911 Call Center Operations/Management Audit:
The results are in from the operations & management (O&M) audit of the county 911 call center, and as we hoped, there was plenty of good news to hear, along with a few suggestions for more improvements.

The overarching theme from the consultant is that the public should have confidence in the 911 center. The consultant described the 911 call center as “a high quality communication center providing high level of service” that would meet national accreditation standards if the county wanted to spend the money for such accreditation.

The consultant highlighted the steps the county has taken to implement the 2004 technology audit (51 of the 60 technology-based recommendations have been implemented), recognized a number of continuous improvements made at the center, and indicated that the center has achieved vast majority of nationally recognized best management practices.

Some of the positive changes highlighted by the management audit included the following:
· Implemented priority dispatch for EMS and Fire
· Installed a new phone system
· Random review of 3% of all calls received
· Updated complaint review and investigation process
· New CAD servers
· New recording and information retrieval system
· Budgeted for priority dispatch (police) in 2009

The O & M audit also analyzed the quality of responses from the call center. The consultant sampled 1941 calls (3%), and of those calls 64 caught the attention of the quality assurance staff – meaning they felt some additional coaching was appropriate. Of those 64 calls that they felt needed attention, only one was ranked as serious – meaning that a call back was warranted but wasn’t made. This equates to a failure rate 0.065% - far exceeding the national standard of call back failure rate of no greater than 0.1%.

Clearly the center operations are not perfect –and the consultant outlined ways to further enhance the center. One of the main comments made in the audit is that the call center is trying to do too much for too many. For example, some municipal police departments forward their 7 digit phone number used on their business cards to the 911 center after hours. The 911 center cannot take messages or help connect the caller with the officer they are trying to reach. Therefore, all get frustrated – the caller because they can’t leave a message for the person they are trying to reach, and the 911 call taker, because they can’t help the person calling. To correct this, the county is going to work with the various municipalities to establish a phone tree that will result in calls being directed elsewhere, rather than the 911 center.

Another recommendation that is important is to simplify the dispatch protocols so that they are all able to be included in the computer-aided dispatch system (CAD). The center should minimize the number of separate “look-up” protocols when calls come in to the center. If a municipality is asking for a protocol that can’t be programmed into CAD there’s a problem because it relies on people’s memory rather than program decision – basically, if a protocol can’t be programmed into a CAD there is no way of preventing inconsistent way of making decisions.

The report also recommends that the quality assurance program should continue – it’s good for training as well as assessing the level of service provided by the center. Other recommendations include implementing a pre-recorded message for 911 calls between the 3rd and 4th ring to assure callers that their call will be answered (most calls get answered within 8 seconds, so this would rarely be needed) and document new policies that we’ve already implemented – complaint resolution, policy development/distribution, etc. Documentation is an important need for the call center.

Where necessary, you will see county board resolutions ensuring the recommendations in the report are implemented by the center. I’m hopeful that this review of the 911 center sheds new light on the 911 center operations, and allows the public to continue to trust this critical part of public protection. For a full copy of the report, see http://danedocs.countyofdane.com/webdocs/pdf/911/911_Comprehensive_Review_Phase2.pdf