CAMDEN — With emergency dispatching becoming a target for towns aiming to trim budgets, the time may be right for Camden to consolidate its separate police and fire response centers.

In a report presented to the selectmen Monday on how the town’s dispatching operations might fit in with the trend toward regional services, Town Manager Roger Moody suggests that Camden consider bringing its police and fire dispatching under one roof, but not at the cost of losing the 24-hour personal touch now offered.

Camden has two dispatchers on duty simultaneously, one at the police station and one at the fire station, with a total of seven dispatchers on the payroll. Moody estimates that two positions could be eliminated through consolidation. Around-the-clock staffing would be preserved.

The police and fire stations receive a total of about 60 walk-in visits each day. “It’s clear people have high expectations about personal service,” Moody told the board. “There is a significant amount of counter service offered — to cut back would be a real reduction in service to the town.”

There are six separate dispatching centers throughout Knox County, with a combined payroll of more than $400,000. The Knox County commissioners have convened a special task force to study forming a regional dispatching center. The issue of overlapping dispatching centers has been raised often by Gov. Angus King when discussing municipal budgets with local officials.

Camden police dispatchers handle all 911 calls for Camden and Rockport. The fire dispatchers handle fire and ambulance calls from Camden, Appleton, Hope and Lincolnville, and provide backup for the Rockport Fire Department. Last year, the two departments took about 3,000 calls for essential services, with two-thirds for police complaints. The police station had more than 12,000 in-station visitors in 1994, an average of 33 each day.

As for how many dispatchers Camden needs, Moody notes that the National Fire Protection Association recommends one dispatcher on duty for every 2,500 calls per year. Since the police and fire centers receive about 500 more calls than that, Moody suggests that one dispatcher per shift comes reasonably close to that standard, with reserve dispatchers on call to assist when needed.

Moody also suggests that Camden monitor the study under way by the Knox County commissioners. He adds that his report demonstrates Camden has enough radio, telephone and foot traffic to justify operating its own dispatch center.

Moody recommends that Camden embark on a regional dispatching study of its own, working with the neighboring towns of Rockport, Hope, Appleton, Lincolnville and others to determine what level of dispatching is needed in the area.