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Emergency management asks for more dispatch hires, urges public education to curb 911 misuse
Summary
The Department of Emergency Management told supervisors it will run five dispatcher academies and hire dozens of dispatchers to meet rising 911 call volume, and recommended a public education campaign—estimated far lower cost if done in-house—to nudge non-emergency callers to 311.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management used its Budget and Finance Committee appearance to press for sustained investments in 9-1-1 operations and to explain steps to reduce non-emergency call volume.
Anne Cronenberg, DEM executive director, outlined a multi-year hiring plan aimed at increasing dispatch staffing from 117 to a projected 143 in May 2018 by holding five new academies and hiring up to 65 new dispatchers. Cronenberg said the department also plans to add supervisory capacity for the 9-1-1 operations floor as the number of dispatchers rises. "We proposed to hold 5 new academies in the next 2 fiscal years with the goal of hiring 65 new dispatchers," she said.
The department acknowledged limits in its outreach budget—about $15,000 annually for schools and fairs—and told supervisors that a more intensive public education campaign to steer low-acuity calls to 311 could cost several hundred thousand dollars a year if done by an outside contractor and about $25,000 annually if done in-house with one additional city staffer. Cronenberg said DEM is coordinating with the City Administrator's office and 311 to design targeted messages to shift behavior and reduce preventable 911 demand.
Why it matters: Increasing dispatch staffing and reducing non-emergency call volume both affect public safety performance metrics. DEM said it has improved service levels in recent months after forming a 911 response improvement team and is on track to reach the service standard of answering calls in 10 seconds more often this year.
Committee outcome: Supervisors tentatively accepted the Budget Analyst's recommendations for DEM. They asked DEM to come back with more detailed budget and vehicle-replacement information during the next week's vehicle review and to coordinate the proposed public education work with the City Administrator and 311.
