Chittenden County Regional Dispatch Implementation Background 1. Why are we doing this? 2. DELTAWRX Recommendations 3. Governance Work Group Recommendations 4. Proposed next steps 5. Questions? 6. Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap
PSAP Map Public Safety Answering Points Why are we doing this? The PSAP transfer adds an average of 90 extra sec. per 911 call The NFPA recommends that 80% of calls are processed within 60 seconds and that 95% of calls are processed within 106 seconds Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap
Background Our proposed plan is the result of a participatory and interactive process Interviews with 60+ individuals from project sponsor agencies, the Vermont State Police, Vermont Enhanced 9-1-1 Board and CrossWind Technologies Builds on the preferences, assumptions and requirements agreed upon during an interim workshop in November, including the desire to pursue full consolidation among the project sponsors Continuously refined to take into account the ongoing efforts of the Governance Work Group The objective of this presentation is to Describe how consolidation will impact the current environment Document the state of the future Chittenden County consolidated communications center Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 3
Consolidation Addresses Issues Specific to Chittenden County Staffing • Issue: 6 Locations have single person minimum staffing which limits the dispatcher’s ability to prioritize incidents and offers no redundancy in the event of a major emergency • Solution: Consolidation eliminates this risk through increased staffing; model also positively impacts staffing by creating time for supervision, quality assurance, ongoing training and after action reporting and by offering career advancement opportunities Mutual Aid • Issue: Mutual aid is requested through a manual, sequential process which lengthens call processing times • Solution: Consolidation minimizes this issue by providing a collective view of participating agencies’ resource availability and allowing CAD to systematically select the most appropriate resource based on pre-defined parameters; on occasion external resources will still be required Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 4
Consolidation Addresses Issues Specific to Chittenden County Fire/EMS Calls • Issue: There is no dedicated oversight during Fire/EMS calls for service, posing a risk to first responder safety • Solution: Consolidation eliminates this issue by creating a fire operations position(s) consistent with NFPA guidelines; further, associated improvements in technology will help bring Fire/EMS dispatching in line with industry standards Call Taking Process • Issue: PSAPs transfer calls to Dispatch Centers, lengthening the call taking process* • Solution: Consolidation minimizes this issue by transitioning dispatch centers into a PSAP and thus assuming call answering duties (a small percentage of calls will still be transferred) * Shelburne is already a PSAP and therefore an exception Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 5
Countywide Consolidation Decreases Staffing Requirements Personnel costs account for about 93% of dispatch expenses in the current environment and are thus a key metric in financial analysis Dispatch centers are currently authorized to employ 45 FTE Consolidation model requires up to 38 FTE (conservative staffing) 45 – 38 = 7 FTE = up to $412,000/year; minimum of $50,000/yr The reduction of 7 FTE can occur through natural attrition Dispatcher turnover is about 8%/year, low by national standards 38 FTE * 8% = Loss of 3 FTE per year through natural attrition Some dispatchers may opt out of moving to the consolidated entity 6 Police Departments will need to reassign non-communications duties currently performed by dispatchers Staffing temporarily This will require between 0-6 FTE, depending on increases during first existing capacity, for a net “savings” of 1-7 FTE phase of the transition - These duties may be able to be covered by existing period Police Department employees Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 6
Consolidation Challenges Challenge Mitigation Strategy Organizational Change Dispatchers are integral to the process, must be respected as Posed to Dispatchers professionals and thoughtfully involved: communicate transparently, address rumors, invest in transition training and create a forum for pre- and post-cutover feedback Pay and Benefit Consider current bargaining agreements, workload, experience, Considerations technology and complexity in developing a competitive compensation package Standardization Agency chiefs must be prepared to compromise: with few exceptions, SOPs that cannot be uniquely configured in CAD should be standardized Operational Changes In addition to changes in the Communications Center, field personnel will need to change how they conduct daily operations (e.g., radio usage) Differing Perspectives Prioritize “must have” functionality over a given vendor and on Technology leave the door open for future changes Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 7
Consolidation Challenges Challenge Mitigation Strategy Leadership Adequately fund the Executive Director position and begin recruiting early: this leader must be perceived as competent, fair and strong and available to support the transition Emergency Service and Governance structure must be perceived as fair by all parties Community Equity and provide a voice for smaller communities Loss of 24x7 Communication: Assure community members that public safety Administrative Desk at emergency services will remain available around the clock and the Police Departments that they will benefit from improved service delivery; educate citizens on administrative services that will be reduced to business hours; seek after-hours self-service solutions (e.g., exterior form box) Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 8
Timeline The proposed timeline is best case scenario, but doable through teamwork, a commitment to compromise and clear roles and responsibilities Phase 1: July Phase 2: Phase 3: 2018 January 2019 December 2019 • Serves Burlington • Adds two to three • Adds final project and one or two other communities sponsor other communities communities • Operates from the • Functions as a ultimate facility • Poised to add dispatch center until other communities Shelburne joins, at on a contract-for- which time it will service basis once become a PSAP operations have stabilized • Could begin from existing facility Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 9
Draft Chittenden County Dispatch Center Executive Board (5-8 appointed) Advisory Committee by Communities now providing dispatch with reps from: 18 10 10 Fire Rescue Police Assessments to Chiefs Chiefs Chiefs 5-8 Member Executive Director Towns Shift IT/Telecom Supervisors Training & QA/QC (Alarms/DPS Software/ also fill in Hardware/Integration) (Software Expert/Interface) Dispatch 5 cross trained dispatchers: Police Backup Fire/EMS Fire/EMS BPD Dispatch Dispatch Dispatcher Ops Dispatch 32-38 total staff based on DWRX interim report Page 10
Governance Issues 1. Legislative/Enabling Authority 2. CEO and board of directors 3. Voting and financial contributions 4. Long term debt capacity 5. Authority to enter collective bargaining agreements 6. Responsibility to and for employees 7. Stakeholder/customer satisfaction 8. Authority to bind contracts 9. Leverage existing support functions: HR, finance, risk management and insurance, budgeting, buildings, IT infrastructure, telecom 10. Capacity To grow/expand 11. Coordination across County Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 11
Models Examined 1. Inter-municipal contracting 2. Regional special purpose government w/ legislative charter 3. Intermunicipal service agreement with CCRPC 4. Non-profit under CCRPC 5. Non-profit formed by Municipalities 6. Interlocal police services organization 7. Union municipal district – RECOMMENDED Review included Municipal & CCRPC legal counsel Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 12
Union Municipal District - 24 VSA Ch. 121, Sub. 3 Benefits: Legislative power (enforceable ordinances): • Alarm ordinances for businesses • Prosecution of false 911 calls and or reports to police • Future: animal control, etc. • Borrow at low government rates • Apply directly for grants • Government immunity • Less complex governance structure • No need for State legislative approval of charter • Joint Survey Committee (pre-public vote board) authorized to • Research technical issues and solutions: location, software, equipment, phasing • Draft charter, bylaws, funding mechanisms • Develop organization with funding from Cities/Towns • Develop public information • Dispatch Consolidation Roadmap Page 13
Union Municipal District: Governance Executive Board (5-8 appointed) Advisory Committee • Hire Communications Director w/ reps from: • Budget Vote • Long Term Commitments with 5-8 Communities 10 18 10 with Dispatch Police Fire Rescue • Fees for service ($/call) with other Towns Chiefs Chiefs Chiefs • Pay, benefits and human resources • Debt obligations through long term contracts with member communities only Executive Director • Vendor Contracts Regional Planning Commission staff coordinating and contracted support • GIS • Finance • Intergovernmental Coordination/Facilitation/Open meetings • Support Advisory Committee Page 14
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