HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10151996 - SD1 A* s p}
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
VRom : PHIL BATCHELOR
County Administrator
WARREN E . RUPF
Sheriff-Coroner
DATE: October 3, 1996
SUBJECT: STATUS REPORT ON SHERIFF-CORONER' S EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
CENTER ISSUES
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS :
1 . ACCEPT this report from the County Administrator and Sheriff-Coroner
regarding the status of various matters, related to the effective
operation of the Emergency Communications Center.
2 . DIRECT the County Administrator to explore with the Sheriff and Human
Resources Director what further options are available to streamline
the personnel process related to the recruitment and selection of
dispatchers .
3 . DIRECT the County Administrator, in cooperation with the Office of the
Sheriff and the General Services Department, finalize the project
design and financing plan for upgrading the Emergency Communications
Center equipment, hardware and workstations and for remodeling the
Center for more efficient staff operations and to report back to the
Board as soon as possible .
FISCAL IMPACT:
None at this time . However, in order to upgrade the work stations,
hardware and software to make the Center more effective and ergonomically
efficient and to provide adequate space for dispatching functions will
definitely require a financing plan which has not yet been worked out .
LJ
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: ! ,
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION BO RD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON October 15 1996 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER XX
APPROVED Recommendations No. 1 and No.2, as set forth above; and AMENDED Recommendation No. 3 to
DIRECT the requested report from staff be teturned to the Board in 45 days.
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ----------- ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
CC: CAO-Justice System Programs ATTESTED O
Sheriff-Coroner APB LOR,CLERKOFTH OARDHuman Resources Director S AN OUNTY MI IST OR
General Services Department
Carol Chan, County Administrator' s Office BY
SD /
REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION/BACKGROUND:
:Introduction - As a result of discussion between the Sheriff-Coroner and
the Board of Supervisors on June 18 regarding operations of the Office of
the Sheriff, there was considerable discussion about the inability to
maintain authorized staffing levels in the Emergency Communications Center
and on the inadequacy of the current work stations and space layout of the
Center itself with respect to the effective and efficient carrying out of
emergency communications functions . This was further discussed by the
Board at the July 9, 1996 Board meeting and the County Administrator and
the Sheriff-Coroner were requested to review various ways to improve the
effectiveness of the Center, including staffing patterns, work station
improvement and space layout . As a result of that directive there have
been a series of meetings involving the County Administrator, Sheriff-
Coroner, General Services Department and Risk Management regarding various
alternatives to improving Center operations . Fit this point, we are
reporting to your Board on the current status of these efforts . Much work
remains to be done to refine the cost estimates related to upgrading work
stations and equipment and to remodeling the Center itself . It is, of
course, desirable to proceed on these two items- in an integrated fashion if
it is financially feasible . To proceed with one or the other would in all
probability increase costs in the long run. Therefore, we will be focusing
our planning efforts on refining the cost estimates that have been
identified to date and to exploring what sources of funding are available
for such improvements so that we can minimize the reliance on scarce County
general fund dollars .
I . STAFFING
A. Current Status
1 . There are now 48 authorized dispatcher positions, including the 10
positions that were recently authorized by the Board. As of 10/1/96,
the status of these positions is :
20 dispatchers are available for regular assignment
2 dispatchers provide training and update computer aided dispatch
5 dispatchers are unavailable for medical or family leave reasons
21 positions are vacant
2 . In order to provide adequate coverage of 1911 and radio channels,
shifts are now filled by the following means :
• Overtime by the regular dispatchers
• Overtime shifts worked by managers and supervisors
• Utilization of per diem dispatchers
• Utilization of partially trained staff in limited duty assignments
• Holding staff for double shifts to cover unscheduled sick leave
3 . Efforts to fill vacancies are underway. The process is slow and
laborious . Only 8 dispatcher candidates from the most recent
dispatcher recruiting and testing are expected to successfully
complete the screening process and enter training during mid-October .
Trainees will be fully trained after approximately 9 months .
The next test will be given as soon as possible . If the process is
expedited, the time expected to hire the remaining staff may be
reduced to 6 months from one year.
B. Short Term Staffing Solutions
A labor/management committee has been formed within Lha Sheriff' s Office to
create short term solutions to the staffing crisis .uatil an adequate number
of trained dispatchers will be available and to encourage retention of the
remaining staff. The committee has been meeting weekly. Proposed
solutions are expected to be presented to Sheriff' s Office administration
by mid--October. Solutions being explored include the following:
2
sDJ
1 . Pre-assigned overtime shifts
2 . Shifting certain tasks to other employees
3 . Recruiting temporary employees to supplement the current staff
4 . Streamlining of operational procedures to reduce unnecessary
tasks
5 . Offering sick leave incentives
6 . Offering overtime incentives
C. Long Term Staffing Solutions
The labor/management committee will examine the following areas of concern
after the short term plans are completed.
1 . Scheduling - Alternatives to the current 8 hour day/5 day week will be
explored, as well as job sharing, part time positions, variable
staffing minimums depending on work load, etc.
2 . Retention - Methods to increase job satisfaction and reduce barriers
to employment will be explored including .job enrichment, child care,
stress reduction, morale improvement, professionalization of the
position, improvement in ergonomics, etc.
3 . Recruiting and hiring - The committee will recommend alternatives to
the current lengthy and cumbersome testing process for dispatchers .
4 . Training - Alternatives to the current 9 month training program will
be addressed. Training may be divided into two segments to allow
. trainees to begin contributing to the workload as soon as possible and
to allow trainees who cannot cope with radio dispatching to remain in
lower paid phone answering positions . The committee must also
consider how to train new employees when there are more trainees than
trainers and where tradition requires one-on-one training.
S. Operations - The committee will offer alternatives to current
procedures which might provide more efficient delivery of services .
Possible improvements might include automation of certain processes,
triaging public calls, re-distribution of certain tasks, etc.
II . ERGONOMICS, WORKSTATIONS AND EQUIPMENT
The existing physical environment in the dispatch center is not
ergonomically sound. There is a high rate of repetitive motion injury
claims . The equipment and workstations are older generation configurations
which require dispatchers to twist and reach for controls . The console
stations are shared by all dispatchers but do not allow for adjustment for
individual differences in body size, height, reach, type, etc.
Risk Management has contracted for a study of the existing facility and to
make recommendations for improvements in the ergonomics . The study has
been completed and recommends replacement with ' adjustable workstations,
computer components, and related furnishings .
In order to utilize the ergonomic workstations, the existing Computer Aided
Dispatch (CAD) system must be upgraded to substitute PC-based telephone,
radio and records management control for the existing dumb terminals and
consoles . A grant has been submitted to the U. S . Department of Justice to
partially offset the cost of upgrading the CAD system. It should be noted
that the existing CAD system is almost 10 years old and is now
technologically out of date . (It will be paid off in fiscal year 1997-98 . )
The question staff is exploring is whether we can replace it sooner than
two years . Funding to upgrade the 911 telephone equipment to ergonomically
designed equipment is available from State 911 funds .
IIx . DISPATCH CENTER REMODELING
There are numerous problems associated with the ' existing physical plant .
The General Services Department Architectural Services Division has
initiated a study of facility needs and deficiencies . A preliminary report
has identified the following problem areas:
3
SID
,• The existing terminals are set in fixed positions because of the
furnishings and the nature of the Computer Aided Dispatch system.
' This creates lighting and glare problems . The room is kept darkened
to reduce glare and enhance contrast . The lighting must be corrected
to reduce eyestrain, improper posture and depression.
• There is not enough space in the existing dispatch room to convert the
-
work stations to ergonomically sound stations . Space must be
increased to accommodate the newer configuration.
• There are not enough dispatch stations to provide adequate coverage
during major emergency situations such as hazardous material releases
or disasters . There are not enough dispatch stations to provide
training to more than a few trainees at a time . The number of
stations needs to be increased to cover both situations .
• Acoustics in the dispatch room are poor. Stress levels are increased
as a result of the level of noise . This can be addressed in part
through the addition of ergonomic furniture and in part through
modification of the building.
• There is not enough classroom space to provide training to the
necessary number of trainees . Classes are now restricted to eight
trainees . This dramatically increases the amount of time needed to
reach authorized staffing levels . Classroom space needs to be
increased.
• There is not enough rest room, locker or break room space to
accommodate the staff in the building. These spaces also do not meet
handicap criteria nor OSHA. regulations . Additional space must be
added for this purpose.
Administrative staff space is inadequate to house all of the technical
people responsible for support of the equipment . Having staff off-
site is disruptive and inefficient . Administrative space needs to be
increased so that all support staff are centrally located and have
enough room to perform their duties .
The preliminary cost estimate to move administrative staff to a new
addition and remodel the old administrative area to accommodate dispatch
needs is estimated at $1 . 3 million. The Architectural Services Division
will continue to identify facility needs and refine the cost estimates .
At this time, it appears that the costs associated with doing Items II and
III above will be approximately three million dollars . Federal and state
funds are available for some components . The balance will require County
funds . The County Administrator and Sheriff are working with the General
Services Department on finalizing the cost estimates and developing a
viable financing plan. We will submit the final project design and cost
plan to your Board for approval as soon as possible .
4