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CREATE A NEW CLASSIFIED/REPRESENTED CLASSIFICATION OF FIRE TELECOMMUNICATOR CALL TAKER FOR THE STOCKTON FIRE DEPARTMENT AND APPROVE THE SALARY RANGE
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution creating a new classified/represented classification of Fire Telecommunicator Call Taker (Fire Call Taker) and approve the proposed salary range.
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Summary
Staff recommends Council approve the proposed new trainee-level classification titled Fire Call Taker and the proposed salary range. Establishing a new Fire Call Taker position will assist the Stockton Fire Department (SFD) with hiring well-qualified employees to assist the Emergency Communications Division with the expected increase in call volume due the anticipated changes from Senate Bill 438 which was approved by the Governor on October 1, 2019.
The Fire Call Taker will be the entry-level/trainee position in the Communications Division. The sole purpose of the Fire Call Taker is to answer 911 calls, follow the priority dispatch process for EMD, input that information into the computer-aided dispatch system (CAD), give pre-arrival instructions to the live caller, and release that call to a Fire Telecommunicator to dispatch and monitor the evolution of the emergency.
The Fire Call Taker classification will be placed within the classified service of the civil service system and will be represented by the Stockton City Employees’ Association Bargaining Unit. Upon adoption, the Director of Human Resources has the authority to maintain and approve class specifications in accordance with Civil Service Rules and Regulations for Miscellaneous Employees, Rule IV Classification, Sections 1 and 4.
DISCUSSION
Background
Before December 2010, the Emergency Communications Division (ECD) of the Stockton Fire Department provided emergency medical dispatch (EMD) service to Stockton Fire, Tracy Fire, Manteca Fire, Lodi Fire, several County Fire districts, and the private ambulance companies. Individuals calling 911, also referred to as the ‘live’ caller, would first be routed through their local Police Department, the primary public safety answering point (PSAP), and then forwarded to a Fire Telecommunicator, the secondary PSAP, at the Stockton Fire Department’s Emergency Communications Center for EMD if required. At that time, the county 911 system was processing approximately 30,000 - 35,000 live calls for service each year, and the Fire Telecommunicators in the ECD spoke directly to the 911 caller and dispatched services per EMD protocol.
In 2010 the San Joaquin County Emergency Services Agency (EMSA) created ambulance zones and had one ambulance provider service the entire county. As a condition of the contract, the selected agency was required to establish a communications center to provide 911 dispatch services. American Medical Response (AMR) was awarded the contract and opened the Valley Regional Emergency Communications Center (VRECC). AMR became the secondary PSAP and not the ECD as had been past practice. All live callers needing EMD services were to be routed directly to AMR from the local Police Department. The City of Stockton and San Joaquin County went to court to dispute who had the right to the live 911 caller. On December 13, 2010, the Courts ordered the transfer of the live caller over to VRECC. The loss of the live caller as well as the dispatching services for all agencies, excluding Manteca Fire, resulted in significant staffing cuts to the Department. The Department was forced to reduce daily staffing at the ECD from one (1) supervisor and six (6) dispatchers on duty to one (1) supervisor and three (3) dispatchers.
On October 1, 2019, Governor Newsom approved Senate Bill 438, an emergency dispatch bill. The Bill’s purpose was to clean up language in the health and safety code regarding the regulatory authority of the local EMSA. The bill states that local fire departments/districts must be the secondary PSAP and that this service cannot be outsourced to a private provider. Each agency has the right to have the live 911 caller routed to their designated dispatch center as well as determine what units will respond.
Currently, the ECD provides service for Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, Manteca, and Manteca Lathrop under a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) structure and processes approximately 90,000 calls each year; approximately triple the call volume of 2010. Also, as a requirement of the City’s Advanced Life Support Agreement with the EMSA, the ECD has implemented a process known as the priority dispatch process. This process has improved the way the ECD processes calls for service, but it has also extended the time a dispatcher stays on the line with a live caller. With the expected increase in call volume resulting from SB 438, the Department has reviewed the current staffing structure of the ECD and created a workable solution to prepare for the impact these changes will bring.
Present Situation
As a result, the Fire Department is requesting to create the Fire Call Taker classification. The Fire Call Taker position will be the entry-level/trainee position in the Communications Division. The sole purpose of the Fire Call Taker is to answer 911 calls, follow the priority dispatch process for EMD, input that information into the computer aided dispatch system (CAD), give pre-arrival instructions to the live caller, and release that call to a Fire Telecommunicator to dispatch and monitor the evolution of the emergency. To maintain optimal staffing levels the Department recommends incumbents in the Fire Call Taker position work a 40-hour workweek (8-hour shifts on a rotating basis). Schedules would be set to meet the demands of the center following the anticipated peak 911 call times. While it is difficult for the Department to know the exact number of Fire Call Takers required, the Department estimates up to eight Fire Call Takers will be needed to handle the additional call volume.
Current ECD staffing consists of the following 16 allotted positions, including one Emergency Communications Manager, three Fire Telecommunications Supervisors, twelve Fire Telecommunicators I/II (56-hr workweek). Also, the department employs the following four part-time positions; one Administrative support and three Fire Telecommunicators.
To determine the salary for the position, an external market study of 16 comparator agencies was conducted. The study yielded three cities; Hayward, Fremont, and Bakersfield with a comparable class match. Based on this analysis, staff determined that the lack of viable comparators did not yield a valid, accurate comparison of the job market.
In the absence of external equity, the best practice is to conduct an internal equity study and benchmark the new position to the classifications within the same division. Therefore, Human Resources conducted an internal evaluation to assist with identifying a proposed salary for the Fire Call Taker. After a comprehensive review, staff determined that the most suitable internal comparison based on the job duties and required minimum qualifications was to set the salary in line with the current salary for the Fire Telecommunicator I classification.
Staff evaluated the salaries within the Emergency Communications Division to ensure that there were no compaction issues based on the proposed salary. Highlighted below is the proposed salary for the Fire Call Taker, which does not currently exist on the salary schedule.
|
JOB CLASSIFICATION |
BASE MONTHLY SALARY BY STEP |
|
|
Step 1 |
Step 2 |
Step 3 |
Step 4 |
Step 5 |
Step 6 |
|
Fire Telecommunicator Call Taker* (40-hour workweek) |
$2,992.12 |
$3,141.66 |
$3,298.68 |
$3,463.54 |
$3,636.65 |
$3,818.40 |
|
Fire Telecommunicator I (56-hour workweek) |
$4,383.47 |
$4,608.09 |
$4,844.52 |
$5,092.77 |
$5,352.84 |
$5,627.11 |
|
Fire Telecommunicator II (56-hour workweek) |
$4,608.09 |
$4,844.52 |
$5,092.77 |
$5,352.84 |
$5,627.11 |
$5,915.56 |
*Classification does not currently exist on the salary schedule
The Fire Call Taker will be the entry-level position with a proposed base salary below the Fire Telecommunicator I (56-hour workweek) which has a current base top step monthly salary of $5,627.11/mo. Under the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Fire Telecommunicators work 24-hour shifts, resulting in a regular schedule averaging 2912 hours per year / 56 hours per week (832 hours of overtime). In approximately 2000, the parties agreed to add the regularly scheduled FLSA overtime pay into the base, in order to ensure regular and level payment of overtime over the course of a year. Based on operational needs, all incumbents in the Fire Telecommunicator I/II classifications work a 56-hour workweek. However, the Department has determined that in order to maintain optimal staffing levels to meet the demands of the anticipated increase in call volume, Fire Call Takers will work 8-hour shifts, resulting in a regular schedule of 2080 hours per year / 40 hours per week.
Since the monthly base pay rate for the Fire Telecommunicator I includes overtime, Human Resources recommends using the hourly rate for the Fire Telecommunicator I when determining the monthly base rate for the Fire Call Taker. To avoid compaction issues, it is recommended the salary for the Fire Call Taker top step hourly rate be set 5% below the Fire Telecommunicator I (56-hour workweek) top step hourly rate.
Based on the preceding analysis, staff recommends setting the base top step salary for the proposed Fire Call Taker at $3,818.40 per month. The current SCEA MOU provides for an additional 2% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) effective on 7/1/2021 and 7/1/2022.
Financial Summary
The FY 2020-21 Annual Budget approved partial-year funding for four new Fire Call Taker positions in Fire Department’s Emergency Communications Division (ECD), account number 042-2660-530. The Fire Call Taker classification will assist in dispatching emergency calls in the Fire Dispatch Center, which is a regional dispatch services provider to the San Joaquin County Regional Fire Dispatch Authority. Member agencies, including the City of Stockton share dispatch center operation costs based on call volume. The total annual compensation of one Fire Call Taker at top step is approximately $80,000.