Sunday, August 4 | 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Yvonne K. Vasquez, BS, ENP, CMCP, EID; Nolan Saulter, CTO, EID; Tyler Stoddard, CTO; Katherine A. Shelton, ENP, EID
Sacramento Regional Fire EMS Communications Center, Sacramento, CA
This group of presenters was excited to present the ways their agency has approached retention and training to target one of the biggest challenges public safety faces today: staffing. Using data from their agency, they discussed how their POD training, which utilizes a mix of larger hire groups and group training with supervisors, has proven to show a retention rate of greater than 90%.
The agency also uses ACD (automated call eistribution) to ensure that all on-shift call takers receive emergency calls in a fairly distributed way, limiting burnout and reducing skill atrophy. While the initial implementation had their staff wary, management was open and willing to make changes identified from feedback, emphasizing the support their telecommunicators have from their leadership.
One of the key takeaways from the presentation was to track your data to make data-driven decisions, not emotional ones.
