I frequently encounter agencies that are seeking guidance with their dispatch standard operating procedures (SOPs). Some are looking to touch up existing documentation. Some want help in addressing a recently developed problem or scenario. Still others are literally starting from scratch, having no current formal guidelines. Regardless of where you stand in this scale of readiness, there are seven deadly sins to remember when developing SOPs for your department.
1. Forgetting that one size does not fit all
Utilizing another department’s policies may be great as a template, but extreme caution should be taken when replicating their guidelines verbatim. The originator of the document may operate under totally different constraints and local laws than your department, and likely also has a unique set of resources. Just as masks must pass an individual fit test to be useful, so too must dispatch procedures be properly tailored for local use.
2. Failing to focus on the purpose
A dispatch procedure manual should be limited to those directions required to effectively take calls, dispatch, support field units, and all other tasks required to operate efficiently. While some personnel policies may be included, unless they are directly tied to operational concerns (recall, hold-over or immediate removal from duty), the bulk of such guidance should be contained in the bargaining unit contract or employee handbook. Many of these non-emergent items may potentially be handled by human resources personnel in a prescribed fashion and not by communications center staff. Without this delineation, manuals can become so bulky that they are best suited for use as a doorstop.
3. Refusing to empower your dispatchers to deviate from the plan in emergencies
Telecommunicators have one of the most decision-based jobs on the firefighting team, and a well-conceived operations manual assists them in performing their tasks. It should, however, not handcuff them when independent thinking is in order. I am not suggesting that wanton freelancing and disregard for adopted protocols be encouraged or tolerated; however, if you were fighting a fire by the book and still not getting results, no one would blame you for wanting to change tactics. An example of empowerment comes from a center that experienced a fatal tornadic outbreak. The method of assigning tactical channels quickly became overwhelmed. Working with first responders, dispatchers established a new scheme that was used successfully until conditions normalized.
4. Creating an unusable document
A manual that is patched together without format or organization is almost worse than having none at all. Consider these questions:
- Is an index provided?
- Is the document layout intuitive?
- Is it kept current?
- Are names and numbers updated, as needed, and are old policies removed when replaced by new?
- If it is in electronic format, is it easily searchable through hyperlinks or other methods?
- Is access available at every operating position?
- Are hard copies maintained in case of computer failure?
- Is someone designated as the primary guardian, and the document protected from unauthorized change?
5. Underestimating the role of training and quality control
The most beneficial use of an SOP manual is as a training aid. You wouldn’t hand your interior attack crew a three-ring binder on firefighting as they entered the door of an involved structure. So, too, it is impractical for telecommunicators to refer to a book or electronic reference each time they perform a function. They must be completely familiar with the major aspects of their duties and responsibilities, and able to apply multiple policies simultaneously. A 9-1-1 center received a cell phone call one night from an injured passenger trapped in a private plane that had crashed into the treetops short of a small airport. While no procedure existed for such a specific event, as a result of their training, operators managed the emergency through use of wireless location, aircraft accident, and high-angle rescue guidelines.
The provision of quality assurance is another key component of effective operating procedures because without it, you cannot be certain that policies are being properly enacted. Additionally, in this age of protocol-based dispatch, originators of these scripts typically specify the use of formatted quality assurance as a mandatory requirement.
6. Failing to anticipate failure
Obviously, procedure manuals should establish guidelines for normal daily operations. However, if they do not address the steps to be taken during major emergencies and equipment failures, they are omitting the most critical scenarios. The loss of one or more communications devices or systems can place both firefighters and the public in jeopardy, so it is crucial that instructions for mitigating such scenarios be provided.
One recent news story outlined a delay in dispatching an additional alarm due to the malfunction of the computer-aided dispatch (CAD.) Telecommunicators must have specific direction in how to avoid such costly occurrences through the use of backup hardware, manual procedures or work-around processes.
7. Assuming that SOPs are not needed
We cannot assume that SOPs are not needed or are only produced when a rating or other agency requires written guidance on a specific topic. All too often, policies are created simply as mechanisms to “cover ourselves” in case an issue should arise, or in response to a regulatory requirement. In reality, codified procedures and directives offer support for the department’s mission statement and provide guidance to and establish a standard of care for all employees. Their importance in dispatch is no less so than in suppression, prevention, inspection or any other division.
In sum
Properly documented SOPs are a necessity for any dispatch center. To be most effective they must be kept current, trained upon, and clearly understood by all personnel.
