionalization study during a future meeting.

 

During last week's meeting, resident Thomas Irwin presented the board with an opportunity to participate in an EMS regionalization study, which would be fully funded by the state and would not commit the district to any future changes, he said. 

 

The study would provide information and be a "very helpful guide" to the future of EMS services. 

 

"There's a push statewide to support regionalization of EMS services because it's not financially viable to have only, you know, have separate full-blown EMS services in each town," Irwin said. 

 

The study would include the bordering towns of Savoy, Windsor, Dalton, Hinsdale and Peru, and the Hampshire County town of Middlefield, Irwin said. 

 

The state recognizes the need to understand what needs to be changed and how to change the EMS service system, so it is allocating money for regionalization studies, he said. 

 

If the board approves participating in the study, UMass Boston’s Collins Center would apply for the state grant, and if awarded, the center would coordinate the study, he said in a follow-up.