North Suburban Emergency Communications Quest for Quality Sherrill Ornberg Executive Director North Suburban Emergency Communications

Organizational Overview Multi-jurisdictional & multi-disciplined PSAP 40 Emergency Communications Specialists 6 Shift Supervisors 2 Information Technology Specialists Operations Manager Training and Administration Manager Administrative Assistant Executive Director

Daily Activity Sheets Completed by the supervisor prior to the end of their shift Pass-on information from one shift’s supervisor to the next Provides senior management with immediate access to a daily overview Maintained on a secured hard drive Supervisory and senior management access only A foundation for quality assurance reviews and ultimately performance evaluations

D.A.S. Components Topics covered: Work load Punctuality Position assignments Meal breaks (or lack of) General conduct Significant Incidents Compliments and Complaints Appearance Documentation checklist Basic dispatcher stuff- Staffing level On time Uniforms okay Personnel problems in the room Sick call

Objectives of QAs and Evals. Accountability Determine areas of concern Mentoring Motivate improvements Regular feedback helps retention Document, Document, Document “The less is more” principle doesn’t work!

Psychic? If the answer is no, then the only mechanism that management has to be cognizant of the quality, or lack there of, within their workforce is to regularly and routinely conduct quality assurance reviews!

Selection of Evaluators Supervisory personnel who are well versed in your agency’s policies and procedures and a willingness to set a positive example. Management staff who are dedicated to the betterment of your agency and a desire to honest, fair and ethical. It is not advisable to have line level staff members evaluating their peers.

Position and Discipline Monitoring Consistently administered and randomly selected review of recordings Call Taking for Police Service Incidents Call Taking for Police Criminal Incidents Officer Initiated Incidents Dispatching Police Incidents Call Taking for Fire & EMS Incidents Dispatching Fire & EMS Incidents

Quality Assurance Categories Call Taking Interview Questions CAD Skills Telephone Protocol Skills Supervisor’s Overview Dispatching Assignment of Call Summarization Information Flow Radio Protocol Skills

Supervisors’ Responsibilities Each supervisor is responsible for doing a minimum of two quality assurance reviews per week for each staff member assigned to their shift. At the end of a 12 month period, a minimum of 104 quality assurance reviews will become a quantifiable basis for an objective and factual performance evaluation.

Senior Management’s Responsibilities Monthly calibration of all evaluators is paramount to success by ensuring that the graders are on the “same page”. Random checks of individual evaluator’s reviews for compliance with agency’s mission statement Identifiable issues provided to CTOs for targeted training Senior management staff members perform additional reviews for unusual or critical incidents, as well as all complaint based inquiries.

Customize for your Agency Identify categories Define questions Determine the point value for each question Total each section, then divide to establish each question’s portion of 100% Add each category’s percentage total to determine the final score Create a spreadsheet with each staff member’s name and the list of questions, along with their percentage value. For each answer that is a “yes” or “refused”, the percentage score is added to the spreadsheet “No” answers receive zero points and those with a “NA” change the overall percentage for the category. Scores can be viewed either by their total or individual questions

“He that won’t be counseled can’t be helped.” Benjamin Franklin

Evaluations Job Specific Evaluations Emergency Comm. Specialist (Dispatcher/TC) Trainee (daily) Probationary (quarterly) Shift Supervisor Information Technologist Administrative Assistant Senior Management

Evaluation Input Offers staff members the opportunity to have input into their evaluation. A questionnaire is given out 2 weeks before the supervisor begins to write the performance evaluation. The employee lists what they believe are their strengths and weaknesses. They also list what their goals and objectives are for the next 12 month period.

Ethical Evaluations Negative comments within a performance evaluation should never come as a surprise to the recipient !

Dispatcher’s Evaluations Criteria: Behavior - Conduct - Work Ethics Execution - Adaptability - Performance Initiative – Extra Credit

Evaluation Scoring Behavior Score 2.51-3.00 Exceeds Expectations Categories Points A. Conduct 25 B. Work Ethics (6-9) Total Behavior Score 2.51-3.00 Exceeds Expectations 1.76 –2.50 Meets Expectations 1.00-1.75 Needs Improvement 0.00-0.99 Unacceptable BEHAVIOR SCORE DETERMINED BY DIVIDING THE TOTAL POINTS BY THE TOTAL CATEGORIES = EXECUTION Categories Points A. Adaptability 5 B. Performance (68 to 87) C. Initiative (0 to 5) Totals: Execution Score 2.51-3.00 Exceeds Expectations 1.76 –2.50 Meets Expectations 1.00-1.75 Needs Improvement 0.00-0.99 Unacceptable EXECUTION SCORE DETERMINED BY DIVIDING THE TOTAL POINTS BY THE TOTAL CATEGORIES =

Evaluation Dissemination Set aside a specific time and place Schedule the time necessary to give the staff member your undivided attention If possible, have two supervisors disseminate the information Avoids the he/she likes or dislikes the employee, which in the employee’s mind affected the evaluation score

Supervisory Evaluations Criteria : Work Ethics Interpersonal Skills Leadership Exercising and Responding to Authority Adaptability Performance Communication Skills Problem Solving/Decision Making Work Attitude Initiative - Extra Credit

Supv. Evaluation Dissemination Two senior management members meet with the supervisor to discuss the evaluation. Sets the example for the supervisors on how senior management expects the process to be handled with subordinate staff. Discuss whether or not the past year’s objectives have been met. Determine the goals for the next 12 months.

“Evaluate what you want- because what gets measured, gets produced!” James Belasco

Contact: Sherrill Ornberg Executive Director North Suburban Emergency Communications Center 1420 Miner Street Des Plaines, IL 60016 (847) 391-5308 sornberg@nsecc.org