The renovated Safe/Sea Dispatch Center is located in Wickford, RI at Brewer’s Wickford Cove Marina. Our Emergency Response Center houses up to three dispatchers, membership processing, general office operations, and an array of electronics and communications equipment.

A list of the equipment in our Emergency Response Center and a brief description of each can be found below.

Apple iMac Computers
Our everyday dispatch and administrative duties are performed on four Apple iMac computers. Each computer has a 15” flat-panel LCD monitor, a 700 MHz Apple G4 processor, 684 MB of Ram, a CD burning optical drive, and a connection to our wired and wirelesss high-speed network. These systems allow us to connect to many weather and marine resources as well as run our secure database system.

Dell Dimension Computer
A Dell Dimension 8400 desktop computer outfitted with a 2.5 Ghz Pentium 4 processor with H/T Technology, 512MB of RAM, 80 GB hard disk drive, CD burning optical drive, NVidia GeForce video card and a 20.1” LCD monitor. This computer has two main purposes. One is to run a very useful Maptech Charting program, and the other is to record segments from television such as weather forecasts and radar broadcasts.

Total Recall Automated Voice Logger
One of the newest additions to our list of equipment is a digital voice logger which records audio from all three of our telephone lines, and all of our VHF radio systems. This new digital recorder is able to hold over 10,000 hours of records and can record simultaneously on all eight of its channels.

Local Hi-Site Radio System
This system consists of a high-powered transmitter placed atop a water tower in Saunderstown, RI. This transmitter/receiver is then controlled with three matching radio control heads which are linked to the transmitter via a closed loop phone line. This radio generally picks up transmissions in all of Narragansett Bay and often receives signals from as far as Woods Hole/New Bedford and Long Island, New York.

Block Island Hi-Site Radio System
This system is almost identical to our local hi-site system. The only difference in this radio is its location on Block Island. Between the Block Island and local systems, our Emergency Response Center can hear nearly every radio transmission in our area and beyond.

Datamarine SEA 156 VHF Radios
The Datamarine SEA 156 radio, though an older model, has proven to be the radio of choice at Safe/Sea. These radios offer great range, clear sound
quality, and excellent reliability.

Motorola Radius M1225 Private Band Radio
Comprised of hard-mounted and handheld models, this Motorola system provides secure instant communications between all of our captains and our dispatch center. Even with the evolution of cellular phones, this system still has many advantages including group communications, and reception where normal cell phone coverage does not exist.

Nextel Communications System
Our Nextel communications system allows private, secure, and direct communications as well as the transfer of text messages and pictures from one phone to another which allows deciscions to be made quickly in any situation.