Accountability in PSAP Operations Extends Beyond the Frontline 911 Dispatcher

The issue of “accountability” in PSAP’s gets periodic review, usually with an eye towards establishing more transparency and clarity around performance expectations, conformance with dispatch protocols and reviews of sick leave and incident occurrences. This is all necessary, but it is not sufficient.

In speaking with many PSAP shift Supervisors across the country and over the years, for example, I have found a persistent issue they identify. They get promoted, maybe even get a promotion party, get assigned to a shift and get best wishes for a great career. What they often do not get is training specific to the Supervisor’s job. Part of organizational accountability is having a process where newly promoted people are given position-specific training.

Of course, the responsibility for setting up such a process lies above the Supervisor rank. Depending on the size of the organization, that task could rest with an Assistant Director or a Director (I’ll use the word Director throughout this article to identify the person in charge of the PSAP but, in different locales, the PSAP can be run by people with different titles, including Manager, Chief in Charge, Coordinator and others). No matter where the task lies, the responsibility is that of the Director. You can delegate tasks, but you cannot delegate responsibility.

Along with the responsibility to provide position-specific training, a Director has the responsibility to provide a working environment that is safe and conducive to maximum effectiveness. In an operation like a PSAP, speed, calmness and accuracy are components of effectiveness. The Director should identify and eliminate or mitigate any force in play in their PSAP that opposes this effectiveness.

Please understand that I am not picking on Directors! I have met many wonderful Directors across the country. I always highlight that the population of Directors I have met involves a selection bias, because I was either doing training at their departments or they were at a conference. In other words, these were Directors who valued Continuing Education and Best Practices.

I do not expect Directors to be totally aware of all the forces that inhibit operational effectiveness. While some of these influences have been recognized over the past few decades (911 Dispatchers’ critical incident stress, for example), other dynamics are just beginning to be identified and understood. Effective Directors know this and work to stay in front of the knowledge curve in this rapidly developing and still very young field. They know that 911 Dispatchers’ chronic stressors, not as obvious as the acute critical incidents, can be just as erosive if not more so. They join professional associations and make connections among Director peers. They understand that “accountability” is a two-way street, and they want to be accountable to both their employees and their bosses.

Effective Directors let their budget-builders know that training, both in-house and at professional conferences, is as important as recruitment in keeping PSAP positions filled. They know that good training, well-documented, actually makes it easier to remove somebody for poor performance. Effective Directors understand that the expertise of outside professionals, lighting experts, sleep cycle experts, psychologists and others may be necessary from time to time in order to keep their PSAP’s running at peak efficiency.

So, yes, by all means, keep active accountability alive with periodic reviews of performance, conformance with dispatch protocols, attendance and incident occurrences. Continue to have goals supporting more transparency and clarity. But understand that, beyond operations accountability, there are leadership accountability expectations at all levels above the frontline dispatcher, in planning, budgeting, training and coordination with outside professionals. Excellent leadership accountability supports excellent operational effectiveness.