The transition of the Fire / EMS emergency dispatch function from the Fire Department to the Emergency Communications Department (ECD) has proven to be difficult and to date incomplete. While the Police department has managed a relatively clean transfer of its civilian personnel to the ECD, the Fire Department has been forced to wrestle with an evolving and complex relationship with the ECD because of the use of its sworn personnel for Fire / EMS dispatch.

The Auditors report clearly identifies some of the high profile issues that the Department has experienced since the cutover to the new facility on April 12, 2000. The original project timeline developed in 1996 called for the civilianization of Fire / EMS dispatch personnel even before the occupancy of 1011 Turk Street. Over the course of the last five years, the timeline for civilianization has proven to be a moving target. Although the information presented in the Auditor"s Report in pages 1.12-1 through 1.12-6 appears to be correct, there is still doubt about the aggressive time frame for civilianization provided by the ECD. It is the Department"s opinion that the completion date for civilianization will again suffer delays due to issues beyond the control of the ECD.

On page 1.12-1, The third bullet states, "The ECD intends to replace Fire Department personnel with civilian Call Takers / Dispatchers by September 30, 2003, provided that adequate funding to replace Fire Department personnel is authorized for this purpose and sufficient new staff is available." Since the release of the Audit Report, the date of completion for civilianization has been pushed back to December 30, 2003. Considering the enormity of the task at hand and overwhelming complexity of civilianization, it would appear that the December 2003 date is still optimistic. The most critical component and challenge of civilianization will be hiring, training and retaining new Public Safety Dispatchers. The difficulty of hiring and retaining Public Safety Dispatchers is not unique to San Francisco. According to several 9-1-1 administrators and articles in the 911 industry"s journals, the challenge is being felt nation-wide. Recently, News Radio KCBS reported that Santa Clara Regional Dispatch has 26 vacancies and has been testing candidates for over two years in an on-going attempt to fill those positions.

· Recommendation of Auditor"s report

The Mayor and the Board of Supervisors should:

1.12.1 Allocate funding required to replace uniformed members of the Fire Department with civilians to staff Fire/EMS Dispatch in a manner that facilitates the scheduled proposed by the ECD:

· Assessment of Department

The Department concurs with the recommendation of the audit.

The Department encourages the allocation of funding necessary to civilianize Fire / Dispatch operations. While remaining cautiously optimistic about the prospects of civilianization in the immediate future, we are focused on assuring that the critical communications function provided by Department staff assigned to the ECD will be able to continue if needed.

·Recommendation of Auditor"s report

The Emergency Communications Department should:

1.12.2 Recruit and train sufficient civilian trainees to staff the Fire / EMS Dispatch function in accordance with the planned schedule

· Assessment of Department

The Department concurs with the recommendation of the audit.

The Department encourages the ECD to aggressively recruit, test, hire and retain new Public Safety Dispatchers within the restrictions imposed by the City

·Recommendation of Auditor"s report

The Emergency Communications Department should:

1.12.3 If feasible, train all Call Evaluators to process Fire / EMS calls for assistance.

·Assessment of Department

The Fire Department concurs with the recommendation of the audit.

A critical component for transferring call evaluation from Fire / EMS dispatch personnel to ECD Civilian staff is the purchase and implementation of the Clawson Medical and Fire Priority Dispatch Systems. The Clawson Medical and Fire Priority Dispatch System has been proven to provide civilian dispatchers with the ability to triage complex and critical calls for medical assistance.

·Recommendation of Auditor"s report

The Emergency Communications Department should:

1.12.4 Procure the Clawson medical dispatch system and place it into operation as soon as possible.

·Assessment of Department Staff

The Fire Department concurs with the recommendation of the audit.

The ECD should procure and implement the Clawson Medical and Fire Priority Dispatch System as soon as possible. The implementation of this system is a key component of the civilianization plan. As soon as funding is approved for the purchase, installation and training in its use, the ECD could take over all call taking and triage functions, resulting in the immediate reassignment of at least 14 firefighters from the ECD to the field.

·Recommendation of Auditor"s report

The Emergency Communications Department should:

1.12.5 In conjunction with the Fire Department, ensure that CBD protocols are adhered to.

· Assessment of Department

The Department concurs with the recommendation of the audit.

The proper use of CBD is, and always has been, an on-going challenge. It continues to be one of the highest priorities for the Department and the ECD. While on-line audit reports indicate improvement with compliance, the Department will continue working with the ECD"s Continuous Quality Improvement Manager and Watch Commanders to enhance call taker / dispatcher performance. As a marker of this commitment, the CBD Refresher Training Program was completed on December 16, 2001.

·Recommendation of Auditor"s report

The Emergency Communications Department should:

1.12.6 In conjunction with the Fire Department, develop a signed Interdepartmental Agreement concerning Fire/EMS Dispatch operations.

· Initial Assessment of Department Staff

The Department concurs with the recommendation of the audit.

Since the publishing of the Auditor"s Report, an interdepartmental agreement between the Fire Department and the ECD has been signed.

·Recommendation of Auditor"s report

The Fire Department should:

1.12.7 In conjunction with the ECD, ensure that CBD protocols are adhered to.

· Assessment of Department Staff

The Department concurs with the recommendation of the audit.

· Department Action Plan and Time Line

The Department will continue its practice of working with ECD staff to improve the use of the current CBD program.

·Recommendation of Auditor"s report

The Fire Department should:

1.12.8 Develop a Fire/EMS Dispatch operating procedure that covers such topics as departmental rules and regulations, personnel management, dispatch polices, and operational procedures.

· Assessment of Department Staff

The Department concurs with the recommendation of the audit.

As indicated in the Audit Report, Fire/EMS does not have a single reference that addresses departmental rules and regulations, personnel issues, dispatch policies, and operational procedures.Fire/EMS Dispatch does have all of the above referenced material available on the supervisors" bridge, however, they are not in a single reference binder. The formulation of a single reference for Fire/EMS Dispatch is another key component of the civilianization plan. The ECD is also re-structuring and re-formatting all of the former police department dispatch rules, policies and procedures. The fire and EMS components will be included as a part of that document.

· Department Action Plan and Time Line

The Department and ECD continue to work on the compilation and development of this living and evolving document. The Department anticipates the completion of this document by January 2003. An earlier completion date is hampered by the delay in procurement of the Clawson Medical and Fire Priority Dispatch System.

·Recommendation of Auditor"s report

1.12.9 In conjunction with the ECD, develop a signed Interdepartmental Agreement concerning Fire/EMS Dispatch operations.

· Initial Assessment of Department Staff

The Department concurs with the recommendation of the audit.

· Department Action Plan and timeline

Complete.

Since the publishing of the Auditor"s Report, an interdepartmental agreement between the Fire Department and the ECD has been signed.