MCP Assessment Helps Manatee County, FL EMS Plan Its Future

MCP delivered a five-year strategic plan and recommendations to improve the agency’s operations

What’s Wrong With Emergency Medical Services Today—and How To Fix It

In Summary

• Emergency medical service has come a long way since their inception, but numerous significant challenges still exist for the agencies that provide such services and their personnel. This whitepaper explores those challenges and presents solutions for mitigating them.
• Challenges consist of staffing, funding and billing, response and patient care
• The solutions: apply for grants, implement non-traditional staffing models, stronger recruiting, invest in billing-friendly technology and establish nurse triage or mental health capabilities

Background

Prior to the late 1960s, emergency medical service (EMS) in the United States didn’t exist—at least not in the manner that it is provided today. Ambulances were used to transport patients to hospitals or other healthcare facilities—and not much else. In 1960, only six states had standard education programs for rescue personnel—paramedics and emergency medical technicians didn’t come into being until the early 1970s—and only four states regulated ambulance-design specifications. By 1965, the vast majority of emergency medical services from coast to coast largely were unregulated.

The Lean ECC: A Way to Make ECCs Better at What They Do

In Summary:

• The emergency communications landscape is changing rapidly and emergency communications centers (ECCs) have adapted the way that they handle 911 calls and support emergency responders
• Today, technology and science play a much larger role in the way ECCs operate — resulting in new approaches that are not only effective, but repeatable and scalable
• One such approach, known as the lean ECC, focuses on removing extraneous steps in a center's workflows to help meet national standards 
• This does not mean reducing staff — rather, this approach leverages an ECCs existing resources more efficiently to enhance the quantity and quality of what is being accomplished

Episode 3: How 911 Can Thrive During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic; Protecting Future 911 Resilience

MCP's informational podcast series features the firm’s subject-matter experts and other industry leaders exploring a wide range of timely topics pertaining to mission-critical communications.

The MCP Podcast Network, created by Mission Critical Partners, recently launched a three-part series entitled, “How the 911 Community Can Thrive During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This episode explores how an emergency communications center (ECC) leader's mindset and skillsets can protect future 911 resilience.

An edited transcript is available below.

Panelists include:

• Heather McGaffin, an MCP project manager. Prior to joining MCP, McGaffin was assistant chief of communications for Calvert County, Maryland, Department of Public Safety. 
• Jim Marshall, cofounder and director of the 911 Training Institute. Marshall is co-editor of The Resilient 9-1-1 Professional: A Comprehensive Guide to Surviving & Thriving Together in the 9-1-1 Center. 
• The episode is moderated by Glenn Bischoff, MCP content specialist and former editor of Urgent Communications and Fire Chief magazines.

Why Body-Worn Cameras Should Be on the Radar Screen of Every Law Enforcement Agency

In Summary: 

• A concept that is gaining considerable traction in the law-enforcement community today is that of the "connected officer," which has at its core a plethora of mission-critical technology
• Citizens are demanding more in-depth investigations into how field personnel interact with the public and apply force.
• According to a study that involved officers on all shifts being issued body-worn cameras, 60 percent fewer incidents and 88 percent fewer citizen complaints about officer misconduct were reported
• This whitepaper provides a close examination of the body-worn camera implementation process, including the necessary steps for a successful deployment of this technology

The body-worn camera has become a critical tool for law-enforcement agencies. This whitepaper discusses the following:

Tips for Improving Building Health and Safety

In Summary:

• As the COVID-19 pandemic has caused organizations across the country, including public safety agencies, to to revise policies and change the way they do business in order to protect staff members and the community
• The current public health crisis shines a light on the need for public safety agencies to plan and prepare for contagion or widespread illness as part of the continuity-of-operations planning process
• From small changes to operational policies, to large building design and development considerations, there are a number of actions agencies can take to protect personnel inside the facility

Episode 2: How the 911 Community Can Thrive During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Rallying the 911 Resilient Mindset

MCP's informational podcast series features the firm’s subject-matter experts and other industry leaders exploring a wide range of timely topics pertaining to mission-critical communications.

The MCP Podcast Network, created by Mission Critical Partners, recently launched a three-part series entitled, “How the 911 Community Can Thrive During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This episode explores how an emergency communications center (ECC) leader's mindset and skillsets can make a difference in the well being of 911 center personnel.

An edited transcript is available below.

Podcast Episode 1: How the 911 Community Can Thrive During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Coming to Grips with the Psychological Impacts

Mission Critical Partners' new, informational podcast series features the firm’s subject-matter experts and other industry leaders exploring a wide range of timely topics pertaining to mission-critical communications.

The MCP Podcast Network, created by Mission Critical Partners, launches with a three-part series entitled, “How the 911 Community Can Thrive During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

On-Demand Webinar: COVID-19: Maintaining Operations Remotely

Today’s public safety answering points (PSAPs) and emergency communications centers (ECCs) play a critical role in communities during normal times, but in times of crisis, their role becomes even more important. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its spread across the country, having a plan in place to support remote work for call takers and dispatchers to ensure ongoing operations is imperative. 

Maintaining Operations Remotely During a Public-Health Crisis

In Summary:

• As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, public safety, law enforcement and other mission-critical organizations need to prepare for the possibility of remote operations
• There are a number of options available to agencies for remote call-handling, computer-aided dispatch (CAD), and radio dispatch
• Which option makes the most sense for your agency to protect staff members from viral illnesses, like COVID-19, with minimal interruption to operations?

On-Demand Webinar: Strategic Planning for Public Safety Agencies

In today’s evolving emergency communications environment, public safety agencies are often expected to do more with fewer resources–smaller budgets and fewer people. This reality means that strategic planning, and determining how best to leverage the available resources, is more crucial than ever before. In this webinar, MCP subject-matter experts Chris Kelly and Bonnie Maney discuss the benefits of strategic planning for public safety agencies and different approaches to development.

On-Demand Webinar: The 10 Trends That Will Impact Public Safety

As we enter a new decade of public safety, what trends will shape the next ten years of public safety communications, and the year ahead? In our first webinar of 2020 we highlighted emerging technologies and trends to help public safety leaders make more informed decisions for this year and beyond. These industry trends cannot be ignored.