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Comprehensive Assessment of Emergency Medical Services 121 <br />and 911 /Communications Center Operations Study <br />each designated post position, it is important that the number of people required to man each position <br />be accurately determined. These coverage requirements are generally calculated using what is called a <br />"Relief Factor ". <br />The Relief Factor is the ratio between the number of hours a position is "open "; i.e., needs to be <br />covered; and the number of hours of employee time required to fill that position during those open <br />hours. Since the position must be filled each hour that it is open, additional employee time, or "relief" <br />time, must be considered in order to cover for sick leave, vacation schedules, and time away from the <br />position for such things as legal holidays and required training. Theoretically, a position that is open 24 <br />hours per day, 7 days per week will require 8,760 hours of coverage per year. <br />Communications Center personnel currently work 12 hour shifts. Which, in actuality, based upon their <br />rotation schedule, amounts to a total time assigned of fourteen, 12.2 hour shifts every 28 days; or <br />2,226.5 total hours assigned per year. <br />From this total must be subtracted annual holidays, vacation time, sick leave, and required training time <br />spent "out of position" in order to determine the total hours a single staff member is available to cover <br />a given position. Figure 50 identifies the calculations used to determine an individual <br />Telecommunicator's annual availability in hours. <br />Figure 50 <br />Annual Available Hours per Officer <br />a. Total Assigned Hours /Year 2,226.5 <br />No. Days <br />Allowed /Year <br />b. Sick <br />Hours /Year <br />Hours /day <br />Hrs. Deducted <br />From Hrs. Assigned <br />146.4 <br />12.0 <br />12.2 <br />C. Annual <br />15.7 <br />12.2 <br />191.5 <br />d. Holidays <br />11.0 <br />12.2 <br />134.2 <br />e. Training <br />3.0 <br />12.2 <br />36.6 <br />Total Available Hours /Year; a- (b +c +d +e) 1,717.8 <br />Note that the Hours /Year are based on the accrual rate of second year employees, per Human Services, <br />at the rate of 3.7 hours /pay period for sick leave (12 days /year), and 4.84 hours /pay period for annual <br />leave (15.7 days /year). <br />The Relief factor for a 24 hour per day position, open 365 days per year would be 8,760 hours (number <br />of hours position is open) divided by 1,717.8 hours (the number of hours an individual is available per <br />year); the result being, the Relief Factor = 5.10. <br />Figure 51 illustrates the subsequent calculations for both 24 hour and 12 hour shift positions. <br />Figure 51 <br />Shift Relief Factor Calculations <br />Position <br />Annual Hours <br />Hours Avaiable /Yr. <br />Relief <br />Coverage <br />Required /Position <br />Per Employee <br />Factor <br />24 Hrs. /7 Days <br />8,760 <br />1,718 <br />5.10 <br />12 Hrs. /7 Days <br />4,380 <br />1,718 <br />2.50 <br />Solutions for Local Government, Inc. 77 <br />