IN 1988 I WAS HIRED AS A communications operator/dispatcher for the Santa Monica Fire Department. For the eight years prior to that I was a dispatcher for the Santa Monica Police Department where I also spent a few years as a supervisor.
Within my first year as a dispatcher for the SMFD I was made aware that Chief Jim Hone was actively collecting information in order to prove that having the police department dispatch for fire would be more cost effective and response efficient.
Cost effective, yes, that was never disputed. Eliminating four dispatchers by putting them into the already budgeted positions at the police department, having only one center to improve and maintain, are two of the main cost saving arguments. But when it came to efficiency his interpretation was way off.
Fortunately, my civilian supervisor, myself and the firefighters who worked the office were able to convince most of the fire personnel that this would be a disaster not only to the SMFD but also to the citizens of Santa Monica. Research told us that when dispatch is taken over by the police, fire takes a back seat to all police matters. Response times become longer and the wrong apparatus/resources end up being dispatched.
The first mistake the SMFD and City Hall made was to install a CAD (computer aided dispatch) system and expect it’s dispatchers to use it with inadequate training. The CAD system, which had potential, was programmed by a person who knew nothing about fire fighting or fire dispatching. Hence the CAD system was completely inadequate in performance, and with rushed inadequate training of it’s operators, even worse.
The next mistake made was forcing the SMFD to move into the Public Safety building. That building is six stories of police department and one half of one floor dedicated to the fire department. We were an afterthought. The police didn’t want the fire there any more than the fire wanted to be there.
Every firefighter that I have talked to since the takeover has told me of extremely extended response times. It takes L.A. longer to answer phones, sometimes the caller being put on hold. One person takes the call, filling in the spaces on the computer screen, they or someone else dispatches the call, reading the information from the computer screen, then sending the resources the CAD indicates.
When I dispatched, pre-CAD, one person took the call and asked for the information needed.
From their own knowledge and experience, they dispatched the call having first hand knowledge of the type of call and all the info the victim gave or was asked for. The same person dispatched the appropriate/closest unit because our dispatchers knew the city streets, addresses, districts, businesses, residential makeup, etc. Our response times were fast due to our knowledge and that we could dispatch while we still had the person on the phone. We were EMD (emergency medical dispatch) trained. We were also EMT’s (emergency medical technicians).
At that time, pre-CAD, our dispatchers each had numerous years at the department. Out of four dispatchers our lowest in seniority had over 10 years.
When it became clear that we were moving to the new building our supervisor retired, the woman second in seniority to me resigned and went to another department, I did some time at the new center and ended up being forced to retire due to medical reasons. The department turned their backs on us. After all our time and dedication they made no attempt to talk us out of leaving or to make arrangements in order for us to remain.
We wondered why. They hired, from the outside, a new supervisor with no real fire dispatching experience and hired dispatchers with no training to take our place. There was still two of us left but it was made sure that they were kept in their place. If the regional dispatch has extended the response time only 30 seconds then they are basing it on the response times from after CAD and the new, untrained dispatchers and supervisor.
We proved that it would be a mistake to have police take over so Hone found another way to dispose of dispatch under the guise of being cost effective and response efficient.
The only way to regain the old response time/call efficiency is to bring back the “Signal Office” located at one of the fire stations, with a CAD system programmed by or with the assistance of a firefighter/para-medic and a senior civilian dispatcher. … No, this is not the most cost effective, but it is what is needed to bring back the reliable, efficient, effective and desired response that the SMFD was once known for.
SANDRA SMITH is a former dispatcher with the Santa Monica Fire Department.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 5, 2008. Read the original PDF.