1. Measuring Fire Dispatch Performance
Jim Long, Northwest Fire District
Debbie Gilligan, First Watch Inc

2. Absolute zero (0 K) equivalent to −273.15 °C (−459.67 °F).
Performance Measures
Lord Kelvin was quoted as saying – “When you cannot measure what you are speaking about, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind, it may be the beginning of Knowledge, but you have scarcely in your thoughts advanced to a stage of science, whatever the matter may be.” (CFAI, 1999,pp )
Absolute zero (0 K) equivalent to − °C (−459.67 °F).

3. Where Do We Begin? Identify your team / empower your experts
Define & understand your goals
Define what is important to measure
What can be accomplished with the resources and tools you have today?
Evaluate how well you are doing
Allow for periodic/incremental changes or “improvements”
How will you measure change/improvements? effectiveness?
Measure, Refine, Adjust & Adapt……

4. Why Measure? Comparison Adjustment of Strategy or Tactics
Discover Patterns/Trends
Alert to Developing Situation (Real Time)
Public Scrutiny
Return on Investment

7. What’s Worth Measuring?
Elapsed Times?
Performance of an Action? (Or Not)
Distance Traveled?
Frequency of an Event
Distribution of a Type or Class
Success or Failure
Outcomes?

9. Standards of Cover Accredited/Re- Accredited This Year
Central Yavapai Fire District
Glendal Fire Dept
Mesa Fire Dept
Northwest Fire District

10. Incident Times – Cascade of Events

11. NFPA 1221 – Call Answering
3.3.1* Alarm. A signal or message from a person or device indicating the existence of a fire, medical emergency, or other situation that requires action by an emergency response agency.
7.4.1* Ninety-five percent of alarms received on emergency lines shall be answered within 15 seconds, and 99 percent of alarms shall be answered within 40 seconds. (For documentation requirements, see )
Compliance with shall be evaluated monthly using data from the previous month.
From NFPA

12. NFPA 1221 – Call Processing
7.4.2* Ninety-percent of emergency call processing and dispatching shall be completed within 60 seconds, and 99 percent of call processing and dispatching shall be completed within 90 seconds. (For documentation requirements, see )
Compliance with shall be evaluated monthly using data from the previous month.
From NFPA

13. Monthly Report Example

14. NFPA Response
Call Processing Time. See , Dispatch Time.
* Dispatch Time.The point of receipt of the emergency alarm at the public safety answering point to the point where sufficient information is known to the dispatcher and applicable units are notified of the emergency.
From NFPA

15. Public/Provider Input

16. NFPA 1221 Comparison 2010 Edition Answer – Process
15 Sec 90%
40 Sec 99%
Process
60 Sec 90%
90 Sec 99%
2013 Edition (proposed)
Answer-
15 Sec 90%
40 Sec 99%
Process
60 Sec 80%
106 Sec 95%
Exceptions:
Language
TTY/TDD
Criminal Info

17. What Didn’t make it in 2013
A The AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) of the responding agency can allow certain types ofemergency calls to be excluded from the requirements of that require
extra call interrogation time. All emergency calls of these types will be
identified and reviewed by the AHJ on a monthly basis. Such calls could include but are not limited to:
(3) Dispatch equipment malfunction
(4) Unusually high call volume due to unpredictable scenarios (weather events, earthquakes, etc.)
Exclusions should be reviewed and trends identified that need to be addressed for possible operational or technical solutions.

18. Percentile VS Average -
Response Time The Philadelphia Fire Department prides itself on an average response time of 4.5 minutes for Fire Engines and 6.5 minutes for Medic Units.

19. Average Response Time

20. Percentile Response Time

21. Defining Performance Times
Clock Start….a controversial topic (Smoke & Mirrors)
Time First Received at PSAP
Time First Received by Responding Agency (Secondary PSAP)
Time Certain Info Obtained
Time Dispatched
Time Unit En Route
Clock Stop (Pretty Definitive)
Unit Staged
Unit on Scene
Crew at Patient

22. What is Process time? Dispatch Time – Answer Time
Answer = When the last Ring is picked up.
Ani/Ali to CAD Dump
First Keystroke
Manual Entry
Dispatch =
The time the ERF (Emergency Response Facility)
ERU (Emergency Response Units)are Notified
Tones
Pagers,
Radio Transmission

23. Formulas =PERCENTILE Uses a RANGE you want a percentile OF
(Talley up the numbers of occurrences
Parameters
“=“ tells EXCEL there’s a Formula Coming
FORMULA TYPE (PERCENTLE)
(paren to enclose parameters)
Range (Top cell, to bottom cell like A1:A200)
“,” next Parameter
Percent Value (.1 = 10%, .25=25%, etc)

24. Live Performance Data Demo
How to Look at Data in Excel

25. Analyitics Packages

26. Sources to Monitor vs. Reasons to Monitor
What data sources are available to monitor
Which data source contains that data that matters?
If one data source is good, is two better? D A T S O U R C E M N I
Phone Data
CAD
Data
ProQA
EPCR/RMS Data
Billing
Clinical Y
Dispatch
Financial
Operational y
Risk Mgmt R E A S O N T M I

27. Real Time Monitoring – First Watch
Live Presentation
Northwest Fire Data

28. New Workspace

29. Excel or Reporting Output

31. Dispatch Stuff Worth Measuring?
Example data source: FEMA

32. More Fire Dispatch Measures
Example data source: FEMA

33. Even More Stuff Worth Measuring
Example data source: FEMA

34. More for Mayor and Council
Example data source: FEMA

35. Questions