Placentia City Council
AGENDA REPORT
TO: CITY COUNCIL
VIA: CITY ADMINISTRATOR
FROM: STEFANIE ACOSTA-REYES, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER DATE: JULY 16, 2024
SUBJECT: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH MOETIVATIONS INC. FOR
TEMPORARY DISPATCHER ON DEMAND SERVICES
FISCAL
IMPACT: EXPENSE: $ 108,204.95 FISCAL YEAR 2024-25 (101515-5005) SUMMARY:
The Placentia Public Safety Communications Center (Communications Center) is a public safety division that operates 24/7 serving the community and our public safety partners. The Communications Center triages over 58,000 calls throughout the year for Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical services. As with any 24-hour operation, adequate staffing is necessary to efficiently perform all public safety dispatching and call -taking responsibilities. With the upcoming extended leaves of absence for three (3) full-time employees approaching and having two newly hired full-time dispatchers still in training, Staff researched possible remedies to temporarily staff the Communications Center and ease the excessive overtime burden on remaining dispatchers.
The City located one organization which provides contracting dispatcher services. Moetivations, Inc. (Moetivations) can assist the City with a "dispatcher on demand" system to reduce job burn out and alleviate overtime costs. City representatives met with Moetivations consultants to learn more about the process involved with contracting temporary dispatcher services. Due to the specialized training involved in the public safety dispatch profession, as well as having limited other resources available to alleviate the impact of overtime on dispatchers during the planned extended leaves, an agreement and quote were received, and Staff is recommending the City Council award a contract to Moetivations Inc. to provide dispatcher on demand services to the City for an initial term of three (3) months with an option to extend for a period up to one year.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council take the following actions:
1. Approve a Professional Services Agreement with Moetivations Inc. for Temporary Traveling Dispatcher Services for a period of three months in Fiscal Year 2024-25, with the option to extend for an additional period of nine months at the discretion of the City Council; and
2. Authorize the City Administrator to execute all necessary documents, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
1.1. July 16, 2024
City Council Agenda
July 16, 2024
DISCUSSION:
For the next few months, the Communication Center will be short staffed due to upcoming extended leaves of absence for three (3) full-time employees and having two (2) newly hired dispatchers still in training and not capable of covering vacant shifts independently. To provide adequate assistance to all community members, the Communications Center must be staffed with no less than two dispatchers during the early morning hours, and three dispatchers during peak activity periods to triage all calls for Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services as well as dispatch these field responders to calls for service.
Staff researched possible remedies to address the temporary staffing shortage in the Communications Center and ease the excessive overtime burden on the dispatchers. The City located one organization, which provides contract dispatcher services. Moetivations, Inc. (Moetivations) offers services that would supplement the City's staffing with a "dispatcher on demand" system to reduce job burn out and reduce overtime costs. City representatives met with Moetivations consultants to learn more about the process involved with contracting temporary dispatcher services. Due to the specialized training involved in the public safety dispatch profession, as well as having limited other resources available to alleviate the impact of overtime on dispatchers during the planned extended leaves, an agreement and quote were received, and Staff is recommending the City Council award a contract to Moetivations Inc. to provide dispatcher on demand services to the City for an initial term of three (3) months with an option to extend the contract for a period up to one year.
During the next few months there are between 600 to 700 overtime hours each month that need to be filled within the Communications Center to meet minimum staffing levels. The use of Moetivations versus utilizing existing City Staff has a financial savings to the City of approximately $6,000 to $10,000 per month or $18,000 to $36,000 for the initial 3 -month term. In addition, the Moetivations service would reduce the need for City Staff to work approximately 480 overtime hours each month, thereby decreasing the need to mandate dispatchers to fill those vacant shifts.
The greatest benefit to using Moetivations is the support it will provide to our team and the positive impact it will have in helping reduce dispatcher burnout should they continue to work excessive overtime until the Communications Center is back up to full staffing levels.
Moetivations is an organization based out of Denver, Colorado which assists Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) to succeed and thrive by providing various services including dispatchers on demand, quality assurance programs, leadership development training, recruitment and retention strategies, standard operating procedures development, as well as coaching and wellness support. Moetivations was established in 2012. Due to the national demand of short-staffed communication centers, Moetivations expanded their services in January 2023 to provide the Dispatcher on Demand program. The Dispatcher on Demand program offers experienced, 9-1-1 certified telecommunicators and dispatchers to public safety agencies to cover shift vacancies. Since the inception of these temporary dispatcher services, Moetivations has assisted over forty agencies in sixteen states, which totals over 50,170 hours of work experience for these Dispatcher on Demand services. Benefits in utilizing the Dispatcher on Demand team
City Council Agenda
July 16, 2024
include full shift coverage, a certified staff with years of 9-1-1 dispatching experience, reduced overtime needs, more time off for the agency's permanent staff, and lower job stress and related turnover. In completing reference checks with two PSAPs who are current customers, Goodyear, Arizona Police Communications as well as Boulder County Sheriff Office, these agencies had only positive feedback to provide on the services they have received from Moetivations. Goodyear Police Department Communications Manager shared they have utilized the organization twice and were pleased with their services and the personnel that was sent to their center. Boulder County Sheriff Office Communications Commander shared their experience was also positive and utilizing Moetivations cut down on the center's overtime by 50%.
Communications Center management will keep both the Police Chief and Fire Chief informed throughout the process including the logistics and filling of shift vacancies using the dispatch on demand as a temporary solution.
Below are other key factors to consider:
• All First Responders must have adequate days off for rest, which promotes a healthy work - life balance.
• Employees can and will call in sick, which causes a need to backfill their shifts to ensure sufficient staffing remains in place.
• Full-time employees are entitled to sign up for prescheduled vacations and to take paid time off.
• Supplementing employee schedules with temporary dispatcher on demand services helps to reduce job burn out.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The recommended action will approve a Professional Services Agreement with Moetivations, Inc. for dispatch on demand services for a period of approximately three months for an amount not to exceed $108,205. This will be funded from the Communication Center's overtime budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25.
Prepared by:
St 'anie Acosta -Reyes U
PIic Safety Communications Manager
Reviewed and Approved:
Da im en R. Arrula��—�
City Administrator
Reviewed and Approved:
oAanna Ramirez
Deputy City Administrator, Administration
City Council Agenda
July 16, 2024
Attachments:
1. Proposal/Quote from Moetivations, Inc.
2. Professional Services Agreement with Moetivations, Inc.