The Fire Department lacks a single coordinating point for policy development, strategic planning, performance analysis, research, continuous quality improvement, risk management, and grant writing functions.   As a result, the Fire Department management team lacks coordinated input from professional analysts who have an organizational overview. This hinders the integration of the Fire Department"s dual, but equally important fire suppression and emergency medical services provider roles.   The Fire Department should establish a Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit. New analytical staff would work with managers and other key departmental staff to (a) lead departmental policy development, (b) prepare an annual strategic plan, (c) develop performance measures and performance monitoring tools, (d) manage research, continuous quality improvement, and risk management projects, and (e) write grant applications.   Alternatively, the new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit could be established as either (1) an extension of the current Division of Finance, at an additional cost of $345,702; (2) a direct report to the Deputy Chief of Administration, at an additional cost of $482,954; (3) a part of a new Division of Finance and Strategic Policy, at an additional cost of $508,277; or, (4) a direct report to the Fire Chief, at an additional cost of $482,954. We recommend Alternative 4. To partially offset these new costs, $221,321 could be transferred from the EMS Administration Section, if that section is eliminated.   The new Unit would provide (a) coordinated advice from professional analysts to the Fire Department management team; (b) an enhanced organizational perspective on the integration of fire suppression and emergency medical services; (c) a regularly updated strategic plan; (d) organizational performance measures and reporting; (e) a reactivated research function, (f) consistent application of continuous quality improvement and risk management strategies; and, (g) an enhanced grant writing capability.

Building Strategic Policy, Planning, and Analysis Capacity

Various parts of the Fire Department generate new policies, procedures, regulatory compliance programs, and budget proposals, and undertake performance reviews. For example, the EMS Division generates a number of policies, procedures, and resource plans related to emergency medical services and special operations activities, while the Division of Training develops policies and procedures related to recruitment and fire suppression training and education. However, the Fire Department lacks a single coordinating point for organizational policy development, strategic planning, performance analysis, research, continuous quality improvement, risk management, and grant writing. As a result, the senior Fire Department management team lacks coordinated input from professional policy, planning, and performance review analysts who have an organizational overview. This, in turn, hinders the integration of the Fire Department"s dual, but equally important fire suppression and emergency medical services provider roles.

An example of the Fire Department"s lack of strategic coordination has been its handling of the merger of emergency medical services and fire suppression services. By creating and maintaining a separate EMS Division with its own chain of command, a separate EMS Academy, and administrative services which parallel those provided elsewhere in the Fire Department, the Fire Department has failed to truly integrate emergency medical and fire suppression policymaking and service implementation. The outcome of this separation has been an "us and them" culture in which emergency medical service and fire suppression managers and providers view each other with distrust. Decentralization of management decision-making can be an effective management tool in organizations with a clear sense of their role and mission because it maximizes managers" specialist knowledge and gives their teams greater freedom to implement new policies and procedures within their areas of responsibility. However, in the Fire Department"s case, decentralized management decision-making about emergency medical services has delayed determination of the final configuration of fully merged emergency medical and fire suppression services, and failed to provide clear organizational leadership about the necessity for cross-training. This is demonstrated by the failure to determine the final configuration of emergency medical services provision almost two years after the January 1, 2000 deadline envisaged by the 1997 Phase II report¹, and by the small number of staff who have successfully completed in-house cross-training. Furthermore, emergency medical services continue to fail to meet their response time goals, despite the provision of more resources than in the past.

To ensure integrated policy development and service implementation, the Fire Department should establish a new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit as a matter of priority in FY 2001-2002. This new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit would work with senior Fire Department managers and other key departmental staff to perform the following functions:

· Lead departmental policy development.

· Update, at least annually, a "rolling horizon" five-year strategic plan which sets out organizational goals, milestones, and performance measures. Such a plan would pay close attention to the integration of the Department"s fire suppression and emergency medical services functions.

· Assist managers in developing appropriate performance measures for their areas of operational responsibility, measuring performance against those measures, and reporting the results. This function would involve Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) data analysis to determine the entire department"s performance against the measures.

· Manage research, continuous quality improvement, and risk management projects. The new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit would work with departmental managers to undertake research, continuous quality improvement, and risk management projects which encourage the efficient use of resources, including innovative technologies and new work practices, and promote improved fire suppression and emergency medical service outcomes. In particular, the Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit would work closely with (a) the EMS Medical Director, who manages the Incident Management System, and (b) the Classification H-33 Rescue Captains who provide field oversight of patient budanalyst and treatment, and paramedic skill maintenance, and who conduct post-incident evaluations and clinical investigations.

· Write grant applications to obtain new funding for research, continuous quality improvement, and risk management projects.

A key method the new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit could use to undertake the above functions would be to convene small working groups of expert staff and consultants to perform specified work tasks, within specified timeframes, which result in clearly defined products for Fire Chief approval. For example, individual working groups could be established on an as-needed, time-limited basis, to develop performance measures for a specific departmental function, a new service development proposal, or a new departmental policy position and related draft General Order.

Structural Options

The new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unitcould be established as either (1) a unit within the current Division of Finance, (2), a unit reporting directly to the Deputy Chief of Administration, (c) as part of a new Division of Finance and Strategic Policy, or (d) a unit reporting directly to the Fire Chief. Organization charts depicting these four options is contained in Exhibit 1.3.1.

Alternative 1: Expanded Division of Finance

Under Alternative 1, the existing Division of Finance and the Chief Financial Officer position could be expanded to assume a strategic policy, planning and analysis role. The minimum additional staffing for a Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit within the Division of Finance should comprise the following three new positions (subject to Department of Human Resources approval):

· 1.0 Classification 1824 Principal Administrative Analyst or new civilian classification remunerated at a comparable level.

· 1.0 Classification 1823 Senior Administrative Analyst or new civilian classification remunerated at a comparable level. The incumbents of the two administrative analyst positions would assist senior Fire Department managers to prepare the strategic plan, develop performance measures, coordinate research projects, manage continuous quality improvement and risk management initiatives, and prepare grant applications. The incumbent of one of these positions should possess a current paramedic, nursing, or medical license in order to meet the quality assurance requirements of San Francisco Department of Public Health Emergency Services Section Policies 1070 and 2120 V.

· 1.0 Classification 1053 Senior Information System Business Analyst. The incumbent would conduct department-wide CAD data analysis and quantify performance against performance measures.

To assist the Chief Financial Officer with the management of the new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit, the Principal Administrative Analyst could be responsible for day-to-day supervision of the other two new positions.

Alternative 2: Direct Report to the Deputy Director of Administration

Under Alternative 2, the Social Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit Manager would report directly to the Deputy Director of Administration. The minimum staffing for the new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit should comprise the following four new civilian positions (subject to Department of Human Resources approval):

· 1.0 Manager VII.

· 1.0 Classification 1824 Principal Administrative Analyst or new civilian classification remunerated at a comparable level.

· 1.0 Classification 1823 Senior Administrative Analyst or new civilian classification remunerated at a comparable level.

· 1.0 Classification 1053 Senior Information System Business Analyst.

The three non-manager positions would have the same roles described in Alternative 1, above.

Alternative 3: New Division of Finance and Strategic Policy

Under Alternative 3, a new Division of Finance and Strategic Policy would be established. The new division would be directed by a new Division Manager, reporting to the Deputy Chief of Administration. This new Division Manager would have two direct reports: (a) the Chief Financial Officer who would remain responsible for the Finance, Payroll, and Accounting Sections, and (b) a new Manager for the Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit. The minimum additional staffing for the new Division of Finance and Strategic Policy should comprise the following four new civilian positions (subject to Department of Human Resources approval):

· 1.0 Classification 0933 Manager IX. This position would be the Division Manager for the new Division of Finance and Strategic Policy.

· 1.00 Classification 0923 Manager VI. This position would be the Manager of the Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit. (This position is graded lower than the equivalent position in Option 2 since the Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit in Option 3 comprises one less staff member.)

· 1.0 Classification 1823 Senior Administrative Analyst or new civilian classification remunerated at a comparable level.

· 1.0 Classification 1053 Senior Information System Business Analyst or new civilian classification remunerated at a comparable level.

The two non-manager positions would have the same roles that were described in Alternative 1 above.

Alternative 4: Direct Report to the Fire Chief

Under Alternative 4, the Unit Manager would report directly to the Fire Chief so that the incumbent would be free to work directly with senior uniformed Fire Department staff as a peer. The minimum staffing for the new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit should comprise the following four new civilian positions (subject to Department of Human Resources approval):

· 1.0 Manager VII.

· 1.0 Classification 1824 Principal Administrative Analyst or new civilian classification remunerated at a comparable level.

· 1.0 Classification 1823 Senior Administrative Analyst or new civilian classification remunerated at a comparable level.

· 1.0 Classification 1053 Senior Information System Business Analyst.

The three non-manager positions would have the same roles as were described in Alternative 1 above.

Comparison of Options

Table 1.3.1 below lists the top salary step costs of each of the possible position classifications for a new Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit.

Table 1.3.1

Costs of Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis Unit Staff

 

 

 

¹ EMS Steering Committee, Optimizing the Configuration of San Francisco"s Emergency Medical Service: Fire Based Response and Transportation System, Phase II Report, amended February, 1997.

² First year operating costs comprise materials and supplies at 5 percent of salary costs. Implementation costs comprise an estimated $7,850 in equipment purchase and installation costs per new staff member. This amount of $7,850 per new staff member comprises (a) $2,500 for computer equipment, (b) $1,900 for cabling, (c) $450 for phones, and (d) $3,000 for workstation furniture.