Expect the unexpected: PSAP planning for atypical events is challenging, but necessary
What is in this article?
Challenges and solutions
The scenario described above is just one of many that would fall outside the scope of a PSAP’s normal operations; in fact, the number of such scenarios is limited only by one’s imagination.
And that poses an enormous challenge for PSAPs on several levels. First, there simply is no way to predict every unusual situation that a PSAP is going to encounter. Second, time and resources already are limited, so even if one could identify all of the possible outside-the-realm scenarios, it would be unrealistic to think that policies could be written for all of them. Third, it already is difficult enough to find the time and money needed to train personnel on core competencies, i.e., the scenarios that they encounter on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Expanding training regimens to include dozens of anomalies that may never happen would be equally unrealistic.
On the other hand, it is just as unrealistic to take a head-in-the-sand approach and do nothing at all. It is critical that PSAPs operate with a “do no harm” mindset. What this essentially means is that PSAPs must do the right thing even if doing so isn’t covered by policy. There are legal aspects to this—the worst possible outcome of a PSAP’s failure to act is that the municipality is sued for negligence. The key question that is asked in such cases always is: did the staff do harm, i.e., make the situation worse by what it did, or in this case, by what it didn’t do. And well before the lawsuit is filed, rest assured that the municipality and PSAP both will be attacked publicly by the media.
All of that said, the PSAP does not always have to be the response entity in such situations. It is perfectly acceptable to transfer the call information to another agency that is better prepared or positioned to provide an effective response. The cardinal rule in any PSAP is to never hold onto information—move it somewhere. Getting information into the hands of those who actually can do something about the situation is the foundation of what PSAPs are all about. They do this every day when they dispatch police, fire and EMS responders to emergency incidents. In order to effectively handle non-everyday events, they have to think outside their normal sphere.
Again, the question begs: exactly how does one do that when there are so many potential scenarios to consider? Here are a few tips that will help PSAP managers get their arms around this.
· Prioritize—While it is true that there are countless potential scenarios that fall outside a PSAP’s normal scope of operations, it is equally true that certain scenarios will occur far more often than others based on the unique aspects of the community and region. Let’s revisit the oxygen canister example we explored earlier in this article. It may well be possible for a PSAP’s managers to uncover data that indicates its service area has a higher number of COPD sufferers than average. It also might be in a climate that is prone to winter storms. Given these factors, it would be prudent to consider that the scenario described earlier has a significantly higher prospect of occurring than other uncommon events, which would warrant the creation of a policy for handling it. Undoubtedly, other higher-potential uncommon events could be identified in a similar fashion. These are the events that the PSAP managers should target for written policies.
· Do your homework—Once you’ve identified the uncommon events that your PSAP is most likely to encounter, it’s time to analyze all of the public-sector agencies in your jurisdiction to determine their capabilities and resources. Once you know that, you can determine the agencies that are the best match for the scenarios that you’ve identified.
· Reach out—Now it is time to contact those agencies and work with them to create policies for the scenarios you’ve identified, as it is the lack of policies that will get an agency into trouble. Start by reviewing the policies of neighboring agencies—both inside and outside of public safety— to determine whether any of them address the scenarios you’ve identified. If none do, be vigilant and convince them to work with you to create such policies, no matter how unlikely the scenarios might be—because proactive policy creation prevents knee-jerk reactions.
· Train your personnel—Knowing what to do and then doing it effectively and in a timely manner is difficult enough when telecommunicators have been trained properly, but exponentially so if they haven’t. Create a “Top Ten” list of the most likely uncommon scenarios and make sure that personnel are trained on them at least once a year.
The unexpected event that falls outside of normal operations is the most vexing for any public-safety agency, but particularly PSAPs. However, with a little creative thinking and due diligence, PSAP managers can ensure that the citizens who fall victim to such events receive effective response—and that the agency doesn’t land on the front page as part of a negative story.
Brent Boykin is a technology specialist with Mission Critical Partners, Inc. (MCP), a public safety communications consulting firm headquartered in Port Matilda, Pa. He can be e-mailed at [email protected].