Agenda - 08-30-2012 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Comprehensive Assessment of Emergency Medical Services 81 DRAFT REPORT and 911/Communications Center Operations Study Applying the Relief Factor to these findings; ten (10) Telecommunicator positions at 5.10 "bodies" per position, equals 51 personnel; considerably higher than what the Center is working with currently. And, not surprisingly, during various audits of the Communications Center activities, both day and evening shifts, it was noted that staff did not take actual meal breaks, but ate at their work stations while continuing to answer calls. As well, they were observed to taking any noticeable form of breaks; for example, getting up from their workstation, leaving the call center area and going somewhere for a legitimate and restful "break"; both of which are addressed in FLSA literature for shift work hours of this duration. Finally, the most blatant "gap" observed in the staffing configuration of the Communications Center, particularly for a Center with the call volume and current number of positions, was the absence of an assigned, dedicated, full-time Data System Manager, a dedicated Quality Assurance Officer, and a full- time Training Officer. These are critical needs. And, while data/technical support is available on an as needed basis from the Planning & Logistics Unit of the Emergency Services Department this is not an adequate substitute for permanently assigned personnel; particularly, considering the Communications Center's position at the very center of the Emergency Services and Public Safety entities in operation in Orange County. Issue: Data As discussed briefly in Subsection 4.3, the availability of easily accessed, workable, reliable, and user friendly data, which would normally be available in the Communication Center's CAD system, was not. The information was there! However, it was found many times that it was neither easy to find or access nor in a user friendly format when it was finally obtained; albeit, requiring more work to make it so. A major reason, also previously addressed, was that the technology is 20 years old. During the early phases of this study, interviews and meetings were conducted with Fire Department, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Services personnel. Though "opinions" flowed freely, and occasional personality "differences" were volunteered in often less than subtle terms, little actual, specific criticism of the Communications Center (or EMS) were offered. The one consistent and oft repeated "concern" had to do with "the call numbers", or the manner in which service agencies were dispatched (or not), the timing of the agency's "page" or dispatch versus the time the call was originally recorded; in other words the data, and the data system capabilities. The Communication Center's; i.e. the County's technical capabilities were not up to speed, nor apparently have they been up to speed with the expectations of the various agencies served. Much of this will (hopefully) be resolved with County having recently, after many months, finally approved the purchase of new CAD software for the Communications Center; although completion of installation and access to its on-line capabilities remains several months away. It represents the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. This combined with the NC 911 Board's installation of their new ECatS(Emergency Call Tracking System) data access and reporting system in Orange County and the other 127 PSAP locations in the State. A year from now, the Data Issue will hopefully have"gone away". Solutions for Local Government,Inc. 79