4/10/2025
TO: PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND
STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
FROM: Robert Sapien, Jr.
SUBJECT: Fire Communications Status
Report
DATE: April 2, 2025
Approved Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the status report on Fire Communications operations and activities.
BACKGROUND
The San José Fire Department (Department) is a high-volume, all-hazards fire department providing fire suppression and rescue services, Advanced Life Support (ALS), and Basic Life Support (BLS) services, as well as specialized operations resources, including Urban Search and Rescue (US&R), Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF), and a Hazardous Incident Team (HIT). The Department deploys resources from 34 fire stations, with minimum daily staffing levels of 191 personnel operating on 34 Engine companies, 9 Truck companies, 3 Rescue medic units, and 6 command officers (Battalion Chiefs). The Department’s frontline personnel protect 208 square miles, including 181 square miles within city limits and approximately 27 square miles of unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County by contract.
The Department’s response resources are dispatched by and maintain communications through the Department’s Fire Communications Division (Fire Communications). Fire Communications is a secondary public safety answering point (PSAP), receiving 9-1-1 calls transferred from the Police Department Communications Division, which serves as the primary PSAP. When a caller dials 9-1-1 in San José, the San José Police Department Communications Division receives the initial call. If the call involves a need for Fire Department response, the call is then transferred to Fire Communications as the secondary PSAP. Fire Communications also receives transfers from other primary PSAPs which receive 9-1-1 calls within the San José Fire Department’s jurisdiction, including California Highway Patrol, San José State University Police Department, and Santa Clara County Communications.
COMMITTEE AGENDA: 4/17/25
ITEM: (d)2.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
The Department’s Fire Communications Division is staffed by 1.0 Division Manager,
30.48 Public Safety Radio Dispatchers (PSRDs), 11.0 Senior Public Safety Dispatchers (Senior PSDs), and 3.0 Supervising Public Safety Dispatchers (Supervising PSDs) who monitor, dispatch, and track the movement of over 100 frontline apparatus responding from 34 fire stations. Additionally, Fire Communications has 1.0 Senior Office Specialist and 1.0 Analyst that provide administrative and analytical support within the Division. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024, Fire Communications answered 103,026 9-1-1 and 10-digit emergency line calls,1 and dispatched and supported 110,067 emergency incidents.
In September 2020, the State of California reclassified public safety dispatchers as first responders through Assembly Bill 1945 (AB 1945). Fire Communications dispatchers, in fact, initiate on-scene mitigating actions through pre-arrival instructions specified by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) Fire Priority Dispatch System (FPDS)2 and Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS)3. These protocols enable dispatchers to provide pre-arrival instructions for bleeding control, burn treatment, childbirth assistance, high-performance cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), abdominal thrusts (commonly known as the Heimlich maneuver), helping people trapped in a structure fire, and other life-saving actions.
The PSRD role is highly demanding, requiring high technical competency, continuous concentration, multitasking ability, and precise conformance to policies, procedures, and protocols, all under the pressure of threats confronting our diverse community and field responders. The training period for PSRD is typically 12 months, followed by a one-year probationary period. As such, filling vacancies with fully trained PSRDs is an ongoing challenge for the Department. A persistent high-to-moderate vacancy rate has placed an added burden on staff who are called upon to work additional hours to maintain adequate Control Room staffing levels. In recent years, the Department has adjusted recruitment efforts and expanded training capacity with positive results toward a consistently reduced vacancy rate.
Dispatchers utilize the FPDS and MPDS to ask callers a series of triage questions to determine the nature of the emergency – which enables the dispatcher to determine the appropriate resources needed, initiate resource dispatch, and maintain communication with the caller to provide life-saving instructions. Fire Communications provides critical support to emergency response resources, maintaining continuous radio contact, filling resource requests, and carrying out resource move-ups to balance citywide coverage.
Fire Communications supports Incident Commanders at high-risk incidents on isolated radio channels, performing multiple functions, including documenting actions, tracking resources, communicating scene hazards, filling resource requests, and executing notifications.
1 Calls categorized under the “10-digit emergency line” are calls made to (408) 277-8991 and a non-published number maintained for emergency call transfers in accordance with Cal OES standards. 2 https://www.emergencydispatch.org/what-we-do/emergency-priority-dispatch-system/fire-protocol 3 https://www.emergencydispatch.org/what-we-do/emergency-priority-dispatch-system/medical-protocol
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
While the MPDS is utilized by thousands of emergency communications centers worldwide, Fire Communications is one of only 135 communications centers currently recognized as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE).
Fire Communications was the 61st communications center worldwide to receive this designation, which it has maintained since 2004 through consistently performing well above worldwide ACE averages as represented in Table 1 below. This achievement reflects the consistent, exceptional care provided by the Department’s dispatchers. To provide this level of service, dispatchers undergo a training program of over 1,500 hours, followed by regular continuing education hours throughout their careers.
Table 1: FY 2023-2024 Fire Department Call-Taking Compliance4 Protocol Fire
Communications
Average of all Accredited
Centers of Excellence
worldwide
Fire Priority Dispatch System 95% 87.67%
Medical Priority Dispatch System 95% 88.43%
ANALYSIS
While Fire Communications maintains commendably high performance levels, authorized staffing numbers and PSAP capacity have not kept pace with increased service demands. Fire Communications’ limited capacity is most profoundly evident in 9-1-1 call answer time compliance and disconnected call rates, measured as “abandoned call rates,” which peaked in Fiscal Year 2022-2023 at 19.38% for calls received via 9-1-1. In the subsequent Fiscal Year and Year-to-Date, this number has decreased.
9-1-1 Call Answer Time Compliance Rate
The State of California 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Branch is operated by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) and has established mandatory standards for 9-1-1.5 As of March 2023, the new CalOES 9-1-1 call answer time standard is “Ninety (90%) percent of all 9-1-1 calls arriving at the Public Safety Answering Point SHALL be answered within Fifteen (15) seconds. Ninety-five (95%) of all 9-1-1 calls SHOULD be answered within twenty (20) seconds”. The California 9-1-1 Branch realizes that unpredictable spikes may occur and will take abnormalities into consideration when reviewing statistics.”
4 Percent of call reviews identified through the quality assurance process as being in High Compliance or Compliant with call-taking protocols.
5 https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/PSC/Documents/Chapter-I-Standards-update-2023.pdf
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
Table 2 breaks down Fire Communications’ 9-1-1 call answer time compliance from FY 2019-2020 to FY 2023-2024. Based on this data from the last five fiscal years, Fire Communications has not met the standard. As call volume increased, compliance rate decreased. When call volume decreased in FY 23-24, compliance rate increased.
Table 2: 9-1-1 CalOES Call Answer Time Compliance
FY 2019-2020 to FY 2023-2024
Fiscal
Year
9-1-1 Lines
Answered Within
20-Seconds
(95%
Compliance)
9-1-1 Lines
Answered Within
15-Seconds
(90%
Compliance)
9-1-1
Lines
Call
Volume
9-1-1
Lines
Answered
Within 20
Seconds
9-1-1
Lines
Answer
Times 15
Seconds
19-20 89.61% 88.10% 69,798 62,548 61,492
20-21 88.28% 87.28% 75,276 66,456 65,699
21-22 86.36% 85.30% 83,521 72,125 71,245
22-23 79.12% 78.13% 94,864 75,055 74,117
23-24 81.11% 80.11% 91,827 74,480 73,561
These statistics reflect only 9-1-1 call answer time compliance instead of combining the 10-digit emergency lines and 9-1-1. This is due to the CalOES standard applying to 9-1-1 calls only, not calls received on 10-digit emergency lines. Additionally, the current phone system reporting software is not capable of determining if a call received on the 10-digit line was answered within a specific time frame. A project to replace the 9-1-1 phone system is underway and reporting capabilities will be considered during that procurement.
Language Access
In response to community emergencies, verbal communications are critical in the Fire Communications Center as incident details are gathered and pre-arrival instructions are provided for 9-1-1 callers while field resources are en route. Fire Communications dispatchers utilize language interpreter services provided by CyraCom (formerly Voiance), which is contracted by the California Office of Emergency Services to assist in processing incoming 9-1-1 calls. When a caller requiring language interpretation is on the line, the CyraCom service is accessed by the dispatcher. When the language is known, the dispatcher can connect directly to an interpreter for the most encountered languages. Otherwise, a CyraCom operator assists with the identification of the language and connects the call to an available individual meeting the language required. The dispatcher then proceeds to follow protocols with the interpreter’s assistance. The Department utilizes Language Line Solutions for interpreter services
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
when needed for calls received on non-emergency phone lines and for face-to-face interactions.
Bilingual Capabilities
Fire Communications has one dispatcher certified by the City as proficient in Spanish and one certified as proficient in Vietnamese. Not all dispatchers who speak another language choose to undergo the voluntary certification process. Dispatchers who do not speak another language, or do not choose to undergo the voluntary certification process, utilize CyraCom when needed for interpreter services. Dispatcher recruitment materials advertise bilingual pay as an available benefit and include oral fluency in Vietnamese, Cantonese, Spanish, Tagalog, Russian, or Mandarin as a desirable qualification. Dispatcher recruitment brochures are maintained and distributed in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Chart 1 below displays frequently encountered language needs in which CyraCom and Language Line Solutions were utilized in Fiscal Year 2023-2024.
Chart 1: Fiscal Year 2023-2024 CyraCom and Language Line Translation Service6 Emergency Phone Call Volume
From FY 2019-2020 to FY 2023-2024, Fire Communications’ emergency phone call volume has increased substantially, from 93,698 to 117,715, an increase of 25.63%.
Emergency phone call volume includes 9-1-1 calls and calls to the Department’s tendigit emergency lines. Ten-digit emergency lines are regular telephone numbers which other agencies or members of the public can use to call Fire Communications directly, regardless of the caller’s location.
6 Languages denoted by an asterisk are included in the 20 languages recognized by the Department for certification.
The City of San José’s Human Resources Department provides testing and services for employees pursuing certification.
61%
24%
6%
2%
2% 1% 1% 1% 1%
Spanish*
Vietnamese*
Mandarin*
Farsi (Persian)*
Korean*
Russian*
Cantonese*
Punjabi
Tagalog*
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
As shown in Table 3 below, the combined 9-1-1 and 10-digit emergency line call volume has steadily increased since FY 2019-2020, with a slight decrease in FY 2023-2024.
Corresponding data depicted in Chart 2 provides emergency line activities actualized in FY 2023-2024.
Table 3: 9-1-1 and 10-Digit Emergency Line Call Volume
FY 2019-2020 to FY 2023-2024
Fiscal
Year % Change Total Call
Volume
9-1-1 Call
Volume
10-Digit Call
Volume
19-20 0.92% 93,698 69,798 23,900
20-21 4.21% 97,641 75,276 22,365
21-22 10.70% 108,085 83,521 24,564
22-23 11.29% 120,291 94,864 25,427
23-24 -2.14% 117,715 91,827 25,888
Chart 2: FY 2023-2024 9-1-1 and 10-Digit Emergency Line Call Volume Abandoned 9-1-1 Call Rate
Abandoned 9-1-1 calls are defined by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) as “an emergency Call in which the caller disconnects before the Call can be answered by the Public Safety Answering Point.”7 Fire Communications’ abandoned 7 “Abandoned Call,” NENA Master Glossary of 9-1-1 Terminology, National Emergency Number Association, January 20, 2020, pg. 18 of 206. https://www.nena.org/page/Glossary 8,064 7,871 7,108
8,357 8,200 7,996 7,269 7,033 7,058 6,937 7,969 7,965
2,147 2,337
2,206
2,256 1,916 2,302
2,177 2,112 2,188 2,007
2,142 2,098
0 2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
9-1-1 Call Volume 10-Digit Call Volume
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
calls include instances when callers disconnect and instances when Police Communications cancels the call transfer attempt. If all Fire Communications personnel assigned to call-taking duties are already on phone calls, Police Communications can cancel the transfer attempt, create a CAD event for Fire Department and ambulance response, and then attempt the transfer again. This ensures that Department and ambulance response resources can be quickly dispatched even before Fire Communications personnel can speak with the caller to triage the event. This circumstance is captured in 9-1-1 abandoned call statistics, as a canceled transfer attempt is considered by the phone system to be an abandoned call. Police Communications stays on the line when transferring 9-1-1 calls to Fire Communications until Fire Communications answers the call and ascertains the location and nature of the emergency. Therefore, the Police Communications call taker is aware when a caller disconnects before Fire Communications answers the call.
Table 4 below shows the Department’s historical abandoned call rate data ranging from its lowest at 7.16% during FY 2019-2020 and highest at 19.38% during FY 2022-2023.
While the abandoned call rate dropped by 3.38% during FY 2023-2024, Fire Communications experienced an overall 8.84% increase from FY 2019-2020. Although only a partial year of data, the Year-to-Date FY 2024-2025 from July 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025, shows a decrease in the abandoned call rate to 9.88%.
Table 4: 9-1-1 and Abandoned Call Rate
FY 2019-2020 to FY 2023-2024
Fiscal Year 9-1-1 Call
Volume
9-1-1 Abandoned
Call Volume
9-1-1 Abandoned
Call Rate
19-20 69,798 4,995 7.16%
20-21 75,276 5,840 7.76%
21-22 83,521 9,691 11.60%
22-23 94,864 18,382 19.38%
23-24 91,827 14,689 16.00%
Note: The data presented reflects reports ran on March 19, 2025.
It is important to note that the Department’s abandoned call rate is calculated with calls exclusively received through the 9-1-1 emergency line, as Fire Communications’ phone system reporting software does not have the capability to record abandoned call data from the 10-digit emergency lines.
While CalOES monitors abandoned call rates, they do not have a set standard. The Department has addressed this through comparing Fire Communications’ abandoned call rate to other 9-1-1 centers serving other metropolitan areas with a similar structure as a secondary PSAP that handles fire and/or medical-related calls.
Table 5 displays information provided by five 9-1-1 centers across the nation. From January 2022 to June 2022, Fire Communications had the highest abandoned call rate,
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
which was over five times higher than the next closest rate for the City of Boston, with an abandoned call rate of 2.18%.
Table 5: Nationwide Abandoned Call Rate Comparison
January 2022 to June 2022
Fire/EMS 9-1-1 Center Population
as of 2021
Total Incoming
and Abandoned
9-1-1 Calls
Total
Abandoned
9-1-1 Calls
Percentage of
Abandoned
9-1-1 Calls
San José, CA 983,489 42,959 5,393 12.55%
Boston, MA 654,776 19,936 434 2.18%
San Antonio, TX 1,452,000 105,456 751 0.71%
Austin, TX 964,177 26,004 105 0.40%
San Diego, CA 1,382,000 102,075 198 0.19%
Verdugo/Glendale, CA 837,0008 32,776 44 0.13%
Comparing Fire Communications’ 9-1-1 abandoned call rate from FY 2023-2024 against this data, Fire Communications’ abandoned call rate has increased to over seven times higher than the next closest rate. The increase in abandoned call rate correlates with an approximate 10% increase in 9-1-1 call volume between FY 2021-2022 and FY 2023- 2024. The particular call circumstances can contribute to the 9-1-1 abandoned call rate.
For instance, situations that can be witnessed by many people, such as incidents seen from freeways can result in simultaneous 9-1-1 calls for the same incident, thus increasing the chance of 9-1-1 abandoned calls.
9-1-1 Abandoned Cellular Calls Location
In order to better understand the nature of abandoned call rates in San José, Fire Communications engaged with the Department’s Geographic Information Systems team to create heat maps for abandoned call volume by City Council District using data in FY 2023-2024. Figure 1 shows the highest density of 9-1-1 abandoned cellular calls for FY 2023-2024 within portions of City Council Districts 3, 6, and 7. This aligns with the City Council Districts where the highest volume of cellular 9-1-1 calls originate, though there are some differences in specific locations of 9-1-1 abandoned calls. 8 Verdugo is a regional dispatch center serving 13 agencies.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
Figure 1: 9-1-1 Abandoned Cellular Calls in FY 2023-2024 Differences in Measuring Fire Communications Statistics versus Field Response Statistics
Events may not receive a dispatch for various reasons, including duplicate reports resulting in the creation of multiple computer-aided dispatch (CAD) events for the same emergency, determination that the reported incident is not of a nature that the Department responds to, or the caller’s request for cancellation prior to dispatch.
Additionally, multiple phone calls may be received for a single event. For these reasons, the statistics contained in this report may vary from those in other Department response reports since different data points are being evaluated herein.
Emergency Medical Event Triage
MPDS triage is a preliminary assessment of a patient or casualty to determine the urgency of their need for treatment and the nature of the treatment required. In the Fire Communications environment, a medical event is considered triaged if an MPDS determinant is assigned, meaning an Emergency Medical Dispatcher has determined the appropriate classification within the MPDS based on information provided by the caller. CAD events are classified as either triaged or untriaged depending on whether the final event type assigned to the event was an MPDS determinant or not. The MPDS determinant guides the Department’s resource assignment, response level (Code 2 no lights/no sirens or Code 3 with lights and sirens), and is used by County Communications to determine the ambulance dispatch level.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
In FY 2023-2024 for events created at Fire Communications terminals, the medical event triage rate was 86.70%. When considering events created at both Fire Communications and Police Communications CAD terminals, the combined triage rate was 63.93%. Events generated by Santa Clara County Communications and received via a CAD interface reflected a triaged final event type at a rate of 48.89%. This figure is based solely on the final event type within Fire Communications’ CAD system. Fire Communications may change the event type when needed and communicate updated resource needs to County Communications by telephone.
Event triage rate is affected by a variety of factors, principally related to whether a PSRD is connected directly to a caller. When a law enforcement element is also involved, Police Communications personnel create a CAD event for police, fire, and ambulance while gathering applicable details. Ensuring the law enforcement element is fully addressed is of key importance, as the scene must be safe for Fire Department and ambulance personnel to enter.
Chart 3 breaks down the untriaged medical events created at Fire Communications terminals in FY 2023-2024. A manual review of each individual untriaged medical event resulted in the determination that 17.22% were actually triaged, but the CAD event type was later changed or upgraded to an untriaged event type (which can occur to facilitate appropriate resource deployment), 80.99% could not be triaged due to a documented reason, and 1.79% did not include documentation that indicates a reason the event could not be triaged.
Chart 3: FY 2023-2024 Reasons for Untriaged Medical Events 1,949
1,281 1,628
1,125
531
512
157 133 96 27 Abort + Canceled Events
Calls From Non-SJFD Dispatch Centers
Event Was Triaged - CAD Event Type Changed
or Upgraded to an Untriaged Event Type
Communications Barrier
Calls From Field Personnel
Law Enforcement Related Events
Other
Documentation Does Not Indicate
Non-SJFD Generated Event
Auto Aid + Mutual Aid With Other Agencies
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
Standard Staffing Levels
Fire Communications maintains standard staffing levels to ensure the provision of critical services. Current standard staffing levels are stated in Table 6.
Table 6: Standard Staffing Levels by Shift
Shift Duration
Standard
Staffing
Day 6:30 AM – 2:30 PM 6
Swing 2:30 PM - 10:30PM 6
Midnight9 10:30PM - 6:30 AM 5
The Department conducted an analysis on staffing capacity that suggested the following initiatives:
Increase authorized telecommunicator Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions to achieve appropriate staffing levels.
Pursue Public Safety Communications Specialist positions.
Effective December 7, 2023, the Fire Department reinstated the Public Safety Communication Specialist classification. This action aligned with and fulfilled Recommendation #9 administered by the Office of the City Auditor’s Open Audit Recommendation Report #19-01 “to retain qualified staff that are more inclined to call taking versus dispatch, the Administration should explore the creation of a call taker position in the Fire Department.”
The additional FTEs are necessary to enable the increase of the standard staffing levels. An augmentation to the Fire Communications Division’s standard staffing levels is necessary to answer incoming calls within the time standards mandated by CalOES.
The data herein shows a correlation between increased year-over-year call volume and decreased compliance with the call answer time standards. Essentially, existing standard staffing levels are insufficient to meet the demand of the current call volume.
Without changes in staffing level, call answer time compliance can be expected to degrade as call volume rises.
9 Standard staffing is augmented to six personnel on Friday and Saturday nights from 10:30 PM -2:30 AM based on statistics on activity levels where the highest period of call volume is experienced historically.
Every shift requires 1 Senior PSD present.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
Table 7: Authorized Budgeted Positions by Classification Classification FTE
Public Safety Radio Dispatcher 30.48
Senior Public Safety Dispatcher 11.0
Supervising Public Safety Dispatcher 3.0
These authorized FTEs have not changed since FY 2011-2012. In FY 2010-2011, 3.0 Senior Public Safety Dispatcher FTEs were added to support the Department’s dynamic deployment initiative. In FY 2011-2012, 2.0 Senior PSD positions were reclassified to Public Safety Radio Dispatcher positions. Effectively, this means total FTEs within the dispatcher classification series have remained stagnant since 2010, while 9-1-1 and 10- digit emergency call volume has increased by 56.52% between FY 2011-2012 and FY 2023-2024.
The Department has taken steps to improve efficiency and reduce workload at Fire Communications to optimize operations with existing staffing and PSAP capacity.
Initiatives have included support for expansion of the City Contact Center’s (San José 311) responsibilities to include handling non-emergency service requests previously processed by Fire Communications, enhanced CAD-to-CAD (computer-aided dispatch) linkage with Santa Clara County Communications to reduce the number of telephone calls between the PSAPs, the use of technology to automatically connect telephone calls to call takers’ phones, thus reducing call answer time, the use of an urgent disconnect pathway that is built into MPDS when appropriate, and the creation of a rapid notification mechanism to advise on-duty administrative personnel when assistance is needed such as during a major incident or period of high activity. The 911 center expansion enabled by Measure T will result in nine additional consoles, yielding a 100% capacity increase.
Solutions to staffing levels will be weighed against the Department’s budget and staffing constraints. The resources needed to support increased level of service would need to be evaluated within the context of the City’s overall budget picture, including tradeoffs with other City Council priorities.
Fire Communications Attrition
In the last five fiscal years, Fire Communications has experienced varying vacancy levels within the PSRD, Senior PSD, and Supervising PSD classifications. Table 8 shows the vacancies from FY 2019-2020 to FY 2023-2024 for each classification.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
Table 8: Vacancies Per Classification on (June 30)
FY 2019-2020 to 2023-2024
Fiscal Year
Public Safety
Radio
Dispatcher
Senior Public
Safety
Dispatcher
Supervising
Public Safety
Dispatcher
2019-2020 6.48 2 0
2020-2021 5.48 2 0
2021-2022 5.48 3 1
2022-2023 11 3 0
2023-2024 5 2 0
This reduction in vacancies was achieved through implementing some of the recommendations in the Fire Communications Recruitment Plan and through shifting hiring strategy. The recruitment plan provides historical recruitment data analysis, proposes recommendations, and includes budgetary information to support future recruitments. The following are some of the recommendations Fire Communications has used:
Advertised existing Departmental and Division benefits to applicants. Expanded marketing materials, online advertisements, and social media advertisements.
Expanded recruitment banner placements and incorporated digital billboard advertisements.
Increased recruitment event attendance.
During the recruitment for Academy 2024-01, applications for the Public Safety Radio Dispatcher Trainee (PSRD-T) classification increased by 93.25% in comparison to recruitment 2023-02. This increase in applications was correlated with the implementation of some of the recommendations.
To get ahead of projected attrition and decrease existing vacancies, Fire Communications has taken steps to increase hiring rates. In December 2023, Fire Communications hired eight Public Safety Radio Dispatcher Trainees (PSRD-T). This was the largest PSRD-T academy since 1990, and it filled all permanent vacancies.
Two approved temporary overstrength positions have played an important role in filling the vacancies, as they allow Fire Communications to make additional conditional job offers to offset the loss of candidates who do not successfully complete post-conditional hiring steps. Candidates offered temporary overstrength positions have ultimately been hired into permanent positions following attrition. In those cases, without the temporary overstrength positions, hiring into those positions would not have been possible until the next hiring process.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
April 2, 2025
Subject: Fire Communication Status Report
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and City Manager’s Budget Office.
ROBERT SAPIEN, JR.
Fire Chief, Fire Department
For questions, please contact Michael Wodnick, Fire Communications Division, at [email protected] or (408) 794-1285.