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Creative ways to combat low/unknown daytime coverage?
We are a volunteer department of roughly 30-40 members in the mountains just outside of Denver/Golden/Boulder (http://coalcreek.com, http://coalcreekcanyonfd.org) and we are facing the typical issues with worrisome low coverage on daytime calls. (Folks commute out of district to go to work, and ALS paramedics respond from out of district.)
We are trying to think of ways that we can manage the situation reducing the chances that we have little/no coverage at any one time. We only get 200ish calls a year, and can go two weeks without a call, so shift work/paid response is out. Some ideas are:
- Recruit, recruit, recruit ... to increase numbers, hence increase odds of coverage.
- Start an "EMS team" (if we cannot get more firefighters, perhaps we can get some who would like to be EMTs.) This is to increase numbers, as above.
These ideas are good, but are brute force solutions to the problem & everybody knows the challenges with them. We are looking for any creative solutions other departments are using to better manage the resources they have (while respecting volley's time.) For example...
- Create a website allowing firefighters to check-in/check-out so we know (roughly) our coverage at any one time & perhaps we could call some folks home. If not in real time, perhaps a calendar of when folks are in/out (their work schedules, their vacations) to help us know general availability.
- Use devices (cell phones, smart phones) to allow folks to check-in/out from the road.
If you have any information on creative ways to know (and then perhaps manage) numbers, please let me know.
Thanks in advance for sharing.
regards
Adam
We are trying to think of ways that we can manage the situation reducing the chances that we have little/no coverage at any one time. We only get 200ish calls a year, and can go two weeks without a call, so shift work/paid response is out. Some ideas are:
- Recruit, recruit, recruit ... to increase numbers, hence increase odds of coverage.
- Start an "EMS team" (if we cannot get more firefighters, perhaps we can get some who would like to be EMTs.) This is to increase numbers, as above.
These ideas are good, but are brute force solutions to the problem & everybody knows the challenges with them. We are looking for any creative solutions other departments are using to better manage the resources they have (while respecting volley's time.) For example...
- Create a website allowing firefighters to check-in/check-out so we know (roughly) our coverage at any one time & perhaps we could call some folks home. If not in real time, perhaps a calendar of when folks are in/out (their work schedules, their vacations) to help us know general availability.
- Use devices (cell phones, smart phones) to allow folks to check-in/out from the road.
If you have any information on creative ways to know (and then perhaps manage) numbers, please let me know.
Thanks in advance for sharing.
regards
Adam
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by NOVAFireman on
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Perhaps your county and or district should look into hiring firefighters to work during the daytime. This is how my career department got started years ago, volunteer departments not having the coverage during the day. What started out as just a couple of firefighters working during the day, has evolved into a county career deparment just under 500 employees.
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Permalink Reply by ECB on
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Can you explore using auto mutual aid from surrounding districts? Sharing resources during the day, so to speak. That has worked to some extent, here in Western NY. It is only a band aid, and a more permanent solution will be needed. We are looking at posting schedules monthly as to who is where. We also recently began using the IAMRESPONDING program (IAMRESPONDING.com). It has proven to be helpful because we can tell real time who is responding. it also has a scheduling feature that you can use to display who is on and off duty. We were a little skeptical at first, but has proven to be useful.
FYI - we are 100% volunteer, 20 active members, responding to slightly more than 600 fire and support EMS call / year.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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I would also suggest exploring automatic aid agreements with the surrounding departments. We have been doing this on a 24/7/365 basis for 30 plus years and I think it has helped our daytime coverage a lot. In fact, in some areas of our town three departments are dispatched to fire calls.
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Permalink Reply by Adam Jack on
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Neighboring departments would have too slow a response time (except in one or two parts of the district, and in those we do have such agreements.)
I must say that iamresponding.com looks interesting, and similar to what I was thinking. Up here cell phones do not work too well, but something that gives us rough numbers on who is in district (perhaps via their schedule) seems helpful.
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Permalink Reply by NYFireengine on
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In Onondaga county we have what we call a 90 series engine company's ..which will set up and staff an engine company to cover maybe 6 to 7 surrounding districts. This engine is pre-staffed members from other departments as well as the hosting department to be ready to go at a moments notice of a call. This intern puts a piece of apparatus on the road fully staffed, to get someone header for the call. We have had pretty good luck with this concept..If the Department gets out that is first due to the district, then they can make the choice whether to cancel the 90 series Engine or keep them attached to the call. I monitor everyday, and I believe this concept really works well...the 90 series engines get out fast, and are well staffed to handle EMS, as well as fire...Opposed to 1 or two guys taking one truck each to a call from different stations, and nothing being accomplished... Good work Onondaga County 90 series is a hit....I hope maybe this concept might be of help??? JD
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Permalink Reply by Jay Nicholson on
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If you would just paint your apparatus red, maybe you wouldn't have this problem. Just kidding!!!!
Creative ways. If anyone works in your district, try 4-10s. That would give those members a 3 day weekend every week. At least a couple of days would get covered. Some offices around here do 5-9s instead. That way the office is closed every other Friday. Everybody still works a 40 hour week.
Try turning a couple of rooms into apartments for your younger, single FFs. Particularly if there is a college nearby. Free room for work may help.
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Ouch. ;-) [Our Chief at the time believe yellow was more visible, and hence safer.]
Good idea, but there are very few businesses up here w/ very few employees. No college either.
Yup, it does seem we could attract folks w/ more to do at the stations.
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Permalink Reply by David on
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im on a little dept in illinois with 36 members and we only have 10-15 in district during the day and 2 of them are emts. so from 7:30a-4:30p we have an Intermediate and a Basic on call at the station. then from 4:30p-7:30a we have an amb crew sign up swo we are staffed 24/7
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