HomeMy Public PortalAboutWatertown Police and Fire FR 4-13-12 Management and Operations Study of the
Police Department
TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
matrix&
consulting group
721 Colorado Avenue, Suite 101
Palo Alto, CA 94303
v.650.858.0507 f.650.858.0509
April, 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
1. INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
2. ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND ORGANIZATION 9
3. ANALYSIS OF THE FIELD OPERATIONS BUREAU 22
4. ANALYSIS OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES BUREAU 62
APPENDIX A — PROFILE OF THE WATERTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT 81
APPENDIX B — RESULTS OF THE EMPLOYEE SURVEY 99
APPENDIX C — COMPARISON OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO BEST 106
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Management and Operations Study of the Police Department
1 INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This first chapter provides a summary of the process utilized by the Matrix
Consulting Group to conduct this assignment, and provides an Executive Summary of
our principal findings and recommendations.
1. INTRODUCTION.
The Matrix Consulting Group was retained by the Town of Watertown to conduct
and develop a Public Safety Study of the Watertown Police and Fire Departments (WPD
and WFD). The scope of services defined in the Town's original request for proposals
was comprehensive and focused on the following broad topical areas in the Police
Department:
• Identify service needed for Watertown based on the characteristics of the
community, statutory and regulatory requirements for response and delivery and
comparison with current ability to fulfill the needs and expectations.
• Identify the public safety risks and prioritize the level of risk that must be covered
based on the data and operations of the public safety departments. The type,
frequency, distribution, response times, mutual aid and/or contractor provided
services, staffing policies, reporting of emergency and routine responses to all
services will be included.
• Define services performed by each department, any duplication of services, and
services that are not currently provided, but are needed.
• Review the current centralized dispatch operation located in the new police
station for Watertown emergency public safety services, including the current
organization, management/supervision, training, schedule and data/technology
required for each department. Comparison with other similar communities and
the possible feasibility of consolidation with other departments will be included for
consideration.
• Assess the current plan for deploying the required number of public safety
officers and supervisors, along with vehicles / apparatus used and recommend
cost effective alternatives based on the type of incident for each department.
Evaluate whether there are recommended changes to improve efficiency and
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delivery of service.
• Evaluate schedules for assigning required personnel, including appropriate
staffing, supervisors, management, and support staff to respond from the initial
call for routine and emergency service through to generating the incident report
and findings, and any subsequent proceedings such as court appearance, legal
action, or insurance resolution or inspection.
• Identify the required staffing levels to meet the needs of the community in the
most cost effective and complete manner and examine the use of overtime and
leave time for each department and in Watertown and comparable communities
including operating costs, personnel impacts, and impact on delivery of service
and work load.
• Evaluate feasible options for public safety service and delivery to determine
whether services can be effectively shared with other public and/or private
entities. Evaluate needs for service backups. Review the possibilities and cost
implications of contracted services vs. staffing in each department.
• Evaluate current and planned vehicle/apparatus configuration/
acquisition/replacement, maintenance and assignment practices to determine
whether the existing operations are the most cost effective implementation.
• Evaluation of Departmental policies and procedures and collective bargaining
provisions that impact the efficient operations of the department and public safety
service delivery. Review education and/or prevention training requirements, and
funding allocation in comparison to other communities and standards. Include
possible recommendations that may improve the current policies, procedures,
training and delivery of services in the most cost effective manner.
The project was conducted during the second half of 2011 and early 2012 by the
Matrix Consulting Group project team. To conduct the assignment, the members of the
project team engaged in a variety of activities, including the following:
• Met with senior management staff in the Town.
• Interviewed all members of the command staff in the Police Department.
• Conducted one-on-one or small group interviews with more than one-third of the
staff in the Police Department in all functions.
• Collected data describing workload, finances, policies and procedures,
accreditation, salaries and wages, benefits, use of leave and other key
descriptive factors.
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• Develop a descriptive profile of the Police Department that was reviewed with
staff. This has been included as an appendix to this document.
• Developed, distributed and reviewed a confidential employee questionnaire that
was focused on assessing employee attitudes about service levels, staffing,
equipment, training, management systems, internal communications and other
key factors. This was also reviewed with Town staff. This has also been
included as an appendix to this document.
• Compared the WPD to a series of best management practices and attempted to
conduct a survey of benchmark communities to identify potential issues for
further study in the course of this project. ' The best practices assessment has
also been included as an appendix to this document.
The final step in this process has been the development of this final report. The
following section provides a summary of the project team's key findings and
recommendations.
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
It is important to place any analysis such as this into a complete context. A study
such as this one, necessarily focuses much of its attention on improvement
opportunities which need to be addressed in a client agency. However, this study
process has also identified many positive characteristics for the Watertown Police
Department. This conclusion was established from:
• Our extensive input and interaction with staff in the organization.
• The `best practices' assessment process utilized in this study was also key to
understanding that the Department has a history of providing high levels of
service and a wide range of services in a cost effective manner.
The project team feels that it is important in this Executive Summary to highlight
at least some of the positive features of the Police Department. The table, below,
summarizes just a few of these positive attributes:
' Only a single community responded to the benchmark survey (Woburn).
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Field Operations
The Police Department provides excellent response times to the community on emergency calls for
service. Priority one response times average 3 minutes and 53 seconds.
The Police Department deploys various pro-active personnel in the field, including traffic officers and a
task force officer.
The Police Department has an innovative briefing processes utilizing Digital HQ to ensure briefing
information and training is delivered consistently to all shifts. All personnel in the Department use this
system which is a model in the Commonwealth.
Patrol officers complete investigations in the field that do not require extensive time for follow-up
allowing detectives to focus on more time consuming cases.
The Police and Fire Departments have a joint dispatch center.
Detectives
The Police Department utilizes an automated case management system to assign and track cases.
The Detectives have weekly meetings to discuss case assignments, status and general issues.
The Police Department has several interview rooms, which allow all interviews to be recorded.
Support Services
The Police Department effectively allocates a School Resources Officer to proactively work with the
public schools in the Town. Moreover, the Department works with Town schools on critical incident
planning and training.
Records management systems are automated and integrated throughout the Department.
Reports for in-custody persons are typically processed and submitted to the prosecutor the morning
following an arrest.
Watertown Police Department follows and established records retention schedule for both felony and
misdemeanor cases.
The evidence room has limited access to appropriate staff and all evidence is bar coded and entered
into the evidence management system.
The Police Department conducts annual and random unannounced audits of the evidence room.
The Police Department conducts in-house training, which exceeds the 40 hours required by
Massachusetts General Law.
The Department has an innovative program of interns which are pulled from area universities to assist
the Department in a variety of analytical and other support functions.
The Police Department conducts a quarterly customer satisfaction survey to residents using police
services to gauge how satisfied they were with the police response.
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The Department is one of only seven departments in the Commonwealth involved in a diversion
program that results in reduced demands on the jail but also deals with offenders with mental health or
substance abuse issues in a more appropriate way.
Management/Administration
The Police Department has a mission statement which is published publicly on its website.
Newly promoted supervisors attend a two-week Massachusetts Police Leadership Institute course.
The Department participates in disaster preparedness and homeland security planning and drills both
locally and regionally.
The Department participates as part of the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council
(NEMLEC), which provides assistance and support in the form of highly trained and skilled officers
when needed. These regional efforts provide the Department and the Town with resources and skills it
could not have otherwise.
The Department has a `state of the art'facility with built in technology (e.g., message boards) and a
functional fitness center.
The Department has high availability (i.e., fewer days off on average per employee than most
departments which this consulting team has worked with)—currently at 1,729 hours per officer, or 83%
of gross work time. This has positive impacts on the need for staff and overtime.
It is clear to this project team that Watertown has an exceptional police
department in comparison not only to other Commonwealth agencies but nationally.
While there are many recommendations in this report to improve operations these
should be viewed to be evolutionary rather than a need for radical change.
The following chart provides a summary of the key recommendations found in
the final report. Additional information relating to each recommendation can be found in
the body of this document.
Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
The Police Department does not Currently annual performance appraisals None
utilize a performance evaluation are precluded in the labor contracts and
system to formally monitor this should be addressed during the
performance and provide feedback bargaining process.
on a regular basis. This results in
individuals in the Department
defining their own expectations
without reference to formal guidance
from the Town Manager or Town
Council.
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Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
The Police Department does not The Department should revise the internal Acquisition of an
have a formal early intervention Affairs policies to include annual reporting early intervention
system to identify issues before they requirements, how internal versus system could cost
become more significant disciplinary external complaints will be identified and between $5,000—
issues. Proactive departments will the development of an early warning $10,000.
work with Officers who suddenly system. This, too, would need to be
show tardiness or other behavioral negotiated with the union.
issues.
The Police Department does not The Department should evaluate the None
have a way to ensure consistency in benefits of and consider developing a
disciplinary matters. Disciplinary Decision Guide with the
adoption of the revised Internal Affairs
Policy.
There is no clear philosophy nor The command staff should work to ensure None
objectives in how Community clear performance expectations are
Policing will be used to program developed regarding values, reduction in
focus on "reduction of crime", crime and community policing efforts.
"prevention of crime", and "reduction
of the fear of crime."
The Department has allowed their The Department should consider Approximately
accredited status with CALEA to regaining their CALEA accredited status. $8,500 annually.
lapse.
Add a civilian Accreditation Coordinator $48,000/year
position to assume those duties of the
Lieutenant related to accreditation and
policy review.
The Captains are part of the The Town and Police Department should Subject to
bargaining unit and should be non- move towards developing a command agreement
unionized. staff that is unaffiliated with the collective
bargaining process. Consider upgrading
Captains to Deputy Chiefs and remove
them from the bargaining process.
For the future, the Town should The Town of Watertown should conduct a None
consider conducting a search to Commonwealth search with the next
broaden the pool of potential Chief vacancy. Part of this process
applicants for the next Police Chief. should include assessment centers,
interviews, background checks and other
methods for ascertaining the
appropriateness of the candidate.
Analysis of the distribution of Patrol Staffing levels should remain unchanged. None
personnel and the resulting proactive
time shows that WPD has adequate
staffing to maintain desired proactive
patrol utilization target of 40-45%.
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Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
More proactive time in patrol needs Create accountability mechanisms so that None
to be dedicated to traffic patrol personnel use of proactive time is
enforcement. dedicated to high priority or important
service needs in the Town, such as traffic
enforcement
Adoption of a 3-12/hour shifting Consider adopting a 3-12/hour patrol- ($338,180) /Year
pattern may improve officer safety shifting pattern as compared to the
perceptions while allowing lower current 5-8/hr pattern. This staffing
patrol staffing levels. pattern will allow a reduction of 5 patrol
officers without negatively impacting
reactive availability of patrol officers to
respond to community generated calls for
service.
Consistency in shift supervision is at In the future, regardless of shift selected, None
risk if Sergeants and Police Officers Sergeants and Police Officers should
work different shifts. work the same shift schedule.
Authorized staffing levels in dispatch Utilize part time trained dispatchers to Conversion of
are often insufficient to meet assist handling periods when full time overtime to part
demands when full time staffing staff availability is low. time temporary
levels are low resulting in employee time.
unexpected levels of overtime.
No performance standards exist to Implement performance standards for None
measure effectiveness of dispatching dispatching Priority One calls for service.
Priority One Police, Fire and EMS
calls for service.
Providing Emergency Medical Grant funds have been secured to Approx $400-500
Dispatch of EMS calls is mandated accomplish this prior to the 2013 per dispatcher
in 2013. requirement. (grant funds)
The two departments have not The two public safety departments should None
developed a consistently effective develop `customer service' approaches to
approach to `customer service' and address and resolve problems in joint
problem resolution in emergency dispatching.
communications.
Efficiencies can be gained through Explore opportunities with surrounding Savings
regionalization or consolidation of communities for the regionalization or dependent on type
dispatch services consolidation of dispatch services. of consolidation
and number of
agencies
participating
A review of Support personnel Make no changes in Civilian and Support None
processes and workload suggests staffing with the exception of a civilian
that these units are appropriately assistant to the CS&D Lieutenant.
staffed.
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Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
Personnel currently assigned to The Police Department should work with None
process payroll and purchasing Town staff to ensure these personnel are
believe that additional training and properly trained.
are needed for the Munis system.
The Police Department has not Develop a formal case screening and None
implemented a formal case prioritization system to be used by the
screening and prioritization system Detective Lieutenant and Sergeant when
as part of overall case management. assigning cases for follow-up
investigation.
Current assigned and active Evaluate the use of a formal case
caseloads for the detectives are in screening an prioritization system on
the high range at 14—21.8. This is caseloads as a way to manage
higher than the best practices range workloads.
of 12— 15 cases per month.
Evaluate the ancillary duties currently
performed by detectives and their effect
on workload. If required assign an
additional officer to the Detective Unit.
Evaluate potential to shift responsibility for
the follow up of additional minor cases to
field patrol personnel.
Consider resuming the rotation of officers
from patrol through the detectives division
to serve as a career development tool.
Only if these approaches result in Depends on the
continued high caseload levels should results of
another detective be added. changing business
practices relating
to investigations
and staff.
Proactive/special enforcement has Continue to participate in regional task Depends on
declined in recent years because of forces to the extent that these can be funding and
the loss of funding for dedicated supported through local funding. timing.
positions.
The Department could civilianize the Civilianize the detail officer because of the Savings of up to
detail officer position. largely administrative functioning of this ($20,000) /year
position.
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2. ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND
ORGANIZATION
This chapter focuses on the key management systems used to oversee
operations and personnel as well as the organizational structure necessary to effectively
and efficiently manage operations in the Police Department.
1. ANALYSIS OF DEPARTMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES SHOWED
THAT EFFORTS TO UPDATE THEM HAVE BEEN SLOW.
This section examines the processes that the Department employs to develop,
review, revise, and distribute policies and procedures that provide essential uniform
guidelines for day-to-day Department operations.
(1) Current Policies and Procedures Have Been Modified to Reflect Practices
in Place Due to the Move to the New Police Headquarters.
The project team reviewed the current key policies and procedures of the WPD,
which establish department policy and provide uniform guidelines for day-to-day
operations. The sources for personnel and program direction do not take into account
procedural changes implemented with the move to the new headquarters:
• General Orders: Are being reviewed and updated since moving into the New
Headquarters.
• Standard Operating Procedures: Since the initial interviews which brought the
issue to light of written procedures being outdated, Department personnel have
worked to ensure the current written procedures have been updated to reflect
changes in procedure required with the move into the new headquarters.
• However, only 20 policies / policy updates have been updated since the move 13
months ago. The Department believes that a gradual process is preferred to a
radical updating process. The project team does not necessarily dispute this but
the pace is too slow to keep the attention of staff.
The Department has the framework in place and has defined systems for
directing Department members and ensuring policies and procedures are continually
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updated. Personnel tasked with this responsibility need to increase the rate of review
and updating of policies.
Recommendation: The Department should set a goal of review 10 policies per
month. Policy manuals should be reviewed annually to ensure they remain
current with law changes, legal rulings and changes to best practices.
(2) The Department Has an Established Approach for Reviewing and Updating
Policies and Procedures to Ensure Policies are Current and Reflect
Procedures in Place.
The project team reviewed the processes employed by the Department to
review, update, and distribute policies and procedures, and how Department staff is
held accountable to adhere to these directives. While there were some issues with the
move into the new headquarters that posed a brief challenge for the Department to
ensure all policies were current, as the following points describe, the review and update
process of Department directives and protocols is well established and highly
functioning:
• General Orders have are reviewed and updated at least annually.
• New policy development in most cases was required by new legislation or
changes to CALEA accreditation standards.
• The responsibility for review and development of policies lies with the Lieutenant
over Community and Staff Development. Command staff reviews and approves
each policy change or update.
• Because the Department does not use individual performance appraisals, there
is no annual opportunity for supervisors to cover and confirm specific knowledge
of critical policies such as use of force, pursuit, hostile work environment
reporting, use of criminal justice reporting systems and others.
Recommendation: The Department should use annual performance appraisals to
offer an opportunity for supervisors to cover and confirm specific knowledge of
critical policies.
(3) Review of Specific High-Liability Policies and Procedures Show That the
Department Has Systems in Place to Document These Activities.
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The project team examined a sampling of key directives governing high-liability
activities and associated administrative responsibilities. Watertown Police Department
policy requires thorough documentation of these activities. WPD evaluates this
documentation formally, for training or policy modification purposes. The high-liability
topics included in this review were:
• Vehicle Pursuit:
- An after-action report is required and is advanced for review through the
chain of command to the Lieutenant of the Community & Staff
Development Division.
- All reports are retained in file by calendar year (not individual) following
review.
- The procedure requires an annual review and analysis of all pursuit
activities.
- Annual training on the pursuit policy is required.
• Use of Force Incidents:
- An after-action report is required and is advanced for review through the
chain of command to the Captain in charge of Patrol.
The Chief of Police or his designee annually reviews these reports for
patterns or tends.
Annual Use of Force training and weapons proficiency is required.
Curriculum is predetermined.
• Internal Affairs Investigations / Personnel Administrative Inquiries:
No formal systems are now in place such as a "discipline decision matrix"
that would include a formal review of training or policy modification.
The Internal Affairs Policy does not include an annual reconciliation or
review of allegations for formal evaluation to identify trends in officer
conduct.
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- No early warning system exists to allow the Department to be proactive in
determining officers in need of assistance, training or counseling.
The project team determined that the Department has systems in place to ensure
high-liability activity information is collected on an individual basis, as these incidents
occur with the reports forwarded through the chain of command for appropriate action.
The directives governing these activities clearly define positions responsible for
conducting periodic comprehensive collection of data or reviews of all such activities.
2. ASSESSMENT OF THE WPD'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS PROCESSES SHOW
THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE ASPECTS
OF THIS FUNCTION.
The internal affairs function is a key element for the maintenance of professional
conduct in a law enforcement agency. The manner in which an agency responds to
allegations of employee misconduct and the quality of such investigations greatly
influences not only the public's perception regarding the agency's integrity, but also the
employees' confidence that the application of the process will be objective and bias
free. The Department must respond appropriately and in a timely manner to various
kinds of allegations against its members.
(1) There Are Issues with the Internal Affairs Process.
The project team examined the WPD's policies and processes in place for the
receipt, investigation, and disposition of complaints of misconduct by Department
personnel.
• The Department provides complainants with updates to the Internal Affairs
processes; briefings are provided to the Town Manager, as necessary.
• There is no system in place for the identification of external vs. internal (self
policing) complaints in order for the formal annual analysis of administrative and
internal affairs investigations to determine training needs or policy modification.
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Use of Force and Pursuit incidents require an after-action report and formal
review for training / policy purposes.
• The Internal Affairs process does not incorporate a formal Employee Intervention
/ Warning System used by many police agencies to provide employee assistance
in the form of counseling or training in an effort to mitigate causes of misconduct.
Recommendation: The Department should revise the internal Affairs policy to
include annual reporting requirements, how internal versus external complaints
will be identified and the development of an early warning system.
(2) The Department, as Part of the Internal Affairs Process, Should Evaluate
the Implementation of a "Disciplinary Decision Guide".
The Department does not have a guide to help in establishing discipline for
sustained allegations. Without a "Disciplinary Decision Guide" to assist as a point of
reference in determining discipline, the Department, over time with different
administrators, can apply different levels of discipline for similar acts of misconduct.
This can have an adverse impact on employee morale, in that it fosters a sense of
employee favoritism for those receiving a lower level of discipline than others for similar
acts of misconduct. The following table displays a very brief example of what a
Disciplinary Decision Guide might look like.
Policy
Number Conduct 1st Offense 2"d Offense 3`d Offense 4t" + Offense
# Alcohol related incidents not Written Major Major/ Terminate
related to DWI Reprimand Terminate
/ Minor
# Neighborhood Disputes Minor Major Major/ Terminate
/ Personnel Terminate
# False Information in Terminate
Reports
# Truthfulness of Internal Terminate
Investigations
The discipline matrix should be developed by the Department executive staff in
conjunction with the adoption of the revised Internal Affairs Policy. The development
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and adoption of this guide will set the organizational tone from the executive team about
expectations related toward police conduct.
Recommendation: Evaluate the benefits of and consider developing a
Disciplinary Decision Guide with the adoption of the revised Internal Affairs
Policy.
(3) The Department Should Employ an "Employee Early Intervention" System.
Early Intervention Systems (EI) originated out of a growing recognition that a few
officers are responsible for a disproportionate number of department problems related
to "use-of-force" and citizen complaints. The El system is a data-based (manual or
computer driven) management tool designed to identify officers and other Department
members whose performance exhibits problems, and then to provide interventions,
usually counseling or training, to correct those performance problems. El systems have
emerged as an important mechanism for ensuring police accountability. Systems
identify potential officer job-related stress and/or personal problems that could impact
job performance and interactions with the public. El systems typically have specific
departmentally developed alert triggers that are monitored and reported through the
Department's information (manual or computer based) system. Examples of potential
triggers are presented in the following table.
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Performance Support Alert Triggers
Category Trigger
Investigated Complaints (I and II) 3 in 6 months
Vehicle Accidents (ARB) 2 in 6 months
Use of Force Investigations 2 in 6 months
Use of Force Officer Reports 2 in 6 months
Arrests for Obstructing a Police Officer,
Resisting Arrest, or Disorderly Conduct 2 in 6 months
Criminal Investigations 1 in 6 months
Biased-based Policing Investigations 1 in 6 months
Hits any three categories within a rolling 6-month period
Secondary Elements (Monitored Only— No Triggers)
Wage Garnishments Civil Claims Lawsuits
Voluntary Bankruptcy Risk Management Reports
Department policies should be modified to require that individual Department
member files be maintained for the examples displayed in the preceding table in
conjunction with the requirement that all "use of force" and "pursuit" incident files be
maintained by calendar year. Early intervention software (EIS) have evolved in the past
ten years. Implementation of an EIS system should involve careful planning with
involvement and support of executive management of the Department, Bargaining Units
and the Town.
Recommendation: The Department should formally explore the feasibility of
adopting an appropriate Early Intervention (Warning) System as a component of
the Internal Affairs Process. The cost of such a system is between $5,000 —
$10,000.
3. CURRENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND ASSOCIATED ACCOUNTABILITY
MECHANISMS CAN BE IMPROVED.
For this section, the project team focused on the current systems utilized by the
Department executive team and supervisors to manage and control operations, and the
administration of the Watertown Police Department. In reviewing these systems the
project team focused on four broad aspects of current internal Department
management.
• Overall management of operations and administrative support functions.
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• Management practices that develop and are consistent with long-term planning
objectives and priorities.
• Management initiatives that focus on goal setting, evaluation, and performance
accountability.
• Systems used for internal and external communications.
The first section deals with the development of the elements of a formal
management system.
(1) Consideration Should Be Given to Developing a "Performance Based
Management Plan" to Focus Specifically on Long Range Planning.
The project team has identified opportunities to improve the Department
management systems. The following issues certainly have had an adverse impact on
the executive team's ability to provide an environment of long-term objective driven
planning processes.
• The Department has a clear mission statement that is easily accessed by the
community on the Department website. There is no value statement or accepted
values included as part of the mission statement, but rather a general statement
regarding "upholding the highest moral and ethical standards".
• The Watertown Police Department conducts on-going customer satisfaction
surveys of citizens with whom its personnel has had contact.
• The budget is not used for setting police objectives. Programs and associated
outcomes for expenditures are not part of the budget planning process.
Examples could include use of the traffic enforcement index, case clearance
rates and proactive time commitments. Selection, use and budgeting on a
performance basis may be a Town-wide not just Police Department issue
meaning that the Town will not change its approach to budgeting for one
department.
• Officers are currently informally assigned "Directed Patrol Areas" by the shift
Lieutenant. There are no clear objectives regarding how Community Policing will
be used to program a focus on "reduction of crime", "prevention of crime", and
"reduction of the fear of crime." Most importantly, there are no systems of post
assignment measurement or accountability in place in the Department.
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With the absence of formal long-term planning processes in place, there is the
opportunity for Department personnel to develop their own ideas of what the goals and
objectives are. The Department would benefit from including clear values as part of the
mission statement, developing long-term strategies for improving safety and reducing
crime in the Town and making clear expectations regarding community policing efforts
and their focus on reducing crime in Watertown.
Recommendation: The command staff should work to ensure clear performance
expectations are developed regarding values, reduction in crime and community
policing efforts.
(2) Department Accountability Mechanisms Can Be Improved.
The following points summarize the project team's observations and findings
concerning the use of Department and management accountability mechanisms:
• The Department has no annual, internal or external, performance objectives, by
Department, Bureau, Division, or Program, and individually by program
administrators and unit supervisors.
• The Department has a poor annual performance appraisal system for staff. The
lack of performance measures impacts the ability of Department managers and
supervisors to hold Department staff accountable. An effective appraisal system
offers:
- An opportunity to set personal goals and objectives that tie to Division /
Department goals.
- The ability to assess personal accomplishments and areas for further
development.
- The ability to establish a plan for professional growth through training or
specialty assignment.
- The opportunity to receive and provide feedback about job performance.
- The opportunity to review and assure that all personnel know and
understand high-liability policies and procedures, i.e. pursuit, use of force,
hostile work environment (sexual harassment), etc.
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Without built-in accountability associated with job performance through the goal
and objective setting process and without formal mechanisms to provide each employee
feedback about job performance through an annual appraisal system, all members of
the Department set their own work standard.
Recommendation: The Department should develop an annual employee
appraisal system that is job specific (patrol, traffic, detective, etc.). This will have
to be constructed to meet agreed upon collective bargaining objectives and
requirement.
4. THE WATERTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOULD DEVELOP A PLAN
FOR REGAINING CALEA ACCREDITED STATUS.
The accreditation process assists local government leaders and police
professionals in monitoring and improving the quality and performance of police service
delivery systems by identifying current and desired standards of performance and the
development and maintenance of Department policies and procedures to achieve and
maintain those standards.
Renewing the commitment to be accredited through an accrediting body such as
the "Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies" (CALEA), would
commit the Department to attaining the highest levels of professionalism as that relates
to management, policy, training, etc.
Recommendation: The Department should consider regaining accredited status
with CALEA. This will have an annual cost of approximately $8,500.
5. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING AN ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE.
In order to evaluate the organizational structure of the Watertown Police
Department, the project team first identified the criteria by which the organizational
structure would be judged. The paragraphs, that follow, describe those criteria as well
as describe what is meant by each of them:
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• Frequency of Contact: With what other units does the unit in question have the
most frequent contact? Does it have frequent contact with the units with which it
is currently organized? Are there other units outside of its current organizational
niche with which it has more frequent contact?
• Types of Contact: Do the contacts involve the sharing of resources (personnel
or equipment)? Are the contacts administrative in nature? Do they involve the
passage of paperwork from one unit to the other?
• Extensiveness of Interactions: Are the interactions frequent but
inconsequential (i.e. daily passing of time sheets would not be given as much
weight as responding to automobile accidents). Are the interactions going to
have an impact on the safety or the quality of life for those in the facility?
• Connection of Actions: Do the units exhibit an organizational dependency on
one another? Would it be more difficult for one unit to do its work if there were
some separation / attachment?
• Administrative Paper Flow: Is there an immediate need for the units to be
attached organizationally to ensure the smooth flow of critical paperwork (for
example, payroll making its way to Finance is not a justification for having every
unit attached to Finance).
• Support Versus Operations: Have functions that support more than one
operational unit been grouped together? Are there clear and reasonable
divisions among operational units?
Each of these criteria, individually, would not provide enough information to make
a decision about the appropriate placement of an organizational unit. As a group,
however, they provide the information required by the project team to come to
conclusions about the current organizational structure and to make recommendations
for any improvements. These criteria provide a formal, analytical structure for
assessing the organizational structure of public sector agencies.
The following key points summarize the key findings when reviewing the
organizational structure:
• The Police Department is well organized along standard lines of services (patrol,
traffic and dispatch) and support services (detectives, community & staff
development and support services) under the two Captains.
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• Units are well organized considering the other criteria described below:
- Frequency of Contact: Units are grouped together according to their
most frequent interactions. As mentioned, above, uniformed services are
grouped together logically with one another and support services are
separated. Key functions of planning, research and information
technology also report to the administrative services Captain.
- Types of Contact: There are no issues with the types of interactions
between units and the way in which they are grouped organizationally.
- Extensiveness of Interactions: As above, organizational units are
grouped logically given their interaction with one another.
- Connection of Actions: Currently, there are no organizational units that
face undue operational challenges due to their placement within the
overall organizational structure of the Police Department.
- Administrative Paper Flow: Support functions report to a single Captain,
allowing for specific focus on these issues.
Support Versus Operations: Support and operational functions are
grouped independently under the two Captains for proper focus and
attention.
The lone position with the potential for re-alignment is the Detail Officer, who
could report to the Traffic Sergeant, as the majority of detail assignments are traffic
related. This is not critical, but may be considered if the Department seeks to regain its
accredited status as it would alleviate some of the workload from the Community and
Staff Development Lieutenant. In addition, as evaluated later in this report the
Department should civilianize this position.
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6. AS WITH THE PROJECT TEAM'S RECOMMENDATION FOR FIRE, FUTURE
POLICE CHIEF RECRUITMENTS SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE
OTHER CANDIDATES IN THE COMMONWEALTH IN ADDITION TO
INTERNAL ONES.
The Town of Watertown Police Chief is a Civil Service position. In Watertown
historically this has meant that the position has been selected from a list of candidates
who have passed a Civil Service exam. The Town Manager, as the appointing
authority, must take one of the top three performers on the examine to fill the vacant
position. This approach has several key implications which can negatively impact the
Department and the Town:
• The Town Manager is limited to making a selection from those personnel who
have taken the exam. These in general include those who work inside the
Department.
• This approach limits the pool from which the Town Manager could otherwise
recruit and select a Chief officer for the Department.
Civil Service regulations do not exclude external candidates from consideration
for appointment. The project team believes that `testing the market' for top
management positions through a recruitment throughout the Commonwealth would be
an effective approach to ensure that the best fit of management skills for the Town was
attained.
Recommendation: The Town of Watertown should conduct a search throughout
the Commonwealth when the next Police Chief is hired.
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3. ANALYSIS OF THE FIELD OPERATIONS BUREAU
This chapter focuses on the Field Operations Bureau duties and responsibilities
beginning with the patrol division services provided by the Watertown Police
Department. Currently, the Field Operations Bureau consists of the Patrol Division and
Traffic Division as well as Dispatch Operations.
1. OVERALL ORGANIZATION OF THE FIELD OPERATIONS BUREAU.
The overall organization of the Field Operations Bureau is shown in the following
organizational chart.
Captain
I
Patrol Division Traffic Divison
Lieutenant(4) Sergeant(1)
Sergeant(5) Traffic Officer
(2)
Patrol Officer School
(34) � d Crossing
Guard (23)
Dispatcher(9)
The Bureau is responsible for providing patrol and traffic operations and ensuring
children can cross streets safely while school is in session. As shown above, Patrol
represents the largest division of the Field Operations Bureau with 34 Police Officers, 5
Sergeants and 4 Lieutenants.
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2. OVERVIEW ORGANIZATION AND ANALYSIS OF PATROL OPERATIONS.
As depicted in the profile, patrol operations is composed of three shifts — Day,
First Half, Last Half— with continual operations 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Patrol officers are deployed with minimum staffing levels, which vary by time of
day and day of week. The following table depicts the current minimum staffing levels
associated with patrol.
Shift Staffing Required Notes
Day Shift Officer in Charge (1) Traffic Officer is not counted
Supervisor(1) toward minimum staffing
Admin Officer(1)
Patrol Officer(4)
Dispatcher(2)
First Half Shift Officer in Charge (1) Traffic Officer is not counted
Sunday—Thursday Supervisor(1) toward minimum staffing
Admin Officer(1)
Patrol Officer(5)
Dispatcher(2)
First Half Shift Officer in Charge (1) Traffic Officer may be counted
Friday, Saturday & Eve of Major Supervisor(1) toward minimum staffing level.
Holiday Admin Officer(1)
Patrol Officer(6)
Dispatcher(2)
Last Half Shift Officer in Charge (1) * Dispatcher staffing can drop to
Monday-Thursday Supervisor(1) a minimum of 1 Dispatcher from
Admin Officer(1) 2 at 0300.
Patrol Officer(4)
Dispatcher(1.5)*
Last Half Shift Officer in Charge (1) *Dispatcher staffing can drop to a
Friday, Saturday & Eve of Major Supervisor(1) minimum of 1 Dispatcher from 2
Holiday Admin Officer(1) at 0300
Patrol Officer(5)
Dispatcher(1.5)*
Patrol Officers are typically deployed to four (4) Routes with additional officers
designated as "general cars" which float among Routes to provide coverage if an officer
is engaged in a call for service and to serve as backup officers. The Officer in Charge
and Admin Officer work from Headquarters with the OIC supervising dispatch and
booking prisoners and the Admin Officer handling walk-in customers and assisting in
the booking process as needed.
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3. OVERVIEW OF THE MATRIX CONSULTING GROUPS PATROL STAFFING
ANALYTICAL MODEL.
While it would be useful to identify a `golden rule' of law enforcement staffing
needs, the utilization of comparative measures does not provide for an appropriate
evaluation of field staffing needs, nor should it be used as the primary basis for a local
government to measure the effectiveness of law enforcement services. The Matrix
Consulting Group does not use a "per capita" or "per 1,000" ratio as an analytical tool in
assessing field staffing needs, for the following reasons:
• Ratios do not consider the seriousness of the workload levels of the jurisdictions
being compared. For example, the crime rate should be considered in any
comparative analysis of workloads, specifically, the number of serious crimes in a
community (e.g. homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor
vehicle theft, and larceny).
• Ratios do not consider a jurisdiction's approach to alternative service delivery or
"differential law enforcement response." The use of civilian personnel, or lack
thereof, to handle community-generated calls for service and other workloads
has great potential to impact the staffing levels of sworn personnel. The level /
amount of civilians (i.e. community service officers, telephone reporting, online
services, etc.) can be used to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of sworn
personnel handling higher priority calls in a community. These resources are not
calculated in staffing ratios.
• Ratios do not consider the differences in service levels provided or philosophies
with which a jurisdiction may deliver law enforcement services (e.g. community-
oriented or problem-oriented policing, a reactive versus proactive approach, the
utilization of other regional law enforcement resources in solving problems, etc.).
These variables contribute to the inability to compare the necessary number of
field patrol personnel through a ratio or per-capita analyses.
• Ratios do not consider other differences which have an impact on regular patrol
staffing needs such as the existence of special enforcement / support units as
well as operational approaches (e.g. the use of field citations versus transported
arrests, manual versus automated field reporting systems, and whether patrol
officers are expected to follow-up on certain investigations).
• Ratios do not take into account geographic, meteorological and topographical
differences (e.g. square miles of a service area) and other response
impediments, which can impact patrol staffing needs.
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• Ratios do not take into account changing population characteristics, such as
jurisdictions with a significant exodus of commuters, college towns with large
seasonal fluctuations in population, or smaller communities adjoining large
metropolitan areas with significant public safety workloads.
For these reasons, the project team does not use "per capita" or "per 1,000
residents" ratios as a way for our clients to measure effectiveness in providing law
enforcement services, or as a determinant in developing staffing needs. The project
team's analysis of the Watertown Police Department considered the need for a balance
of community-generated workloads and the availability of proactive time to generate
activities. The following subsections describe this analytical process.
(1) The Analysis of Field Patrol Resource Requirements Should Be Based on
Actual Workloads Handled and Appropriate Targets of Proactivity.
The Matrix Consulting Group utilizes a method in which the number of field
personnel required is based on an analysis of the unique workloads and service level
requirements of a community. In order to evaluate these resources and staffing issues,
the project team conducted a data collection and analytical effort focusing on the
following:
• Determining community generated calls for service workloads to the level of
detail necessary to understand the work volume and the time required to handle
such work.
• The field resources used to handle calls for service and proactive workloads
based on officer availability levels.
• Deployment and scheduling patterns utilized by the Watertown Police
Department.
• Identifying self-initiated police activities and targeting a sufficient amount of time
beyond community generated calls for service, otherwise known as "reactive"
workload. This time can then be utilized to perform proactive or community-
oriented policing services (e.g. special enforcement of high-crime areas, etc.).
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• Maintaining a deployment that would help reduce risk and maintain officer safety
levels.
Field law enforcement services represent one of the areas of law enforcement
operations in which staffing and service levels can be clearly quantified. Several factors
determine the level of patrol staffing required in a community, including:
• The community generated call for service demand by time of day, and day of
week.
• How officers are utilized in the field, how they are scheduled, and it what manner
they are deployed (e.g. one-person versus two-person patrol cruisers).
• How calls for service are managed by a law enforcement agency. Many
departments throughout the United States "manage" lower priority calls for
service in a number of ways. What these methods of handling calls for service
have in common is that they free up the time of trained, professional officers from
handling lower priority routine calls so that more of their available time can be
spent on calls requiring a higher level of expertise and training. By example, the
Watertown Police Department currently allows a minimal number of reports to be
taken over the phone by the Admin Officer. These are limited to events where it
is not practical for an officer to respond or the complainant to report to the police
department such as domestic violence victim that fled their abuser or a citizen on
vacation that realizes a crime occurred.
• The level of service desired by the community. This reflects the amount of
"proactive" time, or "unobligated" time a community desires. This is a significant
factor and primary driver impacting required patrol staffing levels. Unobligated
time involves time not spent handling community generated calls for service and
reflects proactive time for which an officer is available for community policing,
directed or preventive patrol, self-initiated activity (i.e. observations, including
suspicious pedestrians or vehicles, etc.), and other approaches for addressing
crime problems, quality of life issues, etc.
The project team employed a model based on these decision points in evaluating
officer field staffing for the WPD, in terms of workload, service levels, and overall
operations. The following section identifies and discusses the various characteristics
and elements of the field staffing model, and how proactive (unobligated) time is
calculated.
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(2) Workload and Data Elements Utilized in the Patrol Staffing Model.
One of the primary responsibilities of a patrol officer is the responding to and
handling community generated calls for service. Further, workload related to these calls
for service, including reports, arrests / bookings, back-up assistance to another patrol
officer on a call, etc., as well as the associated times for these activities, are primary
responsibilities of the officer. These elements are foundational in deriving the total field
staffing levels required based on desired services levels. These elements are further
discussed in the following sub-sections.
(2.1) Patrol Workloads.
The first critical data element required to analyze field resources is to document
the primary workloads handled by patrol officers. As stated, one of the primary
responsibilities of an officer is to respond to community generated calls for service.
These calls certainly do not represent all workload, however, such as officer-initiated
events, officer observations in the field resulting in a contact, traffic stops, investigative
follow-up, administrative time or other activities reflected in Computer-Aided Dispatch
(CAD) or other records. Calls for Service, as defined herein, represent contacts from
the community, generally via E 9-1-1 telephone and 7-digit telephone calls ultimately
resulting in one dispatched incident regardless of the number of patrol units sent. It is
critical to understand this fundamental definition in order to comprehend how future
analyses are performed in this report. Community generated calls for service are not
intended to reflect all workload that patrol officers perform. In fact, many law
enforcement agencies define "calls for service" as any relevant law enforcement
incident, whether initiated by the community or an officer. Watertown Police
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Department reports calls for service in this fashion. While this is not atypical, it must be
understood that it does not reflect our methodology for staff evaluation. By example,
the following pie chart displays the proportion of incidents generated from various
sources based on computer records provided to the project team.
WPD CFS by Call Source FY 2010/11
0%
0
PI/O 1%1%
911
Alarm System
Cellular
49% Officer Initiated
Other
Radio
Telephone
Walk-In
1%J�0%
As shown, over half (60%) of incidents are definitively identified by the project
team as community generated calls for service (CFS) requiring police response. These
community generated calls for service reflect workload that requires a mandatory
response from the Department — the community expects service when it telephones the
Department. The project team defined community generated calls for service will form
the foundation of workload requirements.
Whereas all other police activities are vitally important, community generated
calls for service response is the primary core business of a law enforcement agency.
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Calls for service and other data are available by analyzing CAD and other
records. Based on the definition provided, the following is noted:
• There were approximately 18,578 community generated calls for service handled
by the Watertown Police Department from July 2010 through June 2011.
Although calls vary by both month and day, this averages approximately 52 calls
each day.
• There were approximately 11,550 self-initiated incidents handled by the
Watertown Police Department from July 2010 through June 2011. Thus, this type
of workload approximates the work dedicated to defined CFS workloads.
• Community generated calls for service distribution by hour, as shown in the
graph below, reveal peaks and valleys in call for service workload typical of most
law enforcement jurisdictions. Generally speaking, early morning hours have the
lowest call for service volumes (this is common) with the lull in the 0400-0700
time period. Highest activity is in early afternoon, with a general pattern of
activity of 2.8-3.0 calls per hour from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Like most agencies this
peak in calls for service occurs during the evening rush hour. Call volume in
Watertown is fairly consistent with the Department responding to between 2 — 3
calls per hour between 9:00 am to midnight.
• Somewhat atypical, the Thursday/Friday time periods are the busier days of the
week, with an average of 53 and 53.5 calls, respectively. In the majority of law
enforcement agencies, Sunday is the slowest day of the week, but in Watertown
Monday is slower with an average of 48.1 compared to 49.7 calls on Sunday.
Average Calls for Service per
Hour (FY 2010/11)
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1112 13 14 15 16 1718 19 20 2122 23 24
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Fiscal Year 2010/11 Community Generated Calls for Service by Time of Day and Day of Week
Military Wednes Thursda Avg./H
Time Sunday Monday Tuesday day y Friday Saturday Total our
0000 144 62 80 61 99 94 112 652 1.8
0100 129 85 54 60 47 53 121 549 1.5
0200 136 32 55 55 54 35 114 481 1.3
0300 76 35 22 49 37 46 105 370 1.0
0400 46 29 16 38 22 46 41 238 0.7
0500 31 39 34 47 36 46 39 272 0.7
0600 53 54 56 65 84 83 47 442 1.2
0700 83 66 58 89 100 97 51 544 1.5
0800 76 118 132 152 154 158 95 885 2.4
0900 89 109 145 120 134 119 99 815 2.2
1000 123 138 120 107 152 132 110 882 2.4 �
1100 110 123 136 143 146 117 140 915 2.5 �
1200 139 120 112 140 133 133 146 923 2.5 �
1300 113 124 163 117 110 127 127 881 2.4 �
1400 120 143 156 172 165 182 166 1104 3.0
1500 126 148 171 133 178 156 131 1043 2.9 �
1600 107 147 165 159 158 164 131 1031 2.8 �
1700 151 143 173 157 175 147 160 1106 3.0 �
1800 161 134 172 139 137 117 109 969 2.7
1900 117 139 157 141 114 130 124 922 2.5
2000 105 141 130 117 129 159 160 941 2.6
2100 115 133 125 110 140 144 129 896 2.5 �
2200 126 109 110 109 128 157 160 899 2.5
2300 108 130 87 101 125 142 125 818 2.2 �
2,584/ 2,501 / 2,629/ 2,581 / 2,757/ 2,784/ 2,742/ 18,5 -
ToVAvg 49.7 48.1 50.1 49.6 53.0 53.5 52.7 78
(2.2) Handling Time.
A critical component of the Matrix Consulting Group's patrol staffing model is the
evaluation of total time spent by patrol personnel handling community generated calls
for service. There are a variety of factors that go into determining the time devoted to
the "average" call for service. These include the time from call dispatch to call
clearance for the primary unit handling the call, the number of calls where a back-up
unit (or units) was deployed, how long such back-ups were on scene, report writing
time, and jail/booking time. In most instances, data manipulations of CAD computer
information or other source data were able to derive these factors for the Watertown
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Police Department. In a few instances, assumptions needed to occur based on
benchmarks from the project teams experience with other police agencies.
Furthermore, information derived from WPD records can be juxtaposed against various
benchmarks that the project team has developed relative to average time required for
specific tasks. The following table summarizes the important data factors to arrive at
handling time.
Factors Involved in Determining How Long a Call for Service Takes
Factor in Call For How Data was Determined Benchmark WPD Time
Service Handling Time Required
Primary Unit Handling Based on FY 2010/11 community generated 30 19
Time calls for service derived from CAD data minutes/call minutes/call
Average Back-up Based on benchmark standard. 0.50 0.50
Units per Call for units/call units/call
Service
Average Time Back-up Based on benchmark which indicates back-up 22.5 14.25
Unit(s) at Scene per units on-scene -75% of Primary Unit Time; minutes/call minutes/call
Call
Average Time All Sum of Primary and Average Back-up. 42.5 33.25
Units at Scene min/call min/call
Report Writing Time Based on WPD interviews and benchmark data 30 30
available from other departments. min/report min/report
Report Writing Calls Based on data provided by WPD. Reports are 25%-50% of 13.6 min/call
for Service Allocation written for incidents beyond community- CFS will
generated calls for service. Further, not all have report.
incidents/call receive a report. For calculation
purposes, reports must be linked to calls for
service. Based on data showing number of
reports written by patrol officers from 7/1/10 to
6/30/11 (2,944) and extrapolating total
estimated time to write all reports, the total
report writing time was proportionally allocated
to each community generated call for service
(essentially equaling a report 45% of the time a
CFS incident). It is assumed reports are written
after calls for service are cleared.
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Factor in Call For How Data was Determined Benchmark WPD Time
Service Handling Time Required
Jail Run Time Calls for Based on Jail statistics for WPD and 30-45 30.0 min/call
Service Allocation benchmarking. Jail Runs are for incidents minutes per
beyond community generated calls for service. booking
Further, not all incidents/call require a jail run;
indeed, only a small portion result in an arrest.
For calculation purposes,jail runs must be
linked to calls for service. Based on internal
data showing number of arrests performed by
patrol officers (843)from July 2010—June
2011 and total estimated time to book prisoner
in the jail (30 minutes), the total jail time was
proportionally allocated to each call for service.
It is assumed all jail booking are performed
after calls for service are cleared, although
practically this is not the case in every instance.
Based on the data 4.5% of community
generated calls for service resulted in an arrest
being made.
49.7
TOTAL FIELD TIME DEDICATED PER COMMUNITY-GENERATED minutes
CALL FOR SERVICE per call
As shown above, the project team determined that the average handling time per
call was 49.7 minutes during FY 2010/11. This includes time spent by all units and
includes travel time, on-scene time, arrest time, and reporting writing.
(2.3) Officer Availability
Another critical workload element to determine staffing requirements is the
amount of annual time available for field personnel to perform their work. A typical
employee is paid for 2,080 regular hours per year; however, these employees perform
core business duties well below this figure due to scheduled and unscheduled leave,
administrative requirements, etc. The tables, which follow, provide the calculation of the
"net availability" of police officers in patrol based on data abstracted from a sampling of
source documents provided by WPD. The project team defines net availability as the
number of hours that an officer (or any other employee) is available to perform their key
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roles and responsibilities after the impact of leaves and administrative responsibilities
have been subtracted from their gross 2,080 scheduled hours of work.
Leave Type and Hours
Leave Type Ave Hrs Per Officer
Per Year
Baseline Annual Hours Available 2,080.0
Vacation -220.0
Sick -31.7
Comp. Time -17.1
Holiday -10.3
Department Day -37.4
Personal -21.2
Commendation -5.7
Miscellaneous (injury, union,jury etc.) -7.3
Average Annual Assignment Hours Available 1,729.3
The table, above, shows that the "average" Police Officer is deployed during
regular work hours 1,729.3 hours per year. The points, below, expand on key issues
identified in the table:
• Data show that Police Officers are assigned 1,729.3 hours after all leave
categories have been accounted for. This is equivalent to 83% of the available
annual time. Net availability includes the impact of all absenteeism factors
including personal days off, family medical leave and other factors that take an
officer out of the patrol schedule (vacation, sick leave, etc.).
• Based on the project team's experience, the available hours in Watertown is near
the range of 1,700-1,800 hours typically found within most law enforcement
agencies.
Although officers are assigned over 1,700 hours per annum after leave, they are
not available to perform core business work until various administrative time is
subtracted from their assignment, per policy or otherwise. The following table captures
these requirements, resulting in an average "net availability" for each officer per year.
2 Annual hours available does not include hours that an officer may work on overtime. Practically speaking, an officer
can be available far more than 2,080 hours per annum if they wish. However for staff modeling "mandated
overtime" is not considered, as it would result in fewer officers needed than might otherwise be necessary. These
data were based on random sampling of leave records (excluding FMLA which used the entire database) for FY
10/11. Long-term military leave (deployment) is not considered,as it would skew calculation results.
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Administrative Assignment Requirements
Administrative Requirement Average Hours Per Explanation of Information
Officer Per Year
Average Assignment Hours Available 1,729.3 Based on above calculations.
One hour meal and breaks based
Meals/Breaks -215.8 on interviews.
Average of 20 minutes per shift
Vehicle Check/fueling -71.2 briefing.
Based on estimated 58-hour in-
shift and school/seminar annual
training requirements per training
Mandated/Essential Training -58.0 records provided.
Net Annual Available Hours After All Final "net availability" calculation.
Leave/Administrative Factors 1,384.3
The project team made assumptions based upon policy and consultation with
WPD staff regarding the impacts of administrative responsibilities, training as well as
time off factors associated with meals, etc. These assumptions are described below:
• Meals and Breaks are calculated at one hour per shift actually worked.
• Shift Briefing based on project team review of Daily Log Reports as well as
consultation with WPD staff, each shift briefing occurs prior to the scheduled shift
and vehicle checks take approximately 15 minutes.
• Mandated/Essential Training is a broader estimate based a review of hardcopy
training records listing in-service training received.
• Vehicle Fueling is established at 5 minutes based on Daily Log Reports.
It should be noted that these administrative requirements are also consistent with most
other law enforcement agencies and are not outside of ranges typically seen by the
project team.
(2.4) Calculating Resource Needs Based on Available Time.
Upon developing community generated calls for service data and net officer
availability information, the final step in determining resource requirements is calculating
the proportion of proactive time available to patrol services. In effect, patrol staffing
levels are ultimately driven by the patrol officer's time, which can be classified into two
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categories—proactive and reactive time. Ultimately, the amount of proactive time is
linked to the ability of officers to perform those duties and responsibilities above the
basic response to community generated calls for service. Without sufficient proactive or
uncommitted time, a patrol operation is severely handicapped in its ability to respond
effectively to local and regional crime, traffic, and quality of life issues unique to each
community. The following section describes time definitions in further detail.
(2.5) Response-Oriented Patrol Requirements (Also Known as "Reactive or
Committed Time").
Reactive or Committed time, is classified as the handling of community-
generated calls for service and the immediate responsibilities linked directly to that
specific incidence, including reports, arrests / bookings, back-up assistance to another
patrol officer on a call, etc. In effect, reactive time includes the period of work from the
point at which a unit responds to a call to the point when a unit "clears for service."
The following points are noted with respect to response-oriented or reactive time.
• This is a primary mission of any law enforcement field patrol force.
• Clearly defined areas of responsibility (e.g., routes) and clearly defined back-up
relationships are a core concept for consistent `committed time' service delivery.
• A Department should have clearly defined response policies in place — this
includes: prioritization of calls, response time targets for each priority, back-up
policies, and supervisor on-scene policies. In the absence of such formal
policies, common practice, or ideally `best practice guidelines' can be used.
• This Reactive or Committed time workload in many communities generally
makes up an average of between 40% and 60% of each officer's net available
time per shift. This includes the time to prepare reports, transport and book
prisoners, and provide field back-up. The concept of Reactive (and Proactive)
time is widely acknowledged by various established bodies, including the
International Association of Chiefs of Police, Northwestern Universities Police
Allocation Model, etc.
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The calculation of reactive or committed time is one of the cornerstones to patrol
staffing level findings, conclusions and recommendations.
(2.6) Proactive Patrol Requirements (Also Known as "Uncommitted or
Unobligated Time").
The following points are noted with respect to Proactive or Uncommitted time:
• A Department should have clearly defined uses for uncommitted time. Officers
should know what they are expected to do with time between calls for service.
• Proactive enforcement addresses all other workloads that are not in response to
a community-generated call for service. These include such important services
as officer self-initiated activity, proactive or preventive patrol, investigative follow-
up, traffic enforcement, etc. It is critical to recognize that all self-initiated activity
falls within the uncommitted time category.
• The `proactive' element of field patrol in may law enforcement agencies generally
makes up between 40% and 60% of each officer's day, on average. Typically,
less than 30% net proactive time available to patrol staff results in inefficient
bundling of available time — i.e., uncommitted time comes in intervals too short to
be effectively used by field personnel. Proactive time of more than 50%
generally results in less than efficient use of community resources, as it is
difficult to effectively manage field patrol personnel with this level of uncommitted
time. There are important exceptions, however, to these ratios that can be
impacted by such issues as officer safety, response times, etc. For example,
very small agencies with an extremely small contingent of field staff must have
high levels of proactive time, often in the 60% range, to address response time,
officer safety, and other performance-related issues.
The calculation of Proactive or Uncommitted time is the other cornerstone to
staffing level findings, conclusions and recommendations. These elements are further
discussed in the following sections.
4. ANALYSIS OF PROACTIVE TIME LEVELS INDICATES THAT PATROL HAS
SUBSTANTIAL ABILITIES TO BE INVOLVED IN PROACTIVE ACTIVITIES.
This section provides the project team's analysis of proactive time available to
the Watertown Police Department's Patrol Operations.
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(1) Proactive Time Targeting.
The project team developed an analysis of proactive time to assist in the
evaluation of current patrol deployment and determine staff resource allocation and,
ultimately, requirements. The concept of proactive time is very important in law
enforcement; reiterating, it is the amount of time available to field deployed officers after
handling community generated calls for service and related workloads. If field
personnel are committed to calls for service response a large proportion of the time and
have little "unobligated" time, they have little capability to undertake self-initiated activity,
impact the root causes of crime and quality of life issues, or to work closely with citizens
of the community. Moreover, field personnel with little uncommitted time find it difficult
to produce response times that are generally satisfactory. This is particular problematic
for emergency responses where life is potentially endangered or property severely
jeopardized. Police departments that have developed a problem-oriented or
community policing program based on effective use of proactive time typically have an
average range of 40% - 45% uncommitted time, but can reach up to 50% or higher
dependent upon the unique operating circumstances of the law enforcement agency.
Key factors should be kept in mind when reviewing the analysis of proactive time.
• Proactive time availability was calculated using the community generated calls
for service methodology and net availability provided in the preceding sections.
• Proactive time availability is based on year of data between July 2010 and June
2011 and represents a "snap-shot" in time; it may not reflect what is occurring
now or what occurred previously, but it can certainly be representative of near-
term patrol operations and thus can drive staffing level requirements.
• Proactive time calculations are based on a few fundamental assumptions that
might not completely mirror reality. For example, based on the calls for service
time calculations it assumes reports and arrests/bookings are equally distributed
throughout the 24/7 cycle. This, of course, is extremely unlikely as arrests and
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reports ebb and flow dependent upon several variables. Also note that the
proactive time calculation assumes that meals and administrative duties are
equally distributed and provided throughout a shift. However, these activities are
likely put on hold or eliminated until, by example, a call for service backlog can
be handled. Despite these assumptions that must be used given the vagaries of
patrol workload, proactive time calculations are the soundest methodology for
field services staffing and scheduling.
• Proactive time calculations can change depending on the number of patrol
officers deployed and assigned to each time period. Officer resources, founded
on call for service and net availability data, drive proactive time availability.
The following section describes proactive time availability based on different staff
deployment scenarios.
(2) Proactive Time Levels by Time of Day Based on Various Staffing Scenarios.
In order to understand how proactive time can vary, the project team chose
various real and theoretical deployment strategies for WPD. Field officer deployments
as reflected by both staffing and scheduling options impact proactive time significantly
and, by association, the implied ability to perform in the most productive fashion. The
sections that follow show hourly proactive time levels and overall proactive time based
on different deployment strategies.
(2.1) Proactive Time Levels — Recent Staffing Scenario.
The WPD deploys officers on an eight-hour schedule whereby the same number
of officers are essentially scheduled daily with variations in minimum staffing levels
dictated by shift and day of week. This scheduling philosophy, combined with the
number of officers deployed on each shift, impacts calculated proactive time levels.
The following table provides proactive time calculations based on a recent shift
deployment schedule where an average of 4.3 officers were assigned to second half
shift, 5.2 to the first half shift and 4.4 to the day shift.
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Proactive Time Levels-Officers Deployed FY 2010/11
CFS
Military Average Handling Net Officers Reactive Proactive
Time CFS Time (Hrs) Available Time Time
0000 1.79 1.49 4.30 35% 65%
0100 1.50 1.25 4.30 29% 71%
0200 1.32 1.10 4.30 25% 75%
0300 1.01 0.84 4.30 19% 81%
0400 0.65 0.54 4.30 13% 87%
0500 0.75 0.62 4.30 14% 86%
0600 1.21 1.00 4.30 23% 77%
0700 1.49 1.24 4.30 29% 71%
0800 2.43 2.02 4.40 46% 54%
0900 2.23 1.85 4.40 42% 58%
1000 2.42 2.01 4.40 46% 54%
1100 2.51 2.08 4.40 47% 53%
1200 2.53 2.10 4.40 48% 52%
1300 2.41 2.00 4.40 45% 55%
1400 3.03 2.51 4.40 57% 43%
1500 2.86 2.37 4.40 54% 46%
1600 2.83 2.35 5.20 45% 55%
1700 3.03 2.51 5.20 48% 52%
1800 2.66 2.21 5.20 42% 58%
1900 2.53 2.10 5.20 40% 60%
2000 2.58 2.14 5.20 41% 59%
2100 2.46 2.04 5.20 39% 61%
2200 2.46 2.04 5.20 39% 61%
2300 2.24 1.86 5.20 36% 64%
Average 2.12 1.76 4.60 38% 62%
The following is noted regarding the data in the table.
• As shown above, proactive time levels vary considerably throughout the 24-hour
period. Overall, proactive time is highest in the latter half of the Second Half Shift
during the early morning hours, with 87% proactive time at 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.
It is fairly common to see high proactive time levels during these hours given the
need to provide a minimum level of staffing coverage for officer safety and the
lower community generated workload levels typically found during these hours.
• Proactive time is lower during much of Day and First Half Shift, but typically
within acceptable ranges. The lowest proactive time period is at 2:00 p.m., at
43%, which is at the lower end of the acceptable proactive time range.
• Overall proactive time for the 24-hour period is calculated at 62% - at the
suggested maximum of the proactive targets noted previously, but with wide
variations dependent upon the hour of the day.
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(2.2) Proactive Time Levels - Minimum Staffing Scenario.
The following table provides proactive time calculations based on the actual
minimum staffing levels reflected in the Profile Chapter, whereby minimum staffing
levels of varies depending on the particular shift and the traffic officer is not included in
the minimum staffing. For the purposes of this analysis we will utilize the lowest
minimum staffing levels, as that is a typical staffing level shown on daily rosters.
Proactive Time Levels- Minimum Staffing Deployment
CFS Handling Officers
Military Time Average CFS Time in Hours Deployed Reactive Time Proactive Time
0000 1.79 1.49 4.00 37% 63%
0100 1.50 1.25 4.00 31% 69%
0200 1.32 1.10 4.00 28% 72%
0300 1.01 0.84 4.00 21% 79%
0400 0.65 0.54 4.00 14% 86%
0500 0.75 0.62 4.00 16% 84%
0600 1.21 1.00 4.00 25% 75%
0700 1.49 1.24 4.00 31% 69%
0800 2.43 2.02 4.00 51% 49%
0900 2.23 1.85 4.00 46% 54%
1000 2.42 2.01 4.00 50% 50%
1100 2.51 2.08 4.00 52% 48%
1200 2.53 2.10 4.00 53% 47%
1300 2.41 2.00 4.00 50% 50%
1400 3.03 2.51 4.00 63% 37%
1500 2.86 2.37 5.00 47% 53%
1600 2.83 2.35 5.00 47% 53%
1700 3.03 2.51 5.00 50% 50%
1800 2.66 2.21 5.00 44% 56%
1900 2.53 2.10 5.00 42% 58%
2000 2.58 2.14 5.00 43% 57%
2100 2.46 2.04 5.00 41% 59%
2200 2.46 2.04 5.00 41% 59%
2300 2.24 1.86 4.00 47% 53%
Average 2.12 1.76 4.33 41% 59%
The following is noted regarding the data in the table.
• As shown above, proactive time levels again vary considerably throughout the
24-hour period. Sufficient proactive time is available throughout the 24-hour
period with one exception-2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Further, proactive time is
generally minimal in the late afternoon to early evening hours (1500-1800 hours).
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• Overall proactive time for the 24- hour period is calculated at 59% — within the
high range of the targets noted previously.
As shown above, the historical minimum staffing deployment levels of four to five
officers per shift provides proactive time levels exceeding targets in some hour blocks
and near minimum levels in other time blocks.
5. THE PROJECT TEAM'S STAFFING ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT THE WPD
CAN PROVIDE A HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE WITH THE CURRENT NUMBER
OF OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO PATROL.
The project team calculated the patrol staffing needs with the Matrix Consulting
Group's model utilizing a range of two proactive targets — 40% and 45%. This range
allows the Town to compare the staffing required to meet both targets as well as to
evaluate the impacts of the alternative levels of proactive time. The project team
utilized FY 2010/11 calls for service. The exhibit on the following page shows the results
of the Matrix Consulting Group's patrol staffing model.
Watertown Police Department
Patrol Officer Staffing Calculation, FY 2010/11
Workload
1. COMMUNITY GENERATED WORKLOADS Factor
Calls for service (FY 2010/11) 18,578.00
Handling Time Primary Unit 9,289.00
Back-Up Rate 0.50
Estimated Back-Up Unit Time per Call (75% of primary) 0.38
Arrests (Actual based on CAD disposition) 843
Estimated Time to Complete Arrest (Hrs) 0.50
Reports (Actual based on CAD disposition) 2,944.00
Estimated Time to Complete Report (Hrs) 0.66
Total Handling Time per Call (Hrs.) 0.83
TOTAL TIME REQUIRED TO HANDLE COMMUNITY GENERATED
WORKLOADS (HRS.) 54,240.64
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2. TIME FOR PREVENTIVE PATROL AND
SELF INITIATED ACTIVITIES ((a)ALTERNATIVE
LEVELS OF PROACTIVITY), IN HRS.
• 45% of Available Time 12,602
• 40% of Available Time 10,268
3. TOTAL TIME REQUIRED TO HANDLE BOTH
REACTIVE AND PROACTIVE ACTIVITIES (IN HRS.)
• 45% of Available Time 98,619
• 40% of Available Time 90,401
4. PER OFFICER AVAILABILITY
Est. Availability 2,080
• Net hours worked (after all leaves, training and court) -- 412
• Net hours lost on shift (meals/ breaks/ maintenance) 287
Net hours worked each year 1,384
5. POLICE OFFICERS REQUIRED TO HANDLE WORKLOADS
• 45% of Available Time 20
• 40% of Available Time 19
6. POLICE OFFICERS REQUIRED GIVEN EST. TURNOVER (5%)
AND TIME NEEDED TO ACADEMY AND FIELD TRAIN
• 45% of Available Time 23
• 40% of Available Time 21
The following points highlight the analysis shown above:
• As shown above, the project team estimates that approximately 20 Officers are
needed within patrol (not including admin officers) to handle community
generated workloads and provide for 45% proactive time. To meet a 40%
proactive time target, the Department needs 19 Officers.
• Because patrol is a 24-hour operation, Officer turnover has a significant impact
on the ability of Police Departments to meet targeted service levels. The project
team estimated a turnover rate of 5% within the WPD. In addition, we estimate
that approximately 1 year is spent recruiting, testing, and training a new officer.
As a result, approximately 1 years worth of time is lost for each officer
separation. Consequently, in order to meet targeted staffing within patrol, the
WPD would need 23 Officers at 45% proactive time and 21 Officers at 40%.
Currently, 29 Officers are assigned to patrol (not including admin officers). This
provides for sufficient coverage due to turnover.
Recommendation: The project team finds that current staffing levels provide for a
high level of service and should remain the number of authorized positions in the
Police Department budget.
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6. THE PROJECT TEAM'S PROACTIVE TIME ANALYSIS SHOWS PATROL
DEPLOYMENT ALTERNATIVES CAN BE CONSIDERED.
There are several issues to be considered beyond the consideration of proactive
time availability. Balancing proactive time throughout the 24-hour period with
appropriate staffing to ensure officer safety is one important objective. How officers use
proactive time is another consideration. Beyond these framing issues, current
authorized staffing levels for Patrol reflect that WPD is currently within the reasonable
range of staffing levels required to efficiently and effectively perform proactive
community-response policing services in most instances. That is, there should be no
assumption that WPD patrol operations at authorized staffing levels are severely
understaffed based on workload requirements. Ultimately however, other important
considerations need to be made. As shown in the prior section, the various proactive
time models with varied staffing levels shows an imbalance in proactive time across the
time periods with overall proactive time averages meeting or exceeding the 40%-45%
target nearly every hour of the day overall. The following sections discuss various
deployment decisions for consideration beyond proactive time elements.
(1) Consideration for Officer Safety Issues Can Have an Important Impact on
Staffing Requirements.
As stated previously, the availability of sufficient proactive time to perform typical
patrol officer duties and responsibilities is a primary driver in developing staffing levels.
Implied in these staffing levels is sufficient officer back-up on various call types to help
ensure officer safety. Re-visiting the methodology to arrive at proactive time shows two
important considerations relative to officer back-up:
• The generally accepted practice for back-up officers on community generated
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call for service is 1.50 units per call.
• Typically back-up units spend approximately 75% of the time on-scene with the
primary unit.
In sum, if these two variables are not possible due to staffing levels there can be
a potential impact on both the impression and actuality of officer safety, despite the
availability of sufficient proactive time. The following is noted regarding the employee
survey results:
• When presented with the question regarding, "Availability of Back-up for Officer
Safety" 83% of respondents rated back-up officer availability as good or
excellent.
• In contrast, the majority of patrol (62%) disagreed with the statement, "We have
the staff we need to perform safely and effectively during incidents."
Clearly, employee feedback demonstrates concern with officer safety and, but
not regarding back-up availability. In sum, this perception is likely due to community
characteristics of Watertown as described below:
• Watertown is adjacent to Boston, one of the larger metropolitan areas in the
United States. Such proximity has both an impact on incidents that can and do
occur within Watertown and perceptions regarding activity and officer safety.
• Despite such proximity, Watertown has relatively low call for service volumes and
a comparatively low Part I crime occurrence history. As a consequence,
Watertown workload indicators do not justify a large police force. Smaller police
agencies generally suffer from the perception of officer safety and back-up
issues.
• Despite the Watertown community's profile, there are many call-types, not of a
felony nature, that officers can benefit from a multiple unit response such as
fights, domestic disturbances, suspicious circumstances, etc. In instances where
risk is perceived or an event is impacting community quality of life, officer back-
up is very desirable.
In effect, Watertown PD suffers from what is typically experienced by smaller
police forces throughout the nation that operate independently. That is, the
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independence of a small department brings perceived safety risk. This is the nature of
having a "safe" community. In summary, beyond proactive time calculations, attempts
should be made to develop an organization for patrol staff to feel safe in the field, and
believe sufficient resources are available in the event of a major occurrence requiring a
multiple unit police response.
(2) The 3-12 Shift Schedule Should Be Considered for Patrol.
Various shift schedules can be implemented in a Department, from a 5-day, 8-
hour work-week, to the four-day, 10-hour work week to the 12-hour deployment
schedule. The most cost effective are those schedules that are equally divisible in a
24-hour period (such as WPD's eight-hour program). The staffing requirements for a 9-,
10- or 11-hour schedule increases the number of staff needed on duty, and where some
effectiveness might be gained by the shift overlaps provided in these types of
schedules, it is more costly and thus potentially less efficient than schedules equally
divisible in a 24-hour time period. As a result, to maintain WPD's scheduling efficiency
the project team evaluated another equally efficient schedule: the 12-hour deployment
schedule that is receiving increasing popularity with many law enforcement agencies.
The project team believes that implementation of a 12-hour shift program might solve
some important issues currently experienced by the Town.
The following beneficial generalities can be noted about the 3/12 shift schedule.
This information coincides with a recent study performed by Lincoln, Nebraska,
including an officer survey of LPD patrol regarding potential issues associated with their
implementation of a 3/12 schedule. The survey noted:
• 100% of the respondents felt they were able to perform all police functions on the
3/12 schedule.
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• 87% disagreed that they had become so tired during a shift that they were
unable to function normally or safely.
• When asked about how rested they felt after returning from days off, 82% of
officers said they were "very rested," 9% percent felt "somewhat rested," and an
additional 9% found no difference from previous scheduling alternatives.
• When queried about their ability to work additional hours beyond a 12-hour shift,
42% felt there was no difference, 40% said they were "somewhat less able" to
work, and 18% were "significantly less able" to work overtime.
• Positive mood and disposition changes had been noticed by the families of 77%
of the respondents.
• Because a 3/12 program allows officers and their supervisors to always work
identical shifts (often not the case on other schedules), approximately 50% of
officers reported an improvement in their level of supervision, and 100% of
surveyed employees were very satisfied with the "squad concept"—always
working with the same sergeant and the same group of officers.'
The following provides an example of a 12-hour schedule's impact on proactive
time. The example deploys a full contingent of 28 patrol officers in a two-shift schedule
from 0700-1900 and 1900-0700 hours with equal distribution on all shifts and the same
factor of 83% availability of patrol staff.
'All results found in the August 2008 article from The Police Chief magazine.
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Proactive Time Levels-28 Officers Deployed Over Two 12-hour Shifts
CFS
Handling
Military Average Time in Officers Net Officers Reactive Proactive
Time CFS Hours Scheduled Available Time Time
0 1.79 1.49 7 5.8 26% 74%
100 1.5 1.25 7 5.8 22% 78%
200 1.32 1.1 7 5.8 19% 81%
300 1.01 0.84 7 5.8 14% 86%
400 0.65 0.54 7 5•8 9% 91%
500 0.75 0.62 7 5.8 11% 89%
600 1.21 1 7 5.8 17% 83%
700 1.49 1.24 7 5.8 21% 79%
800 2.43 2.02 7 5.8 35% 65%
900 2.23 1.85 7 5.8 32% 68%
1000 2.42 2.01 7 5.8 35% 65%
1100 2.51 2.08 7 5.8 36% 64%
1200 2.53 2.1 7 5.8 36% 64%
1300 2.41 2 7 5.8 34% 66%
1400 3.03 2.51 7 5.8 43% 57%
1500 2.86 2.37 7 5.8 41% 59%
1600 2.83 2.35 7 5.8 41% 59%
1700 3.03 2.51 7 5.8 43% 57%
1800 2.66 2.21 7 5.8 38% 62%
1900 2.53 2.1 7 5.8 36% 64%
2000 2.58 2.14 7 5.8 37% 63%
2100 2.46 2.04 7 5.8 35% 65%
2200 2.46 2.04 7 5.8 35% 65%
2300 2.24 1.86 7 5.8 32% 68%
Average 2.12 1.76 7 5.8 30% 70%
The following is noted regarding the data in the table.
• Proactive time shows different patterns just as the 29-officer eight-hour shift with
a higher average proactive time of 70% compared to 62%.
• Given two shifts, there are more (net) officers deployed, on average throughout
the day. In the busier day time and early evening time in the 12-hour shift
example proactive time never falls below 50% when compared to an 8-hour shift
where a low proactive rate of 42% occurred between 2:00 and 3:00 pm. In
effect, this can improve the perception of officer safety and back-up availability
during these busier times without changing patrol staffing levels.
In effect, the 12-hour shift program offers some trade-offs compared to the eight-
hour shift, to include more resources during busier times of shifts. Whether this
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improves the perception of officer safety and available back-up is unknown, despite the
fact that significant proactive time is available in many instances to provide such back-
up.
From an exclusively administrative and fiscal perspective, one of the greatest
benefits associated with the 12-hour shift program is the ability to field fewer staff
resources than other shift counterparts. This fact is noted in the following table, which
illustrates how many staff positions are necessary to cover one "24/7/365" fixed shift
position based upon the type of shift schedule implemented.
Impact of Shift Types on Staffing Needs
SHIFT TYPE: 8 hr 9 hr 10 hr 11 hr 12 hr
Target Staff/ Hr 1 1 1 1 1
Shift Schedule (Hrs) 8 9 10 11 12
Shift Factordd 71% 64% 57% 52% 50%
Shifts/Day 3 3 3 3 2
Total Hours Covered /Day 24 27 30 33 24
Shift"Inefficiency" 0% 13% 25% 38% 0%
Staff Required 4.2 4.7 5.3 5.8 4.0
As shown by the table, the 4/10 work schedule is 25% less cost-effective than
either the 5/8 or 3/12 schedules. The worst schedule from a cost perspective is the 11-
hour shift program. Interestingly, the 12-hour shift schedule is the most cost effective
from the total number of staff positions required because of the additional 104 work
hours per annum that are potentially provided by that staff position. In instances where
this additional time is not worked, the "efficiency" of the 12-hour shift is equivalent to the
8-hour shift.
In addition to the noted efficiencies, the 12-hour shift program has the added
advantage of deploying the total personnel resource contingent over two shifts as
4 Shift Factor is the number of days scheduled for work versus days to be covered in the work period. By example, 5-
days/7-days=71%.
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opposed to three shifts. As a consequence more personnel are available on a shift-to-
shift basis in a 12-hour shift than any counterpart shift schedule.
Given these facts, what ultimately results is that, barring any other variables; the
same level of production can be achieved with fewer staff resources in a 12-hour shift
than other shifts of different lengths. This holds true in any industry, including law
enforcement. It is for this reason that many municipalities are implementing 12-hour
shift programs in their law enforcement agencies, particularly those departments of
smaller size.
In summary, the greatest cost-savings impact a 12-hour shift program can have
is the subsequent reduction of personnel resources while generally achieving
appropriate service levels. It must be recognized that the greatest fiscal benefits
associated with a 12-hour shift schedule are related to its ability to impact staff resource
requirements compared to other compressed scheduling alternatives. For example,
the following table shows a 12-hour deployment schedule for WPD with 24 officers—five
less than the present patrol shift contingent.
In implementing such a schedule the Department will need to monitor, as they
currently do, the factors that could lead to excessive utilization of staff, such as the
number of paid details worked in a given period.
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Proactive Time Levels-24 Officers Deployed Over Two 12-hour Shifts
CFS
Handling
Military Average Time in Officers Net Officers Reactive Proactive
Time CFS Hours Scheduled Available Time Time
0 1.79 1.49 6 4.98 30% 70%
100 1.5 1.25 6 4.98 25% 75%
200 1.32 1.1 6 4.98 22% 78%
300 1.01 0.84 6 4.98 17% 83%
400 0.65 0.54 6 4.98 11% 89%
500 0.75 0.62 6 4.98 12% 88%
600 1.21 1 6 4.98 20% 80%
700 1.49 1.24 6 4.98 25% 75%
800 2.43 2.02 6 4.98 41% 59%
900 2.23 1.85 6 4.98 37% 63%
1000 2.42 2.01 6 4.98 40% 60%
1100 2.51 2.08 6 4.98 42% 58%
1200 2.53 2.1 6 4.98 42% 58%
1300 2.41 2 6 4.98 40% 60%
1400 3.03 2.51 6 4.98 50% 50%
1500 2.86 2.37 6 4.98 48% 52%
1600 2.83 2.35 6 4.98 47% 53%
1700 3.03 2.51 6 4.98 50% 50%
1800 2.66 2.21 6 4.98 44% 56%
1900 2.53 2.1 6 4.98 42% 58%
2000 2.58 2.14 6 4.98 43% 57%
2100 2.46 2.04 6 4.98 41% 59%
2200 2.46 2.04 6 4.98 41% 59%
2300 2.24 1.86 6 4.98 37% 63%
Average 2.12 1.76 6 4.98 35% 65%
For comparative purposes, this 24 officer 12-hour schedule can be compared
against data from the eight-hour schedule where 29 officers are deployed and one
officer is assigned the desk. This is a recent situation under which officer-safety and
back-up availability would be perceived as most comparable.
#of Time Blocks
Avg. Proactive Avg. Net Officer Proactive Time
SHIFT TYPE: #Officers Time Availability Exceeds 50%
8-hour Shift 29 63% 4.6 22 of 24
12-hour Shift 24 65% 4.9 21 of 24
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The development of a 3/12 shift schedule that meets the specific needs of the
WPD is beyond the scope of this report; there are numerous alternatives that can be
designed. Changing work schedules must be performed in consultation with bargaining
units to help ensure an acceptance and a smooth transition. However, the following is
representative of some varied approaches that can be taken when designing a 3/12
shift schedule:
• A 3/12 shift schedule can be developed that allows for rotating days off, thereby
allowing all officers to have some weekend time off (similar to the philosophy of
WPD's rotating 8-hour schedule). One schedule would be: work two days, then
take two days off, then work three days, and then take two days off, then work
two days again, and then take three days off. The cycle then begins again.
• A 3/12 shift schedule can be developed that allows for fixed days off, thereby
allowing officers to have a consistent time-off schedule. By example, one team
works three consecutive days the first week with four days off and four
consecutive days the second week with three days off. A counterpart team
works in the opposite fashion (four work days, followed by three work days the
second week). This results in an 84 hour schedule every two weeks, whereby
the extra four hours can be provided in flex time where officers are allowed to
take it at any time during the pay period, in whatever increments they chose, as
long as it had supervisory approval; banked to allow for extra leave time; paid on
an overtime or straight-time basis; etc.
There are numerous 3/12 shift schedules that can be designed to meet the
unique needs of WPD. Through a collaborative effort between management and union
representatives, this 3/12 shift schedule can be developed accordingly.
In summary, based upon the totality of data provided herein, the following
findings with respect to patrol deployment and patrol deployment alternatives are
relevant.
• Proactive time availability suggests that there are no under-staffing issues in
WPD Patrol Services and opportunities exist to reduce staff if fiscally necessary.
• Proactive time, under many circumstances, is near the upper end of the
recommended range.
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• Although the approximate 60% proactive time average exceeds the suggested
range of 40%-50%, given the unique profile of the community as discussed
previously proactive time is only one variable that can be considered.
• There is concern among some patrol personnel that officer safety is an issue.
This perception is generally typical of smaller police agencies.
• To potentially mitigate this perception, implementation of a 12-hour shift program
may prove valuable. This will provide more officers during busier time periods of
the day with minimal impact elsewhere in the schedule (using existing
resources).
• In the future, field supervisors and police officers should share the same shift
structure regardless of the shift selected.
It is feasible to implement a 12-hour shift schedule and reduce patrol resources
marginally with probable minimal impact to service delivery and officer safety / back-up
availability. While such reductions must be viewed with caution, in eras of fiscal crisis it
can be considered.
Recommendation: Give strong consideration to implementing the 3/12 shift
schedule for all of patrol services.
7. TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT AMONG DEDICATED TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT
STAFF APPEARS PRODUCTIVE THOUGH THERE ARE ISSUES WITH
PATROL OFFICERS' PARTICIPATION IN THESE EFFORTS.
As noted in the Profile Chapter, there are two town-wide Traffic Officers with one
assigned to the day shift and one assigned to the first half shift. The daytime traffic
officer is typically assigned to court to handle traffic cases being heard. This results in
the first half traffic officer handling much of the traffic enforcement efforts in Watertown
and patrol officers also focusing on traffic enforcement during their tour of duty.
Metrics associated with Traffic Enforcement are discussed in the section below.
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(1) Moving Citation and Warnings Issued.
One important measure of traffic enforcement productivity, particular for a traffic
unit, is the number of citations issued per field deployment hour. Based on calendar
2010 data, the following table shows the citation production for Patrol Services:
Patrol Services—Vehicle Citations and Warnings, FY 2010/11
Traffic Cites/Warnings Injury Accidents/DUI Ratio of Citations to
Accidents/DUI
9,935 342 1:29
Based on the project team's research over two decades, we have discovered
that a productive and dedicated Traffic Unit should be able to generate at least 35-40
citations for every injury accident and DUI arrest. The 1:29 ratio in Watertown suggests
that patrol officers are marginally below where they should be in traffic enforcement
efforts.
(2) Patrol Personnel Need to Use More Proactive Time Dedicated to Traffic
Enforcement Activities.
Our analysis shows that the two staff assigned to Traffic Enforcement are
productive writing citations and warnings. However, there are only two of them. On the
other hand, patrol personnel are not highly involved in traffic enforcement activities.
Given the levels of proactive time available and the seriousness of traffic safety issues
in the Town, this should be a high priority proactive activity for most officers on most
shifts.
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8. SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT AND COMMUNITY POLICING IN WATERTOWN
HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY REDUCTIONS IN THE PAST THREE BUDGET
CYCLES.
Prior to the recession the Watertown Police Department had resources dedicated
to proactive policing that have been eliminated due to the lack of fiscal resources in the
Town. These resources included the following:
• Two School Resources Officers.
• A Police Officer assigned to a regional narcotics task force.
• Three Community Policing Officers.
• Two traffic enforcement officers.
The Department during this period also lost two Detectives.
There is no question that the Town's overall law enforcement program has been
impacted by these personnel losses. Long term, as additional revenues become
available to the Town they should incrementally evaluated according to the highest
needs at that time. However, as the analysis in this report has demonstrated there is
much opportunity to utilize existing resources to address proactive community needs in
selected areas, including:
Proactive Service Area Opportunity for Patrol?
School Resources No, dedicated resources are needed to address program, school,
student and parental service needs.
Regional Task Forces No, dedicated resources are required for longer periods than are
available within a shift. Given that the Town continues to
participate in one task force, these regional resources should be
maximized to the extent possible to the benefit to the Town.
Dedicated Community Policing Yes, the programs and services provided by dedicated community
policing officers can be assumed by officers assigned to Patrol if
all are involved.
Traffic Enforcement Yes, traffic enforcement is a legitimate community policing service
and should show much greater efforts than have been
demonstrated.
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Recommendation: Continue to participate in regional task forces to the extent
that these can be supported through local funding and expect great participation
in community policing efforts by staff assigned to Patrol.
9. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO MONITOR AND ADJUST TO
UNANTICIPATED POSITION VACANCIES.
As a small police department, the impacts of position vacancies can be great
because the loss of even one person represents a large proportion of the resources
authorized. While "normal" availability levels in a public sector organization for position
vacancies and long term absences (not vacation and sick leave) can be expected to
average up to 10%, in Watertown now these factors are much higher because of:
• 2 in field training.
• 1 in military leave.
• 4 retirements in the second half of FY 2012.
• 1 long term disability.
• 1 vacancy for another separation reason.
These factors, though temporary, are twice the expected level and are impacting
the need for overtime. The Department needs to do what it can to anticipate long term
of permanent vacancies as part of its workforce planning efforts.
Recommendation: Because of the potential impacts in the need for overtime,
monitor vacancy levels which exceed a normal range of about 10% per year
which will lead to higher levels of overtime.
10. PATROL SERVICES FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
Based on our data collection, review, and analysis, the following patrol services
findings conclusions and recommendations are offered.
• In consideration for officer safety and back-up availability, the proportion of
proactive time available cannot serve as the exclusive driver in developing WPD
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patrol staffing levels. Despite high levels of proactive time, the Department's
small size precludes significant staff reductions under existing operating
protocols.
• Under eight hour patrol shift operations, the existing staffing levels of 29 patrol
officers should be maintained. Optionally, one position could be eliminated from
First Half Shift reducing staffing to 28 in patrol.
• A 12-hour shift program should be strongly considered for patrol operations. This
will align supervisory teams with shift squads ensuring consistent supervision,
potential enhanced camaraderie, etc.
• Under a 12-hour shift program the Town may cautiously consider patrol staffing
reductions from 29 to 24 patrol staff with probable minimal impact on overall
service delivery and officer safety. This can potentially save $338,180 annually
in salary and benefits although new contractual terms and conditions as part of
meet-and-confer may impact this amount.
• Currently, field supervisors are on different schedules than line policies officers.
The Department should strive to achieve the goal of consistency in field
supervision by putting supervisors and line personnel on the same shifts.
The following recommendations are made:
Recommendation: Maintain existing patrol staffing levels of 29 officers if patrol
operations continue under the 8-hour program. Maintain existing sergeant and
lieutenant staffing contingent in patrol.
Recommendation: Give strong consideration to implementing the 3/12 shift
schedule for all of patrol services. In collaboration with union and management
representatives, design a 3/12 shift schedule that meets the unique needs of the
WPD. Under 12-hour schedule operations, it would be possible to eliminate five
(5) patrol officers from the field at an estimated annual savings of $338,180
annually.
Recommendation: The Department should strive to get supervisors on the same
schedule as line police officers to achieve consistency in field supervision.
11. DISPATCH FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
Currently, Watertown Police Department staffs the dispatch center with nine (9)
dispatchers. The center is supervised by the one duty Patrol Lieutenant who offices
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immediately adjacent to the center. The following duties are handled by Watertown
Dispatchers:
• Answer and Dispatch 9-1-1 Emergency calls for Police, Fire and EMS response.
• Prepare daily roster for patrol.
• Answer incoming non-emergency calls for the Police Department.
• Run License plates for wanted during traffic stops.
• Run criminal history checks on prisoners being booked into the holding facility.
• Maintain emergency call lists for businesses and Watertown personnel.
• Maintain copies of active restraining orders, stolen vehicles and missing persons.
• Serve as back-up for admin officer at front counter.
Each shift is staffed with a minimum of two (2) dispatchers. Patrol officers or
Admin Officers can fill staffing vacancies in the dispatch center, but there must be a
minimum of one fully trained dispatcher on duty at all times. Like most small dispatch
agencies the minimum staffing is derived from an officer and firefighter safety
perspective and not on workload in the center.
For the next few months unusual circumstances among dispatch staff will impact
the need for overtime. Specifically:
• One dispatcher will be out for about 8 weeks because of a medical issue.
• The Department is about to hire two (2) dispatchers who will need to go through
training during which their positions will need to be covered through overtime of
existing staff.
• Another dispatcher is on the list to become a police officer and may be lost in the
near term.
Unanticipated overtime, then, should be expected, though the amount depends
on events which cannot at this point be exactly predicted.
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The Town and Department are attempting to implement a program in which part-
time temporary employees are utilized in the dispatch center. The use of part time
temporary dispatchers is widely accepted in the industry and its use in Watertown in
encouraged.
Recommendation: Continue with the implementation of part time temporary
dispatchers.
(1) There Are No Established Performance Benchmarks in the Dispatch Center
For Dispatching Priority One Calls for Service.
Currently the dispatch center operates without benchmarks for timely dispatching
of priority one calls for service, for example:
• That a dispatcher should be able to dispatch 90% of Priority One calls within 60
seconds of receiving the call).
• For a person placing a 9-1-1 call for service the time of call is when they
establish how long emergency response takes to arrive.
Establishing these benchmarks allows review of dispatcher performance and
enhances delivery of emergency services as police and firefighters will have "improved"
response times as a result of monitoring and improving dispatching times.
(2) Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD) is State Mandated in Massachusetts
Beginning in 2013.
The State of Massachusetts passed a requirement that all dispatch centers with
the responsibility of dispatching Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls must provide
EMD instructions to the caller. This will require increased training for dispatch personnel
and the procurement of an appropriate EMD system to implement in the dispatch
center. The Department should begin to implement this system as soon as practical to
ensure all dispatchers are trained and functional in EMD operations prior to the
mandate taking effect.
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(3) The Watertown Police and Fire Departments Needs to Focus on "Customer
Service" Issues with Respect to Emergency Communications.
The Watertown Police Department dispatches for the Watertown Fire
Department, a public safety practice which this project team supports. However, issues
have arisen with respect to resolving problems dispatching some calls, use of air time,
explaining changes in the system which need to be addressed in the future. The Police
Department, as a result, should take the lead in the following:
• Work with the Fire Department to develop a `performance contract' for service
which would cover such issues as:
— Ring times.
— Dispatch times.
— Problem resolving techniques.
— Reporting and review meetings.
• Develop measurable performance measures in support of the contract.
• Create a users group with representatives of both departments to address and
resolve issues when they arise. This group should meet no less frequently than
quarterly.
• Report back to the Town Manager on an annual basis on the effectiveness of the
service and working relationship.
These measures in other jurisdictions have positively addressed perceived and
real problems in joint dispatching working relationships.
Recommendation: Develop `customer service' approaches to address and
resolve problems in joint dispatching.
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(4) Watertown Should Consider Regional Consolidation of Dispatch with
Neighboring Agencies.
The maintenance of an emergency communication center poses high personnel
and infrastructure (building, radios, CAD, etc.) costs on a community. Small agencies
such as Watertown often staff the center based on officer and firefighter safety needs
rather than on the amount of work required in the center. This is especially true on the
last half shift.
To reduce the cost of providing emergency communications to Watertown, the
consolidation of dispatch services with neighboring communities should be considered.
This will allow staffing to be based on need and allow dedicated call-takers and
dispatchers to provide an improved level of service to both the caller and emergency
field personnel.
There are, however, several issues that must be considered prior to
regionalization or consolidation of dispatch services. These include:
• Are holding facility operations integrally related to the delivery of dispatch? While
this is not the case in Watertown, often dispatchers monitor detainees, process
booking paperwork and assist in prisoner release.
• Is there strong support from area Town / City Managers? Often the interest of
maintaining local control takes precedence over the opportunity to improve
service delivery at a lower cost. Without strong leadership from the Mangers this
is often a difficult hurdle to overcome.
• The communities will also need to consider records processing procedures and
whether the dispatch center has a role in providing 24-hour access to the police
facility for records & reports.
• The dispatch center also often serves as the switchboard and after-hours contact
point in many communities. This issue should be considered as part of
consolidations discussions.
Recommendation: Implement performance standards for dispatching Priority
One calls for service.
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Recommendation: Continue the implementation process of EMD protocols and
procedures and train dispatch personnel prior to the 2013 mandate.
Recommendation: Explore opportunities with surrounding communities for the
regionalization or consolidation of dispatch services.
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4. ANALYSIS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
BUREAU
The chapter focuses on the Administrative Services Bureau duties and
responsibilities beginning with investigative services provided by the Watertown Police
Department. The workload information utilized in this section was obtained from
interviews with Bureau management, supervisory and line personnel. Additionally
interviews with civilians in the Administrative Services Bureau occurred as part of the
study and desk audits were conducted with detectives.
Current Organization and Staffing of Administrative Services
Captain
Network Security/
System
Administrator
Detective Community and
Division Staff Development Civilian Staff
Division
Lieutenant Building&Veh
Lieutenant Maint
Prosecutor Investigation Accounts
Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant Payable
Detective(1) Detectives(4) SRO Records Clerk
Police Officers
(2) Systems
Detail Officer
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1. INVESTIGATIONS WORKLOAD, STAFFING AND EFFECTIVENESS ARE
EVALUATED DIFFERENTLY THAN PATROL OPERATIONS.
A Captain who reports directly to the Chief of Police manages the Administrative
Services Bureau. This division includes the Detective Division, Community & Staff
Development Division, and Civilian Staff.
It is more difficult to evaluate the staffing levels required by criminal
investigations because, unlike patrol, more subjective and qualitative determinants of
workload and work practices need to be considered. Patrol services have the benefit of
several quantitative measures, such as calls for service and proactive time, to assist in
the evaluation of staffing requirements, whereas investigative services have fewer such
reliable measures. Comparisons with other agencies are also difficult given the
variations of conducting investigative business among differing law enforcement
agencies throughout the nation. Factors making comparative analyses difficult include:
• What is actually investigated varies by agency. The extent to which agencies
assign misdemeanor level property crime cases to Detectives varies. Also, the
extent to which patrol performs preliminary investigation varies widely and
thereby impacts Detective caseloads.
• Approaches used to screen, assign, and monitor cases are different among law
enforcement agencies. By example, Watertown relies on managerial case
screening whereas other departments may use crime analysis or dedicate Unit
Sergeants to read and initially screen cases based on various formalized
solvability factors.
• Work practices vary tremendously among agencies, relating to interviewing
techniques, mix of telephone and in-person interviews, use of computer
technologies, time devoted to administrative tasks, etc.
• Complexity of caseloads is also a critical factor to consider when examining
quantitative factors relating to investigative activity. Each case is different in
terms of workable leads, suspect description, evidence availability, victim/witness
cooperation, quality of information provided by the original report taker, and
numerous other factors. The way information in a single case may combine with
information on other cases (e.g. serial crime) also impacts investigative actions.
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• Additional duties and responsibilities performed by detectives beyond caseload
work. Such activities may include being a specialized trainer, assisting on
warrant arrests or various other administrative duties detracting from casework.
In smaller agencies, the existence of collateral duties such as these are a normal
part of the assignment. For a study such as this, it means that these diverse
duties need to factored into the analysis of staffing needs.
• Finally, the nature of the community itself is a factor in evaluating investigative
workload and staffing needs. Citizen expectations translate into service levels
impacting detectives in terms of what is investigated and how investigations are
conducted.
These various considerations portray investigative workloads with numerous
qualitative considerations when compared to that which depicts typically quantitative-
driven patrol workload. Unlike patrol, investigative workload lacks some specific
measures that can be converted into quantitative methodologies to arrive at required
staffing levels. In sum, qualitative issues must also be considered. Investigative
staffing requirements need to be examined from a variety of perspectives in order to
obtain an overall portrait of staffing issues, case handling issues, and operational
philosophies that have an impact on overall staffing needs. The sections, which follow,
provide a description of how the project team conducted its analysis relative to the
aforementioned approaches.
As stated above, investigative workload and staffing requirements employ a
series of broad indicators to determine the extent to which core investigative staffing
and general workload in the Department compare to ranges observed in other
departments. This information is used to determine if the Watertown PD is within the
ranges measured by those indicators. Investigative workloads vary depending on the
number and types of cases a Detective is assigned, their complexity, and also the level
of service desired by an agency. Generally speaking, however, the comparative
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measures that can be employed are displayed in the following table:
Comparative Measures for Investigations
Comparative Measures Comparative Industry Patterns
Part I Offenses per"line" Detective in core The Average distribution of Part I Offenses per
investigative functions such as persons and "line" Detective developed in police services
property crimes Detectives. This does not include studies in the U.S. generally ranges from 300-500
those assigned to "proactive" units such as Part I Offenses per investigator.
narcotics or vice.
Case Clearance for Part I Crimes—serious crime, The Uniform Crime Report provides data on
captured at State and National levels and average case clearance by major crime type for
including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated various sized jurisdictions.
assault, theft, burglary and auto theft.
Active cases assigned to "property" crimes 15 to 20 active cases per month based on a
Detectives (e.g., burglary/theft). survey of dozens of law enforcement agencies
performed by the Matrix Consulting Group over
the last several years.
Active cases assigned to White Collar crimes These have a broader range due to their varied
Detectives (e.g., fraud). complexity, from 10 to 20 active cases per month
each.
Active cases assigned to "person" crimes 8 to 12 active cases per month based on the
Detectives. same survey. 3 to 5 active cases for complex
person crimes such as felony assault (shootings)
to include homicides. Domestic Violence cases
vary widely dependent upon State mandates that
result in varied workloads. Some DV Units can
handle 20 to 30 cases per investigator per month,
whereas others can only handle DV cases
typically attributed to "felonious person crimes."
Active cases assigned to "generalist" crimes 12 to 15 active cases per month based on the
Detectives. same survey.
There is no caseload standard for specialized units, such as Narcotics, because
these types of cases are more proactive in nature. They can consume many weeks of
staff time generating leads, contacts and suspect information; and they may also often
require surveillance and related activities. It should be noted that WPD previously had
two detectives assigned to a narcotics task force, but due to staffing cuts that has
reduced to one.
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2. A COMPARISON OF CRIME CLEARANCE DATA SHOWS NO ISSUES OF
SIGNIFICANCE WHEN COMPARED TO PEER AGENCIES.
One approach to evaluating the outcome of investigative services or investigative
effectiveness is to benchmark case clearances' versus other local law enforcement
agencies in similar sized communities.
(1) Using Case Clearance with Benchmarked Agencies.
Information available from the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) provides case
clearance statistics for Part I crimes. The following table shows benchmark
communities and their law enforcement agencies respective UCR statistics.
2008 -2010— Part I UCR Statistics, Selected Massachusetts PDs
Motor
Ag. Vehicle
City/Town Pop. Violent Murder Rape Robb. Asslt. Property Burg. Larceny Theft Arson
Beverly
2008 39,435 122 0 10 20 92 695 107 548 40 0
2009 39,919 97 0 10 12 75 619 114 474 31 1
2010 39,064 114 2 8 9 95 657 131 502 24 2
Canton
2008 20,054 54 0 3 3 48 301 66 218 17 3
2009 22,407 45 0 2 5 38 222 44 163 15 0
2010 22,291 52 0 3 4 45 230 67 150 13 0
Melrose
2008 26,737 30 0 1 9 20 336 75 235 26 2
2009 27,134 36 0 2 11 23 318 102 193 23 1
2010 26,796 35 0 3 8 24 291 92 184 15 1
Waltham
2008 60,459 89 0 9 15 65 848 108 696 44 1
2009 61,357 115 0 8 24 83 878 166 653 59 7
2010 60,106 151 2 13 24 112 1,032 200 759 73 2
Watertown
2008 32,462 52 0 3 6 43 563 101 433 29 1
2009 32,994 38 0 2 7 29 630 89 509 32 0
2010 32,780 64 0 4 13 47 534 69 436 29 0
The table above shows that Watertown does not have any significant crime
issues when compared with benchmark communities in Massachusetts. To gain a
clearer picture the above date is show below on a per 1,000 resident basis.
'Cases are cleared through an arrest or exceptional circumstances.
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UCR Part 1 Crimes 2008, 2009,
2010
2s.00
20.00
15.00
■Violent
10.00 •Property
5.00
0.00 ■ as all MEN
Beverly Canton Melrose Waltham Watertown
As shown in the above chart, when Part 1 crime is depicted on a per 1,000
resident basis Watertown has slightly lower incidences of violent crime than the
comparative communities and a mix of higher property crime rates than Canton and
Melrose and lower rates when compared to Beverly and Waltham in 2010. In 2008 and
2009, Watertown had higher property crime rates than all the comparative communities.
The use of related clearance rates also is a useful comparative data tool to
determine the effectiveness of detectives in solving crime as compared with benchmark
agencies. The following information reflects the UCR clearance data for the above
agencies.
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2010— FBI UCR Clearance Statistics
% % Total Clearance
Jurisdiction Violent Crime Cleared Property Crime Cleared %
National 1,080,242 47.2% 8,064,964 18.3% 28.2%
New England 46,824 50.0% 661,911 23.4% 36.7%
Cities 25,000-
49,999 population 84,032 49.9% 797,465 21.3% 35.6%
Watertown 64 78.1% 534 21.5% 49.8%
As indicated by the table, in comparison to the other noted agencies, there are
no crime clearance issues of significance; overall, Watertown PD staff clear a higher
portion of cases overall when compared to law enforcement agencies Nationally,
Regionally, and of comparable size. Watertown PD enjoys a much higher clearance rate
for violent crime when compared to the national, regional and similar sized
communities. WPD also performs well in clearing property crime, when compared
nationally and with similar sized communities, but is slightly below the regional
clearance rate in this area. Typically property crimes are harder to solve as the crime
may go undetected for a protracted period of time before police are notified.
(2) Using Uniform Crime Reporting Part I Crime Data, the Ratio of Part I Crimes
per Detective Is Marginally Below Averages Compared to Benchmark
Agencies.
The number of Part I crimes per Detective in many other law enforcement
agencies in the United States averages between 300-500 crimes per Detective. Part I
Crimes are taken from the annual Uniform Crime Report and compared to actual
detective staffing levels in a police agency. The following reflects information gathered
by the project team over the last several years related to these staffing patterns:
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Range of Part I Offenses per Investigative Staff
Percent of Departments Surveyed with Part I
Range of Part I Offenses Per Core Investigator Offense Ratios in the Range
Less than 300 5.3%
300 to 400 31.6%
400 to 500 42.1%
More Than 500 21.0%
TOTAL: 100%
In addition to the above table, a comparison of this metric against a variety of law
enforcement agencies with which the Matrix Consulting Group has directly worked over
the last four years is further enlightening. It should be noted that in none of these
agencies utilize civilian "assistant investigators" and in the shaded ones generalist
investigators are utilized.
Range of Part I Offenses per Core Investigative Staff
Part I Offenses Per Core
Agency Investigator
Aurora, CO Police Department 211
Brick Township, NJ Police Department 148
Corvallis, OR Police Department 403
Galt, CA Police Department 257
Gilroy, CA Police Department 466
Goodyear, AZ Police Department I 461
Grants Pass, OR Public Safety 636
Lawrence Township, NJ Police Department 216
Lowell, MA Police Department 341
West Springfield, MA Police Department I 373
AVERAGE OF THESE AGENCIES 351
Watertown Police Department 299
Based on detective staffing levels of two generalist and one Domestic Violence
"core detectives" and based on 2010 UCR data shown above, the ratio of Part
Offenses per Detective is 299:1. In 2009 the ratio was slightly higher at 334:1. This is
near the average of the agencies with which the project team has recently worked and
at the low end of the noted 300-500 in surveyed agencies as noted by the prior table.
Based on Part I crime comparisons, the WPD has a sufficient number of detective staff
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assigned. This comparison reflects the ability of investigators to investigate assigned
cases, be proactive where this is warranted and possible and have selected other
collateral duties.
It should be noted that UCR data should be viewed with some caution; that is
why it is only one method by which the project team evaluates investigative services.
The following is abstracted directly from the FBI's website:
"Each year when Crime in the United States is published, many entities—
news media, tourism agencies, and other groups with an interest in crime
in our Nation—use reported figures to compile rankings of cities and
counties. These rankings, however, are merely a quick choice made by
the data user; they provide no insight into the many variables that mold
the crime in a particular town, city, county, state, region, or other
jurisdiction. Consequently, these rankings (alone) lead to simplistic and/or
incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely
affecting cities and counties, along with their residents."
Clearance rates can be impacted by a number of factors, including the
investigative process used, skills of staff and staffing levels, and should not be
considered an exclusive measure of investigative productivity. It is, however, one
measure that can allude to several operational characteristics. This information is
interesting; however as any standalone metric, this performance measurement is
inconclusive in and of itself as there are other workload drivers beyond Part I felony
crimes. Nevertheless, these data point to a potential operational issue deserving further
analysis.
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3. CASES ASSIGNED TO WPD DETECTIVE STAFF ARE HIGHER THAN
DESIRED CASELOAD TARGETS WHEN COMPARED TO MOST OTHER
NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND BEST PRACTICES.
To analyze staffing and workloads for the described detective division, the project
team obtained information from the Department. This hardcopy information was
evaluated and particular data elements analyzed.
Based on the analytical approach shown above, the following is noted regarding
the Detective Unit.
• Average monthly caseload per detective varies from 14 cases to 21.8 cases.
The only "specialist" detective is assigned to Domestic Violence and is at the
high end of case assignment. The Domestic Violence Detective also handles a
number of licensing functions that could be civilianized to alleviate excess
workload.
• WPD has case management software to track cases that is effectively utilized by
all member of the Detective Division. Data was provided to the project team in
directly from the system and was easy to evaluate and understand.
• The amount of workload assigned is comparatively excessive, particular for
"generalist" detective positions. As noted in a prior table, a Detective should
have 12-15 active cases per month. A case audit of WPD detectives indicated
that cases assigned for investigation are slightly above this level at 16 cases per
month.
High caseload levels for detectives can lead to important operational issues.
Fortunately the current situation appears to have negligible impact on case clearance.
Enhancement of the case screening process and plans to civilianize the ancillary duties
of the Domestic Violence Detective should bring caseloads back to manageable levels.
If caseloads continue to be at the high end of best practices additional staff resources in
detectives should be considered. These are discussed in the following sub-sections.
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(1) The Detective Division Should Formalize the Case Screening Process
Using Solvability Factor and Priority Status Methodologies Consistent with
Best Management Practices.
The current state of case management is indicative of a less than formal and
effective case assignment process. Because the case screening process is not
formalized and the Lieutenant and Sergeant rely on experience when assigning cases,
there may be cases assigned that might not warrant follow-up investigation. Present
case screening practices also have no formal way to help prioritize workloads. In effect,
failure to use a proven solvability index at WPD will have an impact on perceived
staffing needs, as there is no effective linkage between what work should be done and
what is actually accomplished. Developing a detailed case screening process and the
associated protocols is beyond the scope of this report; however, particular guidelines
are highlighted herein. There are examples available of detailed relevant policies and
procedures associated with investigative services.
In order to ensure consistency and help prioritize work for investigative follow-
up, a formal case screening checklist with relevant solvability factors should be adopted
by WPD. This is consistent with progressive case management philosophies as well as
with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) case-
screening system criteria (Section 42.1.2).
Based on the project team's review of various case screening processes in use
in varied law enforcement settings, we believe that the following 12-point checklist, in
conjunction with a Priority Status methodology, should be considered for adoption.
(2) The Solvability Factor Methodology.
The use of solvability factors is consistent with CALEA's Section 42.1.2, which
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states, "The agency uses a case-screening system and specifies the criteria for
continuing and/or suspending an investigative effort." This screening can take several
forms. There are a variety of case screening and assignment methods available and
the Watertown Police Department should adopt one that best `fits' it or develop one of
its own. There are twelve screening points to consider:
• Witnesses to the crime;
• Knowledge of the suspect's name;
• Knowledge of where the suspect can be located;
• Reasonable description of suspect;
• Identification of suspect probable;
• Property with traceable, identifiable characteristics, marks or numbers;
• Existence of a significant modus operandi;
• Presence of significant physical evidence;
• Reasonable description of the suspect's vehicle;
• Positive results from a crime scene evidence search;
• Belief that crime may be solved with publicity and/or reasonable additional
investigative effort; and
• Strong possibility and/or opportunity for anyone, other than the suspect, to have
committed the crime.
These solvability factors should be incorporated into a formal case screening
process whereby the above list, or some derivative, is used as a cover sheet on all
cases to determine whether it is an assignable case to a Detective for investigative
follow-up. For those cases requiring follow-up, the suggested prioritization, as discussed
subsequently, should be noted on the cover sheet.
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Adoption of a formal screening process will ensure that for those cases with no
solvability factors checked, the maximum service received on the case is minimal and
has limited impact on staff workload. This may amount to one courtesy telephone call
to the victim advising them of their case status and the need for additional information to
continue the investigation — which the Department currently does.
Effective case screening allows for the bulk of investigative resources to be
dedicated to solvable cases, thereby allowing time to focus on solving and clearing
major crime activities. Case screening based on formal solvability factors and the
implementation of a formalized process is a best management practice that should be
adopted by WPD in the short term.
Recommendation: Formalize the case screening process using a documented
solvability factor methodology.
(3) The Prioritization Methodology
Once a case has been screened for solvability, based on those solvability factors
checked, as well as a review of the qualitative case circumstances, the case should be
prioritized for work based on the following seven-priority rating. Prioritization of
workload has clearly been widely adopted in patrol services throughout the nation
through call priority classifications, but is used in a lesser capacity in other law
enforcement arenas. The project team believes case prioritization is an effective
management tool to augment case screening. The seven-priority rating includes:
• Priority 1 — Felony Crime with In-custody suspect or excellent chance of arrest.
• Priority 2 — Misdemeanor Crime with In-custody suspect or excellent chance of
arrest.
• Priority 3 — Felony Crime with reasonable chance of arrest.
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• Priority 4 — Felony Crime with limited chance of arrest.
• Priority 5 — Misdemeanor Crime with reasonable chance of arrest.
• Priority 6 — Misdemeanor Crime with limited chance of arrest.
• Priority 7 — Courtesy phone call based on no solvability factors.
This priority system can be modified to meet the unique needs of the WPD;
however, the concept should be used as a framework for prioritizing workload, thereby
focusing detective resources on the most important cases. A 1-7 Priority should be
assigned on all case screening cover sheets as noted previously.
Recommendation: Formalize a detective caseload prioritization system as part of
the case screening process using a 7-priority system as a framework.
(4) If Revised Case Management Practices Do Not Significantly Impact Cases
Assigned to Detectives, Consider Additional Staff Resources.
If revised case screening and management practices do not reduce the number
of cases assigned to detectives, consideration should be given to adding additional staff
resources to the detective unit. While case clearance (a performance outcome) is
currently reasonable, interview suggests that detectives do not have sufficient time to
effectively work what they believe are potentially solvable cases. Balancing detective
outcomes with necessary staffing levels should be accomplished internally with
emphasis placed on first revising case assignment and investigative approaches and
secondarily on increased staffing levels. The Detective Division could potentially benefit
from at least one additional investigative staff member. However, other business
process changes should be explored first, including:
• Screening out cases with low solvability potential.
• Assigning follow up to "minor cases" to patrol.
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• Eliminating or reassigning detective collateral duties.
• Assigning some tasks currently performed by detectives (e.g., certain licenses)
elsewhere in Town government (e.g., the Town Clerk's Office).
Recommendation: Revise case screening practices, assign minor cases to patrol
and reduce the number of collateral duties handled by detectives. Only once
these recommendations are implemented should the Town and Department re-
consider Detective Unit staffing levels.
4. SUPPORT POSITIONS IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES BUREAU
APPEAR EFFECTIVE, ALTHOUGH THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD EVALUATE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO CIVILIANIZE THE DETAIL OFFICER.
Based upon our interview and review of job duties and responsibilities, the
additional support positions in the Administrative Services Bureau operate
appropriately. This is in no small part due to the fact that they are typically one-person
work units. These units include:
• The Detail Officer assigns detail and overtime daily for officer in WPD. The
position is also responsible for a number of ancillary duties to include: weekly
payroll entry, entering paid invoices in system working with surrounding agencies
to fill unfiled details, coordinating various community policing projects, notifying
supervisors of detail and overtime assignments, updating day/night sheets
regarding time off requests and filling replacement shifts required by the current
contract M-F. The Department and Town should consider civilianizing this
position because the duties are largely administrative. A small but growing
number of communities in the Commonwealth have even civilianized some or all
right of way details so the administration of many of these duties is certainly
something that could be handled by civilian personnel. Other duties should be
redistributed to other personnel. The cost savings of this could be as much as
$20,000 per year in salary and fringe benefits.
• The Property Evidence Officer performs a variety of tasks related to property and
evidence to include: processing and storage consistent with chain of custody
requirements for WPD; inventory control; maintaining logs and chain of custody;
property dispositions and property destruction; transporting evidence to court for
trials; and returning evidence to victims when legal requirements have been
satisfied. The position also serves as the prosecutor and prepares case folders
for court, tracks cases in court, stands on criminal and show cause hearing, and
gathers discovery items for the District Attorney's Office. The current officer filling
this position is the Department's computer crime investigator and part of the fire
investigation team for Watertown.
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• The Accounts Payable Clerk is responsible for paying bills and working with
vendors, maintaining supply orders for the Department, and serving as the
backup for the records clerk as required. This position has also been designated
as the civilian position that will assume the licensing duties currently performed
by the Domestic Violence Detective.
• The Records Clerk is responsible for proper filing of all police reports and reports
after court disposition. This position is also responsible for processing open
records requests in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act; including
requests from courts, and other governmental agencies requiring information
from the Department. The records clerk also completes all training registrations
for the Department when training is approved.
• The Communication & Network Security / System Administrator is a sworn
officer. This position is responsible for all computer hardware, sets up all new
Police Department computers with required software and configuration,
administration of 10 servers and public safety computer network, is the E9-1-1
system coordinator, and related duties.
• The Building and Vehicle Maintenance performs maintenance and repairs for
WPD vehicles and non-motorized units, determines preventative maintenance
schedules for fleet, provides input regarding replacement of vehicles, responds to
requests for facility maintenance and warrant issues with new facility.
Current systems are a mixture of manual logs and off-the-shelf software
packages to maintain data. There is a legitimate concern by the Town about increasing
access to Munis from others not currently having access. However, the Police
Department has expressed the need for `refresher' training of staff with access to this
system.
Recommendation: Work with the Town to ensure that personnel engaged in
payroll and purchasing processes are able to fully utilize the Munis System to the
extent that they are authorized to do so.
Recommendation: Consider civilianizing the detail officer position with the
potential for up to $20,000 in cost savings per year. Other administrative
collateral duties currently handled by the detail officer (e.g., invoicing and
scheduling) could also be handled by this position while other duties (e.g.,
community policing activities) would be distributed to other sworn personnel in
the Department.
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5. THE WATERTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOULD TAKE STEPS TO RE-
ATTAIN ACCREDITATION FROM CALEA.
Barring specialized duties and responsibilities, supervisor to staff ratios should
typically be in the 1:6 to 1:10 range. That is, 1 supervisor position overseeing 6 to 10
staff. Clearly these ratios are only guidelines as there are many examples of one
executive position overseeing 2-5 staff and other examples of one-over-one supervisory
relationships, etc.
There are currently three sergeant classifications in the Administrative Services
Bureau overseeing twelve line staff. This is effectively one immediate supervisor to 4
positions. While best practices suggest that specialized proactive (undercover)
enforcement units, such as Narcotics, be directly supervised, such is not the case for
other policing functions.
The Community and Staff Development Lieutenant is tasked many duties
involving the accreditation process, departmental training, policy updates, critical
incident planning, community policing, legal review and bulletin updates, and
coordination with the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council
(NEMLEC) which make evaluation of this position solely on span of control impractical.
The technical nature of the work provided must be evaluated to determine if the lower
span of control is adequate with this position. In many agencies the size and complexity
of Watertown, the accreditation duties are handled by either civilians or personnel at the
officer level. The Lieutenant represented the Department at the Town Building
Committee meetings related to the construction of the new headquarters facility. This
position is also the responsible for researching, developing, and implementing training
delivered through the Digital HQ program at daily roll call. The Chief of Police has
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designated "Everyday a Training Day" which requires new training material to be
developed and available for shift briefings.
While the current staffing levels in Community and Staff Development do not
support the need for a manager solely over these processes, it is clear the Lieutenant is
tasked with many responsibilities that require the technical expertise and knowledge of
someone at the Lieutenant rank. The Sergeant is effectively supervising four (4) full time
direct reports and four (4) unpaid interns assigned to this Division.
As the Department moves toward re-gaining accredited status consideration
should be given to adding a civilian accreditation coordinator to assist in the duties
associated with accreditation that do not require the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
(KSA's) of a Lieutenant. This position can also assist with other administrative functions
in the Division, which occupy the time of the Lieutenant and Sergeant.
Recommendation: As the Department works to re-achieving and maintaining
accredited status, consider adding a civilian Accreditation Coordinator in the
Administrative Services Bureau who reports to the Lieutenant at a cost of about
$48,000 per year for the new position and about $8,500 in other operating costs.
6. THE IN-SERVICE TRAINING SCHEDULE EXCEEDS STATE REQUIREMENTS
FOR CONTENT AND DURATION.
The Community and Staff Development Division is responsible for ensuring
department personnel receive require training as covered in Massachusetts General
Law. Each officer is required to attend a minimum of 40 hours of training each year. The
current training schedule in place at Watertown PD ensures an average of 58 hours is
provided to officers on an annual basis and includes 32 hours of annual training, 18
hours of roll-call training and 8 hours of firearms training for sworn personnel.
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Beyond the scheduled mandatory training the Department also offers various
classroom training courses during the year, which vary from 16 — 30 hours in length.
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APPENDIX A
PROFILE OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
This document is a descriptive profile of the Watertown Police Department
(WPD), prepared by the project team from the Matrix Consulting Group. This profile is
intended to serve as a comprehensive summary of staffing, organization, workload and
other factors that describe the operations and services provided by the Watertown
Police Department. This profile is organized into subsequent chapters that describe the
Office of the Chief, Field Operations Bureau and Administrative Services Bureau. The
staffing numbers used are the authorized positions as of July 2011.
The Matrix Consulting Group project team reviewed the current organizational
structure. The current organizational structure is depicted in the following exhibit:
Chief of Police
Head Clerk/
Chief
Secretary
Field Administrative
Operations Services
Bureau Bureau
Patrol Division Detective
Division
Community&
Traffic Division Staff
Development
Communication
and Network
Security
Civilian Staff
1. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF
(1) Introduction
The Chief of Police has overall responsibility for all department functions; and
has direct responsibility for the Field Operations Captain, Administrative Services
Captain and Head Clerk / Chief Secretary.
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(2) Staffing
The exhibit below provides a summary of the staff reporting directly to the Chief
of Police, by function and classification, and also summarizes their key roles and
responsibilities. Note that the columns "Bgt" means budgeted/authorized WPD
positions in each classification that are vacant as of June 2011.
Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Department Police Chief 1 • Manages and coordinates all police services in the Town to
Management meet objectives set by the Town Manager and Town
and Leadership Council.
• Provides overall leadership and guidance of Department
personnel and police services.
• Provides overall management and administration of the
Department; coordinates resources. A member of the
executive management team of the Department and the
Town.
• Represents the Department to the public; develops
relationships with business and neighborhood leaders.
• Develops and maintains good working relationships with
other managers in the Town and peers in the regional and
state law enforcement community.
• Represents WPD in regional and state law enforcement
work efforts and projects.
• Coordinates and evaluates Bureau managers.
• Performs routine administrative functions in the day-to-day
management of the Department.
Captain 1 • Manages and coordinates operations related to patrol and
Field traffic operations in WPD.
Operations • Manages and coordinates operations related to Dispatch.
Bureau • Handles questions and issues based on citizen phone
calls.
• Supervises the Patrol Lieutenants and ensures personnel
are meeting expectations.
• Supervises the Traffic Sergeant and ensures personnel are
meeting expectations.
• Reads all reports written in PD daily.
• Conducts internal affairs investigations as assigned by
Chief.
• Coordinates and serves as a liaison between employees
and overseeing workers compensation and injured on duty.
• Reviews reports for appropriate charges.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Captain 1 • Manages and coordinates the operations related to
Admin Detectives Division.
Services • Manages and coordinates the operations related to the
Bureau Community and Staff Development Division
• Manages and coordinates the operations related to the
civilian administrative staff.
• Manages and coordinates the operations related to the
evidence function.
• Direct reports are the Systems Administrator, Lieutenant of
Detectives, Lieutenant of Community & Staff Development,
Building and Vehicle Maintenance, Accounts Payable
Clerk, and Records Clerk.
• The following functions are performed by the Captain
• Reads all reports written in PD daily.
• Conducts internal audits on evidence procedures.
• Serves as backup Systems Administrator.
• Conducts Internal Affairs Investigations (serious).
• Develops and manages the budget.
• Reviews and approves purchases.
• Monitors overtime usage.
• Redacts information from public record requests.
• Writes and manages Department grants.
• Manages all technology issues in Department.
• Researches, plans, and implements special projects.
• Manages capital expenditures.
• Reviews all petty cash and checks prior to being sent
to Town for processing.
• Manage and coordinate payroll.
Admin. Support Admin 1 • Personal assistance to the Chief(e.g. correspondence,
Support calendar appointments, phones).
Technician • Provides budget support for two Captains.
• Completes Department payroll process.
• Ensures overtime accounts are balanced,
• Ensures step increases occur in payroll.
• Balances attendance records with Town Hall.
• Assists in grant management.
• Administers workman's compensation program for WPD.
• Maintains WPD personnel files.
2. FIELD OPERATIONS BUREAU
(1) Introduction
A Captain who reports directly to the Chief of Police manages the work groups in
the Field Operations Division. This Division is responsible for providing police patrol,
response to calls for service, preliminary investigation of crime, traffic safety services,
investigation of major injury traffic collisions, problem oriented policing, dispatch
services and the crossing guard function for the Town of Watertown.
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(2) Staffing
The table below provides a summary of the staff reporting to the Field Operations
Division Captain, by function and classification, and also summarizes their key roles and
responsibilities.
Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Division Captain 1 • Provides overall leadership, management and
Management administration of the Field Operations Division.
• Supervises the Patrol Lieutenants and the Traffic
Sergeant.
• Prepares and manages the Division budget.
• Provides guidance to staff and coordination of Department
personnel.
• Manages and coordinates all services provided to meet
objectives set by the Chief.
Operations Day/Night 4 • Scheduled for each of the four shifts (Day, 1 st half, 2nd half
Lieutenant & relief).
• Debriefing with prior shift commander
• Conduct Roll-Call with shift personnel
• Assign Routes
• Review logs and calls to determine issues in community
• Supervise Sergeants, Patrolman, Dispatch and
administrative officer
• Listens to radio and provides input to dispatchers
• Book prisoners with assistance from administrative
services officer(enter data, photograph, advise of rights)
• Monitor prisoners from desk (30 minute physical check by
administrative officer)
• Review log to ensure proper reports are completed
• Review reports for appropriate charges filed, grammatical
errors, elements of offense
• Print approved reports and appropriate documents for
Officers and Detectives to take to Court
• Prepare paperwork related to restraining orders to be
served by Officers
• Ensures proper processes are followed for paperwork and
ensure all restraining orders are served and return of
service is delivered to prosecutor to take to Court.
• Enter any critical information into Digital HQ for oncoming
shift
• Call backs/ notifications for critical incidents (Detectives,
Captain Chief etc.)
• Assign Sgt's a Route for Community Policing to determine
CP activity for Route
• Create assignment work sheets for shift
• First half and last half OIC handles details that come in
after-hours.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Sergeant 5 • Review assignments and manning levels.
• Cover any assigned posts (traffic @ busy intersections).
• Roll Call (Sgt gives assignments and line inspection) (LT
does DHQ briefing).
• Sgt's back up cars on calls.
• Cover for LT when he is on dinner break.
Perform booking procedures and Breathalyzer as needed.
• Authorize all vehicle tows.
• Supervise patrol officers and officers working details
(must check all details)
• Assign directed patrols for community policing issues and
follow-up on impact
• Assign business checks to verify emergency contact
issues (officers contact)
• DHQ updates for their assigned sector(each Sgt. has a
sector)
2nd half Sgt. produces weekly bulletin (distributed on
Thursday with paychecks)
Enforce licensing laws related to one day licensing for
special events
• Day Shift Sgt. Meets with Detail Officer to determine daily
detail and what is filled vs still open
Conduct status meetings with personnel 1-2x per week
(focus on productivity and what is going on in their
assigned Route)
• Spend majority of time in field (90%+)
• Monitor radio and respond to critical calls for service
• Focus on crash reduction for directed patrols, (speeding,
vandalism, OLII)
• Ensures officers/self attend assigned court dates during
shift
Transport persons receiving a restraining order to court
(State Law)
Patrol supervisors respond to photograph scenes if
needed, but does not require CSI.
• Patrol supervisor serves as accident investigator for any
town vehicles involved in accidents
• Primary contact for citizen complaints.
• Meet with DPW and contract company to coordinate
major road projects that impact businesses
• Review and make recommendations to policy additions
and recommendations
• Conduct research related to any special assignments
(range master+ ammunition for indoor range)
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Patrol Officer • Respond to all calls for service in the Town, including
34 crimes against persons, property crimes, domestic
disputes, traffic collisions, and disturbances.
• Provide direct field enforcement of all applicable laws
within the Town; make arrests, issue citations.
• Provide a visible law enforcement presence in the
community.
• Write incident/crime reports; conduct preliminary
investigations of crime; conduct follow-up investigations as
appropriate or assigned by Detectives.
• Engage in neighborhood patrols, directed patrol, traffic
enforcement and other proactive activities to reduce crime.
• Respond to questions, concerns and requests from the
general public and provides information and problem
resolution as necessary.
• Identify and address both criminal and quality of life issues
on their route.
Dispatch Dispatcher 9 • The Lieutenant leads, manages, and supervises the
Dispatchers.
• Answer and dispatch 9-1-1 calls.
• Set up daily rosters for patrol.
• Dispatch Police, Fire, EMS and serve as department
switchboard.
• Warrant checks and warrant management.
• Run license plates.
• Criminal History and checks related to prisoners being
booked.
• Teletypes and bulletins.
• Maintain hard copies of restraining orders, stolen vehicles
and missing persons and enter into database.
• Maintain emergency call list and business listings.
• Maintain trespass orders.
• Enter flags on addresses for special situations.
• Senior dispatcher handles NCIC/CJIS issues and
procedural compliance.
• Serve as back up for front window if Admin Officer is busy.
• Fire alarm boxes (nightly readings on circuits and voltage
to ensure all are working correctly) -these are located in
large businesses and on street boxes.
Traffic Sergeant 1 • Responsible for review of all accident reports
• Supervises the activities of 2 Traffic Officers.
• Takes requests for placement of the Town's traffic board.
• Coordinates with State Police.
• Supervises the crossing guards and their payroll and
budget.
• Serves as secretary to Town's Traffic Commission.
• Conducts traffic surveys and counts.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Officer 2 • Provides traffic parking enforcement, traffic scene
investigations, and back up to patrol officers as needed.
• One Officer works a day shift. One works an evening shift.
• The day Officer is designated as Court Prosecutor to
prosecute motor vehicle citations.
• With other Department officers, both serve on the Accident
Reconstruction Team.
Crossing 23 • Provides intersection and street crossing safety for children
Guard and adults at critical school and other areas.
3. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES BUREAU
(1) Introduction
This Bureau is responsible for investigative and special enforcement services
including criminal investigations, intelligence gathering activities, participation in various
task forces, covert investigations and other supportive efforts. This Bureau also
handles records, accounts payable, evidence, school resource, details, technical
services, accounts payable, payroll, computer systems administration, network security
and building and vehicle maintenance.
(2) Staffing
The table below provides a summary of the staff reporting to the Administrative
Services Bureau Captain, by function and classification, and also summarizes key roles
and responsibilities.
Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Division Captain 1 • Provides overall leadership and management of the
Management Administrative Services Bureau.
• Supervises the Detective Lieutenant, Community & Staff
Development Lieutenant, Systems Administrator, and
Civilian administrative staff.
• Prepares and manages the Department budget.
• Provides guidance to staff and coordination of Department
personnel.
• Manages and coordinates all services provided to meet
objectives set by the Chief.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Investigation Lieutenant 1 • Supervises the Investigation Sergeant and Prosecutor
Unit Sergeant. Detectives.
• Review prior days reports.
• Reviews public records requests for conflicts with ongoing
criminal investigations.
• Oversees evidence processing and control.
• Work with Sgt. to assign cases.
• Media Relations.
• Review and approves cases submitted by detectives.
• Involved in major cases (School embezzlement case
ongoing)
• Conducts serious IA investigations. (If it goes criminal
would ask DA for State Police to investigate)
• Assigns himself small quick cases to alleviate detective
caseload.
• Works with Prosecutor to ensure charges are proper before
court hearings.
• Manages all the licensing issues occurring (See Detective
notes).
• Attends licensing board hearings in absence of Sgt.
Sergeant 1 • Directly supervise 4 detectives (3 investigators, 1 detached
on joint FBI task force).
• Review Licenses before businesses open: monthly meeting
(alcohol, business owner background checks, financing,
automotive repair).
• Conducts periodic alcohol stings/compliance checks on
licensed establishments.
• Lt. Lawn and Sgt. work together to assign cases based on
solvability and severity.
• Oversees firearm licensing (Det. Campbell processes)
• Interviews all firearm applicants after application is
completed and forwards to Chief for approval.
• Actively works cases.
• Attends Licensing Board hearings.
• Conducts onsite inspections of License holders.
• Reviews selective case reports and approves in absence of
the Lieutenant.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Investigation Detective 4 Read all reports from prior day, Digital Headquarters,
Unit (con't) emails, Northeast Massachusetts Law Enforcement
Council (Sharepoint site) (1-hour)
• Domestics & Sexual Assaults (1 detective) - Down from 2
in Feb 2010
o Contacts victims of any arrest made.
o Maintains monthly report.
o Maintains files on all restraining orders.
o Works all child abuse cases (completes required
state paperwork).
o Elders and disabled persons cases.
o Monthly district attorney roundtables on domestic
violence.
o Liaison with victim/witness advocate at Court.
o Prepares for and attends Court cases as
required.
o Prepare and send domestic violence bulletins to
patrol.
o Training for changes in law to patrol.
o Attends training on domestic violence and sexual
assault.
o Maintains victims phones (Verizon).
o Firearms licensing (1 st time applications and
renewals).
■ Target and Hunting
■ Sporting
■ Personal protection
■ Pepper Spray
o Taxicab and Limo registrations; March-April
renewals.
■ Inspect all cars
o Processes and issues Solicitor Permits.
o Issues Retired and Police Identifications.
o Alcohol Licensing (one-day special licenses) 40-
80 per month.
o Instructs RAD.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Investigation Crime Scene and Department Photographer(1 detective)
Unit (con't) o Primary on call for crime scene photographs
■ Responsible for all photos in department
regardless of who takes
■ Takes photos for all State ID cards for
department
o Reads all department reports
o Crime scene investigator
■ NEMLEC call-outs
■ Assistance to surround agencies
■ Prepares roll-call training for crime scene
o Handles crime lab activities located in basement
of PD
■ Current workload precludes detective
from doing any crime lab work
o NEMLEC meeting attendance (currently not
attending due to time constraints)
■ Networking and intelligence gathering
o BRIC (Boston Regional Intelligence Center)
messages
o General investigative duties
o Interview and interrogations
o Purchasing supplies for lab, prosecutors, booking
area, evidence supplies, surveillance
o Attends Boston Anti-Crime meetings
• General Investigator(2 detectives one is also CSI above)
o Backup photographer and crime scene
investigator
o Read all reports
o Property Crimes and financial crimes, simple
assaults Robberies
o Current active caseload is about 20
o Monthly juvenile reports for State (5 months
behind)
■ Used to be handled by juvenile detective
o Sex Offender Registrations
■ Supposed to conduct frequent audits (not
getting done) SORB
o Make booking videos for Court
o Read all Pawn sheets (via email)
Investigation Federal Drug Task Force (1 detective)
Unit (con't) o Supposed to be full-time assignment, but assists
agency as needed.
o Conducts background investigations for all new
officers.
o Assisting in caseload as needed.
o Attends Federal meetings.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Prosecutor Unit Sergeant 1 • Responsible for everything that goes to Criminal Court.
• Reviews reports for proper elements of offense and
processing by District Court (Waltham, Weston, State
Police, Watertown).
• Serves as department liaison with District Court as
Prosecutor.
• Jury trials on Wed and Thurs.
• Supervises 1 Detective (David Collins) who also functions
as secondary evidence officer.
• Manages the payroll information for officers attending court
both District and Superior(Class 1 Felonies).
• Attends Court daily from 9:00— noon (Show cause
hearings etc).
• Afternoon is spent preparing for next day court and
processing evidence.
Detective 1 • Review all criminal complaint reports and arrests to ensure
charges are correct.
• Prepare all case folders on the court list.
• Sign all criminal complaints for the process in court
• Track all cases in court.
• Stand on criminal cases in court (OUI, OAS, traffic).
• Stand on show cause hearings (Tuesday and Wednesday).
• Enter case updates into IMC (RMS system).
• Gather and prepare any discovery items for court and file
with District Attorney's office.
• Serve as liaison for District Court, District Attorney's Office,
Juvenile District Court and Probation Department.
• Process all criminal summons requests for the DA's, Court
and Probation Dept.
• Serves as primary evidence officer for Department.
• Serves as fire investigator(Team approach two police
officers, deputy fire chief, and investigator).
• Serves as Department computer crimes investigator.
• Assists general detectives as needed.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Community& Lieutenant 1 • Policy Development (Accreditation Standards).
Staff • Manages Training (creates roll-call) and training records
Development including field training.
o Serves as Department Training Officer.
o Reviews legal changes updates.
o Manages department certified instructors.
o Coordinates in-house training courses.
• Accreditation Manager(currently on hold).
• Supervises Division Sgt.
• Manages the administration of Details, overtime
assignments and shift coverage's.
• Manages social media outreach.
• Manages technology related to data boards.
• Critical incident planning (works with schools and their
critical incident teams) and mock exercises with large
businesses.
• Supervises Records Clerk.
• Manages community policing programming.
• Grant oversight for grants related to community policing,
training, or division related activities.
• Management of Crime analysis.
• All building issues related to new building
• Manages internship program (unpaid).
o Training data
o Roll call concepts (sun safety)
o How they interact with other divisions
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Sergeant 1 • Department Liaison (External Relationships).
■ Oversees the administration of the jail diversion program
(grants, supervision of clinician, quarterly state-wide
meetings, monthly operations meetings, liaison to
Psychiatric Emergency Services
■ Represents PD at Health Department Task Force Meeting
(elderly, zoning, area hospitals, etc.).
■ Department representative at School Bullying Committee
■ Department representative at area Homeless Coalition
■ Attend District-wide multi-agency meetings for the Schools
Critical Incident Teams, and Community Based Justice)
■ Liaison for Elder Services (general and protective services)
■ Department representative for Middlesex Disabled Persons
Protection Task Force (coordinated by the DA's Office)
• Supervises (Serves as secondary backup detail officer): 1
Detail Officer, 1 SRO, 2 Computer officers (data analyst,
crime reporting, CAD, RMS), 4 Interns
• Develops Department Training
• Coordinates Department student intern program
• Automated Electronic Defibrillator Coordinator— Ensures
repairs are made and contracts are up to date—Also works
with other personnel to ensure availability of AED supplies
• Oversees Reverse 9-1-1
• Develop and manage community policing grants
• Develops and manage community surveys
• Compiled quarterly with yearly tally.
• Conducts community policing related presentations such as
safety presentations to seniors, children, or the Schools
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Detail 1 Works 7a-3p.
Officer Summer is busiest time for detail (Department has
agreements with neighboring agencies to fill extra slots).
• Lots of phone work in morning to fill details.
• Compares previous days detail sheet with details to
appropriately charge hours.
• Manages Scheduled Overtime assignments.
• Prepares Detail Payment sheets (Town pays officers first
and Vendor reimburses).
• Prepares overtime slips for Chiefs secretary to prepare
payroll.
• Retrieves detail slips from prior day and enters into the
billing book.
• Prepares monthly bills for vendors. Town charges 10%
surcharge to cover administrative expenses.
• Updates Quick Books with changes to employee and
vendor information.
• Currently working with other agencies to get more officers
to fill details (Formal agreement required).
• Prepare first and second notices of past due invoices (30
and 60 days).
• Maintains DO NOT WORK LIST for vendors who have not
paid for prior details.
• Works with auditor office regarding fund transfers and open
invoices. (Town details paid by transfer)
• Works with agencies to get billing information for details
worked outside of town.
• Schedules Admin Fill In Shifts (4x per year with patrol).
• Participates in community events (station tours, senior
center talks, and other CP efforts).
School 1 • Works 7a-3p + after hours events at schools where issues
Resource are expected.
Officer • Reads reports and pulls issues involving juvenile.
• Serves as juvenile investigator for non-major crimes.
• Makes referrals to appropriate agencies.
• Main day-to-day contact is the Sergeant in the Community
and Staff Development Division (Principals and Vice
Principals).
• Attends critical incident meetings at all schools (5)
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Technical 2 • Reads reports to ensure links are correct for RMS system.
Services • Develop training related to RMS issues with Department
(live 06/04/2007).
• Data Analysis
o Ensures accuracy of reporting
o Statistical analysis
o Use of GIS mapping is minimal
o Charts graphs
• Responsible for day-to-day operations of Digital
Headquarters.
o Updates crime bulletins and BOLOs
o Officers update what happens in their Routes
• Works with interns to produce roll-call training
presentations.
• Day to day operation of the digital sign board.
• Audiovisual maintenance and troubleshooting.
• Day to day maintenance of web page and blog.
o Online presence allows OIC to post blogs as events
occur
o Sex offender registrations
• CPR/AED instructor for Department (one of 2 for agencies)
-annual refresher.
• Uploads new policies and procedures to digital
headquarters.
• Tracks compliance of officers with trainings posted to
Digital Headquarters.
• Web Page management
CAD/RMS
Technical • Prepares data for NIBRS submissions.
Officer • Coordinates all CAD/ RMS issues on day-to-day basis.
• Assists in developing training materials.
• Serves as primary backup detail officer.
• Assists Systems Administrator in MDS—CAD/RMS
communication.
• Liaison with CAD/RMS vendor.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Admin. Services Comm. & 1 • Responsible for all computer hardware for police and fire
Systems (95 workstations).
Admin • Sets up all new police &fire department computers with
required software and configuration.
• Administration of 10 servers and public safety computer
network.
• E9-1-1 system coordinator.
• State computer system coordinator.
• Manages radio system.
• Programs portable and mobile radios.
• Oversees police &fire fixed radio assets.
• Manages building access control system.
• Prepares building videos for IA investigations.
• Cruiser and cruiser equipment procurement.
• Programming of emergency systems in cruisers.
• Department Quartermaster.
• Manages telephone system.
• Budget preparation for assigned accounts.
• Mobile Data System administrator.
• Prepares recordings of telephone and 9-1-1 lines for court
and internal investigations.
• Monthly checks of two generators.
• Monitors UPS for station.
• Monitors departmental internet usage and email activity for
policy compliance
• Responsible for network and communication systems
security.
• Purchases computer and radio equipment.
Civilian Staff Accounts Accounts Payable.
Payable 1 Maintains own set of ledgers
Pays Bills
Works with vendors
60/40 Munis vs. Paper
No purchase orders on recurring (Use vouchers, still
require same sigs; Capt and Town Hall)
• Maintain Supply Orders.
Office Equipment, Radios, Cars etc.
• Serves as backup for Records Clerk.
• No online ORR requests available
• Assists Captain Dupuis as needed.
• Reports to Captain Rocca.
• Solicits bids
• Assists Systems Administrator in Database clerical entry.
• Cross-trained for head clerk duties.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Records Prints reports from previous day for Chief(narratives)
Clerk 1 Checks with Community and Staff develop supervisors for
direction.
• Mails any court related documents from previous day.
• Collect citations, mail copy to motor vehicles, separate
warnings from civil fines, enters citations into computer
(30 per day).
• Handles open record requests, Must come to PD and fill
out form, collects payments (cash, checks) (10 per week
ORR, 20-30 accidents).
• Handles requests from courts, sex offender registry, Dept
Children and Families, Other governmental agencies.
• Conducts background checks for adoptions, immigration
etc.
• Processes Criminal complaint appeals from traffic
offenses for traffic officers.
• Completes training registration for officers and
dispatchers and enters into computer(IMC).
• Files all police reports and reports after court disposition.
• Mails and compiles surveys for community input every
three months (150 customer contacts from prior 3 month
CFS).
• Enter accident report checks and cash into Excel
spreadsheet and sends to Chief Secretary monthly before
is ultimately sent to Town Hall.
• Processes all incoming mail and outgoing packages.
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Function Position Bgt Key Roles and Responsibilities
Building / 1 Performs maintenance and repair for WPD vehicles and
Vehicle non-motorized units.
Maint. Conducts full check of each WPD vehicle each Friday,
Director including belts, fluids, tires, brakes, and trunk inventory.
Records odometer reading of each unit.
• Determines preventive maintenance schedules for patrol,
detective and command vehicles for the WPD.
• Provides input to Captain regarding vehicle replacement
needs based on mileage, condition, cost, etc.
• Oversees parts inventories for vehicles and building.
• Maintains automated records of vehicle maintenance and
repairs, as well as manual filing system of repair
histories, purchases from vendors, etc.
• Responds to requests for facility maintenance. (Note: the
WPD facility is less than one year of age, and all major
equipment and components are under warranty. Repair
and maintenance of the facility are therefore limited to
minor repairs such as plumbing leaks, bulb changes,
ballast changes, lock repairs, etc.)
• Note that the WPD authorizes a total of one position for
vehicle and facility maintenance. The Director works 12
hours per week, and is assisted by a Mechanic working
28 hours per week, for a total of 40 hours, or one FTE.
The schedules worked are as follows:
- Director works 7:30 am to 11:00 am, M, T, W
- Mechanic works 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on M; 7:00 am
to noon on T; 7:00 am to 1:00 pm on W, Th; and 7:00
am to 3:00 pm on F.
• Responsible for snow removal from building site.
• Maintains records on building maintenance.
• Liaison with repair contractors.
• Oversees cleaning contractor.
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APPENDIX B
RESULTS OF THE EMPLOYEE SURVEY
As part of the Public Safety Study of the Police Department, the Matrix
Consulting Group distributed an employee survey to sworn and non-sworn personnel of
the Police Department. Although several staff interviews were conducted on a one-on-
one basis, the survey provided all employees an opportunity to provide input, as well as
the ability to quantify employee perceptions regarding a number of organizational
aspects. In total, 39 employees completed the survey, including 28 sworn personnel
and 8 non-sworn personnel, equating to a satisfactory response rate of 50%.
The employees were asked to rate statements (using a scale of 1 to 10), ranging
from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree, and from Poor to Excellent in the following
categories:
• Service to the Community
• Management/Administration
• Organization, Staffing, and Operations
• Equipment and Facilities
In general, employees have the highest levels of agreement regarding
community perceptions, especially related to the thought that the Department provides a
high level of service to the community, especially compared to other Police
Departments in the area. Additionally, the other areas of strongest employee
satisfaction were around the ability of personnel to work well with each other on calls for
service, as well as high levels of satisfaction regarding the quality of equipment and
facilities. Conversely, the lowest levels of satisfaction related to the lack of adequate
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staff resources to meet the community's current law enforcement needs, as well as the
staffing needed to perform safety and effectively during incidents.
1. THE MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS AGREE THAT THE DEPARTMENT
PROVIDES A HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY, AND THAT
COMMUNITY POLICING IS A HIGH PRIORITY.
The following table summarizes the results of statements related to service to
the community:
Statement Disagree Neutral Agree
1. The Police Department provides a high level of service to
the community. 0% 15% 85%
2. Compared to other police departments in the area,
Watertown provides high levels of service. 0% 13% 87%
3. Town residents view our Department as a high priority. 13% 67% 21%
4. Compared to other police departments in the area,
Watertown has a high amount of resources for police
services. 8% 67% 26%
5. "Community policing" is a high priority for the Department. 5% 21% 74%
As shown above, the majority of respondents agree that the Police Department is
provides a high level of service to the community, and that compared to other police
departments in the area, Watertown provides a high level of service. On the other
hand, the majority of respondents are neutral about whether Town residents view the
department as a high priority, as well as whether the department has a high amount of
resources for police services compared to other departments.
Based on our experience with other police departments and police department
employee surveys, the percentage of agreement to the statements regarding levels of
service to the community are generally in line with other police departments survey
results.
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2. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES RELATED TO PERCEPTIONS
ABOUT ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
The following table summarizes the results of statements related to service to
general management and administration:
Statement Disagree Neutral Agree
6. Our Department has a clear vision /direction for the future. 24% 53% 24%
7. 1 am kept informed of important Departmental information 38% 38% 23%
8. My opinions are listened to in this Department. 36% 46% 18%
9. My work performance expectations are made clear. 10% 46% 44%
10. When problems arise, they are resolved quickly. 32% 34% 34%
11. Staff are held accountable for their actions. 26% 44% 31%
12. Our Department seems to be innovative and progressive. 13% 49% 38%
13. Our Department does a good job planning and scheduling
our work assignments. 21% 36% 44%
14. Our policies and procedures are up to date and consistently
followed by staff. 21% 26% 54%
As shown above, there are significant issues from an organizational
management and culture perspective, which need to be addressed. There was no clear
majority of respondents expressing either agreement or disagreement with 8 out of the
9 statements, including:
• Lack of a clear vision / direction for the future
• Clear work performance expectations
• Staff not being held accountable
If we look at only the responses that were either agree or disagree, respondents
believe that the department does a good job planning and scheduling work
assignments, and that policies and procedures are up to date and consistently followed
by staff. However, respondents don't feel as though their opinions are listened to, or that
they are kept informed of important Departmental information. Based on our experience
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with other police departments and police department employee surveys, these results
highlight the need to address some issues in the department. Even for challenged
police departments, we typically see around 30% to 40% in agreement for having a
clear vision and direction for the future.
3. THE MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS PERCEIVE THEIR STAFFING LEVELS
TO BE INADEQUATE, BUT THAT PERSONNEL WORK WELL TOGETHER.
The following table summarizes the results of statements related to service to
organization, staffing, and operations.
Statement Disagree Neutral Agree
15. Staff resources are adequate to meet the current law
enforcement needs of the Town. 56% 36% 8%
16. We have the staff we need to perform safely and effectively
during incidents. 62% 33% 5%
17. Staff reductions in the past few years have impacted our
ability to meet service expectations. 5% 26% 69%
18. Dispatch information provided to us on incidents is accurate
and timely. 11% 39% 50%
19. Our personnel work well with each other on calls for service
to which they respond. 3% 18% 79%
20. We receive the practical training we need to keep all of our
skills high. 28% 41% 31%
21. Our Department places a high value on ensuring proper
training for field personnel. 28% 38% 33%
As shown above, the majority of respondents agree that recent staff reductions
have impacted the Department's ability to meet service expectations including the ability
to perform safely and effectively during incidents. On the other hand, the majority of
respondents believe that personnel work well with each other on calls for service and
that dispatch provides accurate and timely information for incidents. There was no clear
majority of respondents in regards to value the Department places on ensuring proper
training for field personnel, or the training staff receive in order to keep their skills high.
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Regarding workload, the following table summarizes the perceptions about workload
activity:
Statement % of Responses
About the right balance between time available and the amount of work. 8%
Sometimes my workload is heavy, but most of the time I can keep up. 65%
I could handle more work without being overloaded. 5%
I am always overloaded. I can never catch up. 22%
In comparison to other police department surveys, this is a typical response
spread, with the majority perceiving themselves as busy, but able to keep up, and 22%
perceiving themselves to be overloaded.
4. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF KEY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT THE
MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS PERCEIVE AS GOOD AND EXCELLENT.
The following table summarizes the results of statements related to primary law
enforcement programs and services.
Capabilities Poor Fair Good Excellent
23a. Response times to calls for service. 0% 0% 5% 95%
23b. Availability of backup for officer safety. 6% 11% 36% 47%
23c. Department capabilities for selective
enforcement of targeted problems. 24% 29% 26% 21%
23d. Amount of proactive time in the field. 26% 24% 24% 26%
23e. The way officers deal with citizens. 0% 3% 22% 75%
23f. Follow-up investigations. 26% 17% 34% 23%
23g. Coordination between detective and
patrol. 36% 33% 17% 14%
23h. Level of traffic enforcement. 3% 11% 22% 64%
23i. Quality of dispatch services. 8% 19% 28% 44%
23j. Availability and content of training. 28% 17% 31% 25%
23k. Crime analysis. 17% 20% 31% 31%
231. Crime prevention programming. 47% 19% 17% 17%
As shown above, the majority of respondents rated "good" or "excellent" the
following:
• Response time to calls for service
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• Availability of backup
• The way officers deal with citizens
• Follow up to investigations
• Level of traffic enforcement
• Quality of dispatch services
• Availability and content of training
• Crime analysis
Although in general the respondents have various issues with management,
administration, and staffing levels, there is widespread agreement that the Police
Department personnel are doing a good job in fundamental law enforcement services,
such as responding quickly to calls for service, backing each other up, etc. The areas
of general concern for the respondents are the lack of proactive capabilities (i.e., crime
prevention programming, and selective enforcement of targeted problems), coordination
between detectives and patrol, and the amount of proactive time in the field.
5. THE MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS ARE SATISFIED WITH THEIR
EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES.
The following table summarizes the results regarding equipment and facilities:
Item Poor Fair Good Excellent
25a. Vehicles 5% 22% 35% 38%
25b. Radios 8% 16% 27% 49%
25c. Officer personal equipment 8% 6% 33% 53%
25d. Information Technology 0% 3% 28% 69%
25e. Police Facility 3% 3% 8% 87%
As shown above, the majority of respondents were satisfied with their vehicles,
radios, personal equipment, etc. These results are generally comparable to other police
departments, and are a positive attribute for the Police Department, in that employees
are being equipped with adequate resources.
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6. OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS
The respondents were provided an opportunity to comment on a number of
questions. Their responses are summarized in the following table based on the most
common themes and answers:
Question Summary of Key Answers
What are the most important • The people, their abilities, and their dedication to the
strengths of the Police community
Department? • The competency, experience, and training of officers
• Quality equipment and facilities
• Communication between line staff and departments
What are the most important • Greater staffing levels
improvement opportunities of the • More training
Police Department? • More proactive time for community policing
• Better communication between management and line staff
In summary, the key themes from the comments was that staff generally view
themselves as working well together and committed / dedicated to serving the
community and delivery a high quality service, but that more needs to be done to put a
greater number of officers on the street, give them more training, and greater time for
proactive policing.
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APPENDIX C
COMPARISON OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
In this section of the report, the primary operations, staffing and management of
the Watertown Police Department are compared with measures of effective
organizations from throughout the country. The measures utilized have been derived
from the project team's collective experience and represent the following ways to
identify divisional strengths as well as improvement opportunities:
• Statements of "effective practices" based on the study team's experience in
evaluating operations in other municipalities or "standards" of the profession from
other organizations.
• Other statements of "effective practices" based upon consensus standards or
performance goals derived from national or international professional service
organizations.
• Identification of whether and how the department meets the performance targets.
The purpose of this assessment is to develop an initial overall assessment of
departmental operations and identify both strengths and opportunities for improvement:
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
FIELD OPERATIONS
Proactive patrol time is between 40% and 50% The overall proactive time based on FY 2010 The overall proactive time is higher than the
after subtracting time handling calls for service CFS and officer availability is approximately benchmark range. This indicates that WPD
and administrative tasks. 62%, as shows in 4-hour time blocks: should assess the allocation to officers
0000—0400: 73% assigned to patrol and/or its use of proactive
0400—0800: 80% time in traffic enforcement or other activities.
0800— 1200: 55%
1200— 1600: 49%
1600—2000: 56%
2000—0000: 61%
These figures are based on the following:
• Total of 18,578 community generated calls
for service for which a sworn officer
provided the primary response (including
regular patrol, sergeants, traffic units, etc.)
• Actual and estimated time required to
conduct various workload activities (i.e.,
handling time, back-up time, report writing
time, booking time, etc.)
• The number of available officers assigned
to a Field Operations (including the Motor
Officers). On average, there are 4.6
officers on duty in Watertown. The
breakdown by shift is 4.4 day shift, 5.2 first
half, and 4.3 second half officers on duty in
the field per shift.
The deployment of personnel is regularly Watertown PD does not regularly measure and
evaluated, and is based on the calls for service assess calls for service volume per hour or
per day, per hour and area of the City. day, as well as per Beat location.
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
Are average response time targets (from Watertown PD utilizes three priorities for CFS.
dispatch to arrival) to calls for service being The following provide the average response
met? times per priority:
• High Priority (1): 3 - 5 minutes
• Medium Priority (2): 5— 15 min. Priority 1: 3 minutes and 53 seconds.
• Low Priority (3): 15 - 30 minutes Priority 2: 4 minutes and 11 seconds.
Priority 3: 4 minutes and 50 seconds.
Overall, the response time average is 4
minutes and 13 seconds, with the following
showing the average per beat:
These figures represent an excellent response
time to all priorities of community-generated
calls for service, especially as it relates to the
lower priority calls for service. Response times
are relatively fast, providing an indicator of an
adequate level of patrol resources.
Sergeant to Officer ratio is between 1:6— 1:9 The overall sergeant to officer ratio in patrol is The ratio of traffic sergeants to traffic officers is
within this ratio at 1:7 high at 1:2. It is important to note that during
school times the traffic sergeant is responsible
for 23 crossing guards in the town.
Specialized field services such as dedicated The WPD has allocated 2 dedicated Traffic
traffic enforcement, street crime enforcement, Officers (one days and one on nights).
narcotics and vice operations are provided. Additionally, the WPD has one officer assigned
to a narcotics task force.
WPD also participates in the North Eastern
Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council
(NEMLEC) where 48 cities and town share
resources to assist each other in critical
incidents.
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
Crime analysis information is made to patrol WPD utilizes a digital HQ program to provide The Department could benefit from employing
and investigation personnel on a daily basis. daily updates on crime during patrol briefing. predictive policing showing hot spots for
current crime activity in the Town to officer
The Department utilizes a commercially during patrol briefing.
available crime-reporting program to allow
citizens to quickly review crime in any area of
Town.
The standard practice is for patrol personnel to The field patrol officers are directed to
routinely conduct follow-up (thru arrest) on complete investigations for cases that will not
minor crimes. require extensive time for follow-up. If it is a
case, which cannot be closed by arrest within
the same day (or the next day), the case will
typically be routed to the dedicated
investigators.
Approximately 20% to 30% of community- The WPD does make several common forms The WPD does not activity utilize non-sworn
generated calls for service are handled available for download on its website. personnel for field response or web-based
through alternative service delivery (i.e., police reporting for such cases as non-injury
civilian response, web-based police reporting, The Department allows reports to be taken accidents, cold burglaries, etc.
etc.) over the telephone on an appropriate basis.
Traffic Enforcement Index (citations and DUI WPD cited 9,935 moving offenses while there
arrests divided by injury accidents) is in the were 303 injury accidents and 39 DUI arrests,
1:35— 1: 40 range. this is a ratio of 1:29 which indicates there is
an accident for every 29 citations written
compared to a best practices of 35-40 citations
or warnings for every injury accident and DUI
arrest. DUI arrests are low at 39 for the year
2010.
The field personnel are highly engaged in Patrol officers should be more active in traffic
issuing moving citations during their proactive enforcement in Watertown.
time.
SUPPORT SERVICES
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
The number of active cases for"generalist' Watertown PD utilizes "generalists"for criminal The sexual assault and domestic violence
detectives averages 12-15 (weighted basis of investigations with the exception of one detective has an average caseload of 21.8 per
person and property crimes). detective that focuses on sexual assault and month which is high and is tasked with many
domestic violence cases. duties that can be performed by a civilian.
- Dedicated person crime investigators
average 8-10 active cases each. Based on CAD data the number of sexual The generalist detectives currently average
- Dedicated property crime investigators assault and domestic violence cases per just belowl5 assigned cases per month, but
average 15-20 active cases each. month resulting in arrest averages 15. are also tasked with a number of ancillary
duties to include crime scene processing and
crime lab duties. This could result in an
excessive workload for these detectives.
The number of Part I crimes per detective is in Based on 2009 UCR Data there were 38
the 300-500 range. violent crimes and 630 property crimes in
Watertown. This equals 334 crimes per
detective.
Cases are screened for quality and solvability The detective lieutenant and sergeant review WPD does utilize a solvability index to assist in
by supervisory staff before being assigned to all cases referred to investigations and assign determining which cases should be assigned
detectives; a Sergeant formally reviews cases the cases based on caseload, experience, etc. based on proven solvability measures.
periodically.
Supervisors actively monitor and manage The unit has weekly meetings to discuss case
caseloads. assignments, case status, and general issues
An automated case management system is The detective unit utilizes an automated case
being used to assign and track cases. management system to track and assign
cases.
Supervisor/Detective (staff) ratio is in the 1:6— The ratio of sergeant to detective positions is 1
1:9 range. detective sergeant to 3 detectives in the
investigation unit and 1 sergeant to 1 detective
in the prosecutor unit.
Specialized operations such as street crime The WPD does not utilize specialized
enforcement, narcotics and vice operations are operations.
provided.
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
All interviews of suspects are tape-recorded The WPD has several interview rooms, which
and/or video recorded. utilize audio and video recording capabilities.
Trained Officers/Civilian employees are WPD does not make use of civilians to assist
routinely available for evidence collection at in the collection and processing of evidence
felony crime scenes. from crimes scenes. All employees in the
detectives unit are sworn.
Records systems are automated and The records systems are automated and
integrated (CAD, RIMS, report writing, etc.). integrated. Officers are able to utilize MDT's in
patrol vehicles to check vehicles and persons.
Reports for in-custody persons are processed The WPD processes these reports in less than
and submitted to the prosecutor within 48 48 hours, and typically submits the paperwork
hours. to the District Court the morning after the
arrest.
Internal hard copy report distribution is minimal The WPD patrol officers process their reports The records personnel print out hard-copies of
and completed daily. via electronic word document, which is then the report (after they are transcribed and
processed by the records personnel for entered into RMS)for review by Chief and
manual input into the Records Management command staff.
System (this process is primarily paperless).
Records purging and destruction follow state WPD follows the established records retention
guidelines. schedule for misdemeanor and felony cases.
The evidence room facility is secure and The WPD evidence room has electronic
access is limited. locking capabilities and with access limited to
the prosecutor sergeant and detective charged
with evidence responsibility.
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
A percentage of evidence/property is audited The Department has a policy in place requiring
(annually and regular spot audits) to provide an annual audit of the property and evidence
for verified chain of evidence, etc. rooms.
The policy also calls for random unannounced
inspections by a ranking officer.
A complete inventory of the evidence relocated
occurred in September 2011 and all evidence
is bar coded and entered into a computerized
tracking system.
Officers receive at least 40 hours of training The training schedule ensures that a minimum
per year. In-service training includes hands on of 58 hours of training is scheduled for sworn
perishable skills training such as defensive officers on an annual basis with several
tactics and high speed driving. additional classroom-training opportunities
provided.
All employees, including managers, receive an WPD does not conduct annual performance
annual performance evaluation based on clear appraisals on any employees due the labor
standards. agreement.
Patrol vehicles are targeted for replacement The average age in years of current front line
between 80,000 and 100,000 or 4-5 years. patrol vehicles is just over 2 years old and all
patrol units average just over 3 years of
service.
The Department participates with local school The WPD has dedicated 1 School Resource
districts in an SRO program; funding is shared. Officers, assigned to the high school, for
involvement with the City schools (which is 5
schools) The SRO participates on in High
School campus readiness drills and
investigates non-major crimes involving
juveniles.
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
The Department has an active crime The Community and Staff Development The WPD is not very active with community,
prevention program and is involved with Division conducts quarterly customer business or neighborhood groups.
businesses and neighborhood groups. satisfaction surveys to gauge how satisfied
residents are with the police department
response. Current overall satisfaction is very
high at 94.5%.
The Department has an active Volunteer The WPD utilizes unpaid interns to assist with The WPD does not have an active volunteer
Program administrative duties in Community and Staff program.
Development.
MANAGEMENT/ADMINISTRATION
The command staff structure of the Police The Captain of Administrative Services has a The Lieutenant Detective has a span of control
Department has efficient and effective spans span of control of 1 to 6. of 1 to 2.
of control (approximately 1:4-6).
The Captain of Field Operations has a span of
control of 1 to 5.
The Lieutenant of Community and Staff
Development has a span of control of 1 to 9,
including interns.
Management staff developed and implements The WPD has a mission statement published The WPD does not have a comprehensive
a strategic plan; annual planning session to on the website. multi-year strategic plan in place, which
update it. identifies the goals, objectives, and
The Department develops annual goals and performance measures for each of the
objectives on a per fiscal year basis. operating units toward reaching its mission
and vision. For example reducing injury
accidents at intersections by x%, reducing part
one crimes by x%, increasing clearance rates
by x%, etc.
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
Department supervisors and/or managers Training is received upon supervisory and
attend professional development training (e.g. management promotion.
courses accredited by POST or IACP; FBI
National Academy or Executive Development, Based on a review of training records,
etc.) supervisors and /or managers are engaged in
departmental training and attend a variety of
additional training for skill development.
Sergeants attend a two (2)week
Massachusetts Police Leadership Institute
course upon promotion.
The Department is involved in disaster The SRO attends critical incident planning
preparedness/ homeland security issues meetings at all school campuses annually.
within the Town and regionally.
The WPD participates in the North Eastern
Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council
(NEMLEC) where 48 cities and town share
resources to assist each other in planning for
and responding to critical incidents.
The Department participates in emergency
management planning & exercises conducted
in the Town of Watertown.
The department has an integrated budget The WPD follows the Citywide process for
system and receives regular budget reports budgeting and expense monitoring. The WPD
during the year; monitors expenses. is on an annual budget cycle.
The Captain of Administrative Services is
responsible for monitoring the budget and
expenses.
Individually assigned cars are minimized. Of the 31 WPD vehicles, approximately 16% of The Department does not have an adopted
them have individual assignments (i.e., the vehicle replacement schedule for marked or
command staff and the detectives each have unmarked vehicles based on mileage or years
an assigned vehicle). of service.
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
Both formal and informal complaints are The command staff review and follow-up on all
followed-up by Department supervisors. citizen complaints, and make the
determination to move forward with formal
internal affairs investigations. The Operations
Captain conducts serious internal
investigations.
The Department is involved in partnerships The WPD participates in the North Eastern
with other law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council
regional law enforcement efforts and/or cost (NEMLEC) where 48 cities and town share
sharing of services. resources to assist each other in planning for
and responding to critical incidents.
An effective building security system to provide The building has an effective building security
for employee safety is in place. system to provide for employee safety. The
main lobby is accessible to the public on 24-
hour basis. A key card access system is
utilized for access to any area outside the
main lobby.
The costs for overtime represent less than According to Town budget documents FY
10% of total regular salary costs. 2010 overtime expenses were $555,041,
which equate to 12.5% of total regular salary
costs. In FY 2011 the use of overtime
improved to 11.6%, but is still slightly higher
than benchmark standards. Smaller
departments, such as Watertown, are typically
at the high end of this comparative indicator.
This is because the loss of one individual
represents a relatively high proportion of the
overall force.
Matrix Consulting Group Page 115
Management and Operations Study of the
Fire Department
TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
matnxm
consulting grout,
721 Colorado Avenue, Suite 101
Palo Alto, CA 94303
v.650.858.0507 f.650.858.0509
April 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
1. INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
2. ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND ORGANIZATION 11
3. ANALYSIS OF OPERATIONS 59
APPENDIX A — PROFILE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT 93
APPENDIX B — DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT 101
TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
1 INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This first chapter provides a summary of the process utilized by the Matrix
Consulting Group to conduct this assignment, and provides an Executive Summary of
our principal findings and recommendations.
1. INTRODUCTION
The Matrix Consulting Group was retained by the Town of Watertown to conduct
and develop a Public Safety Study of the Watertown Police and Fire Departments (WPD
& WFD). The scope of services defined in the Town's original request for proposals
was comprehensive and focused on the following broad topical areas in the Fire
Department:
• Identify service needed for Watertown based on the characteristics of the
community, statutory and regulatory requirements for response and delivery and
comparison with current ability to fulfill the needs and expectations.
• Identify the public safety risks and prioritize the level of risk that must be covered
based on the data and operations of the public safety departments. The type,
frequency, distribution, response times, mutual aid and/or contractor provided
services, staffing policies, reporting of emergency and routine responses to all
services will be included.
• Define services performed by each department, any duplication of services, and
services that are not currently provided, but are needed.
• Review the current centralized dispatch operation located in the new police
station for Watertown emergency public safety services, including the current
organization, management/supervision, training, schedule and data/technology
required for each department. Comparison with other similar communities and
the possible feasibility of consolidation with other departments will be included for
consideration.
• Assess the current plan for deploying the required number of public safety
officers and supervisors, along with vehicles/apparatus used and recommend
cost effective alternatives based on the type of incident for each department.
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Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
Evaluate whether there are recommended changes to improve efficiency and
delivery of service.
• Evaluate schedules for assigning required personnel, including appropriate
staffing, supervisors, management, and support staff to respond from the initial
call for routine and emergency service through to generating the incident report
and findings, and any subsequent proceedings such as court appearance, legal
action, or insurance resolution or inspection.
• Identify the required staffing levels to meet the needs of the community in the
most cost effective and complete manner and examine the use of overtime and
leave time for each department and in Watertown and comparable communities
including operating costs, personnel impacts, and impact on delivery of service
and work load.
• Evaluate feasible options for public safety service and delivery to determine
whether services can be effectively shared with other public and/or private
entities. Evaluate needs for service backups. Review the possibilities and cost
implications of contracted services vs. staffing in each department.
• Evaluate current and planned vehicle / apparatus configuration/ acquisition /
replacement, maintenance and assignment practices to determine whether the
existing operations are the most cost effective implementation.
• Evaluation of Departmental policies and procedures and collective bargaining
provisions that impact the efficient operations of the department and public safety
service delivery. Review education and/or prevention training requirements, and
funding allocation in comparison to other communities and standards. Include
possible recommendations that may improve the current policies, procedures,
training and delivery of services in the most cost effective manner.
The project was conducted during the second half of 2011 and early 2012 by the
Matrix Consulting Group project team. To conduct the assignment, the members of the
project team engaged in a variety of activities, including the following:
• Met with senior management staff in the Town.
• Interviewed members of the command staff in the Fire Department.
• Conducted one-on-one or small group interviews with staff in all functions.
• Collected data describing workload, finances, policies and procedures,
accreditation, salaries and wages, benefits, use of leave and other key
descriptive factors.
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Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
• Develop a descriptive profile of the Fire Department that was reviewed with staff.
This has been included as an appendix to this document.
• Developed, distributed and reviewed a confidential employee questionnaire that
was focused on assessing employee attitudes about service levels, staffing,
equipment, training, management systems, internal communications and other
key factors. The project team did not receive any responses to the employee
survey from Fire Department staff.
• Compared the WFD to a series of best management practices and attempted to
conduct a survey of benchmark communities to identify potential issues for
further study in the course of this project. ' This has also been included as an
appendix to this document.
The final step in this process has been the development of this final report. The
following section provides a summary of the project team's key findings and
recommendations.
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
While management studies, such as this one, must concentrate on the
possibilities for improvement it is also important to note key positives found by the
project team:
• Likewise, the management team strives to work closely together and in an
organized fashion — all assignments are documented and published so that
responsibilities and assignments are clear.
• The Department has worked to maximize the efficiency of their operation given
the personnel provided by developing a deployment plan under various staffing
levels.
• The Chief has worked to ensure that there is consistency across all four shifts in
terms of staffing, deployment and service delivery.
• The station network and unit deployment provide good coverage of the entire
Town. The mutual aid system available in the Metro-Boston area is an excellent
asset for providing additional staffing.
Only a single community responded to the benchmark survey, the Town of Belmont.
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Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
• The Department operates an engine-company inspection program in an effort to
provide additional support in the area of fire prevention.
• Fire apparatus maintenance is provided by an on-duty Firefighter, a cost-effective
approach but one that may be difficult to replicate once the individual retires.
• The Department makes regular use of the incident command system (NIMS)
providing for safe and effective incident management.
• The Department developed a Standard of Cover document identifying issues and
capabilities within the Town. This document was completed in 2008 and should,
according to the Center for Public Safety Excellence, be completed every five
years.
The following chart provides a summary of the key recommendations found in
the final report. Additional information relating to each recommendation can be found in
the body of this document.
Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
A review of the organizational Do not create an Assistant Chief position. None
structure of the Fire Department
shows that it is flat, with all key Consider elimination of the Staff Services ($109,000)
functions and operations reporting to Officer(Captain) position.
the Chief. The agency is challenged,
at times, by the lack of a second staff To assist the Chief and to cover the $80,000
position not included in the administrative work currently conducted
bargaining unit. There is a Staff by the SSO (Captain) the Fire Department
Services position that could be should be authorized to create a Fire
considered as unnecessary as the Management Analyst position (civilian).
functions handled by the position
could be reallocated, possibly to a Eliminate one of two clerical positions in ($45,000)
civilian analyst. Alternatively, the the Fire Department, consolidating
Town could consider converting the functions in the remaining position.
SSO Captain into an Assistant Chief.
It is often challenging for supervisors Encourage the creation of a superior None
to take necessary actions with officers bargaining unit, similar to that
respect to those they supervise if found in the Police Department. This new
they are in the same bargaining unit. unit should include Lieutenants and
Captains. The Town should also work to
take the Deputy Chiefs from the
bargaining unit, making clear their role as
part of the Fire Department management
team.
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TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
Many key management systems are Update the mission statements for the None
in place. However, there are gaps WFD. Update policies and procedures,
which include outdated policies, lack including the development of a process by
of data as an on-going management which policies can be reviewed annually.
tool and so on. Expand involvement of staff in the review
and updating of policies. Expand the use
of data in decision-making and
management on a daily basis.
While the Fire Department does an Develop a training program for company $50,000
adequate job of focusing on skills officers that results in all of them being
training for fire/ EMS there is little trained to the level of"Fire Officer I" per
focus on management or supervision NFPA standards. Deputy Chiefs should
training. be trained to the level of"Fire Officer 2"
per the NFPA guidelines. Provide
ongoing management training, including
risk management, personnel
management, employee assessment,
training skills development, etc.
Focus on providing company officers and
command staff members with ongoing
management and supervisory training. In
addition to the Fire Officer training
recommended previously, the Department
should also provide company officers with
training on educational methods, risk
management and personnel
management. The Civil Service is
considering the possibility of granting
experience points to those candidates
who have obtained Fire Officer 1 and /or
2— but at this point it still cannot be
established as a prerequisite for a
promotion.
Company officers (lieutenants and Company officers should take a more None
captains) do not take a leadership active role in providing daily training to
role in providing training. their assigned personnel. The Fire
Department should investigate
opportunities to utilize training available
from MIIA.
Documentation of all training hours is Ensure that all training hours are being None
a critical risk management tool. documented, including those conducted
in-station.
The Fire Department does not The WFD should assign Deputy Chiefs None
currently conduct post-incident and other staff to develop post-incident
critiques of major incidents. This reviews following all structure fires, any
results in the loss of a major learning incident where there is a firefighter injury,
opportunity. technical rescue, etc.
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TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
Given recent occurrences in the The Department needs to focus on None
broader fire/ rescue community this organizational development and team
is an opportune time to focus on building to focus attention on and
accountability, risk management and improve, systems of accountability.
other key management systems.
While there is an adequate training Develop an employee appraisal approach None
program in place, there is little focus that either focuses on the performance of
on documenting personal or group the individual or on the performance of
performance. the company unit. This should be
focused on improving training and
preparedness of personnel.
As with many fire department, the The Department needs to focus on None
WFD utilizes many informal methods organizational development and team
to share information, to have building to focus attention on and
meetings between the Chief and improve, systems of accountability.
other officers and so on.
Policies and procedures are not all The Fire Department should develop a None
up to date and do not cover all key new, comprehensive, policy and
areas. procedures manual. The Department
should first take steps to identify
examples from Massachusetts to simplify
their development. Second, a committee
of staff from all ranks should be formed to
ensure that the adaptation of policies and
procedures to the Fire Department is
done with appropriate focus on the needs
of the community and the WFD.
There are no performance measures The Town and the Department should None
or targets in place for the Fire work collaboratively at developing and
Department. adopting community-wide standards of
performance, including response times
and acceptable levels of risk.
The Department should implement a Less than $20,000
formal Management Information System
that identifies and adopts critical
performance indicators and tracks these
on a daily basis.
The Fire Department, in conjunction with
the Town's administration and policy
makers, should work to develop specific
performance indicators for the WFD. The
Department's financial management
systems are adequate for ensuring that
budgetary and overtime issues can be
identified quickly. Once these are in
place, simple management systems
focused on tracking these indicators
should be developed by the Department.
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TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
Risk management suggests that Develop policies and procedures for $10,000
employees should be evaluated conducting background checks examining
periodically for criminal and driving both criminal and driving histories. These
record changes. are done before new employees are
hired, and should be done on an annual
basis for existing employees.
The use of technology in the The Fire Department should undertake Unknown
management and operations of the several steps to enhance the utilization of
Fire Department is behind that of information and analysis in support of
others in the industry and in the decision making. The Department should
Town. A recent grant application for also take steps to improve staff
laptops in fire apparatus was not accountability, improve new-chief officer
awarded. management training and the adoption of
key performance measures to be
regularly tracked.
The Fire Department relies on a The Fire Department should work with Unknown
firefighter to serve as their primary other Town units to ensure continued in-
vehicle mechanic. This individual is house (i.e., in-Town) mechanics with the
eligible to retire, and no plans have capability and certifications for working on
been made to replace him. fire apparatus. The current incumbent
performs a wide range of key repairs
including working on the pumps. These
skills may be difficult to replicate among
current staff, and so the Department and
the Town should begin considering the
budget implications of expanding their use
of contractors to complete specialized
repairs.
The Fire Department has a fleet of Make revisions to the vehicle and Capital Cost
vehicles appropriate to its mission. apparatus replacement plan that replaces
However, there is no program for an engine every 5 years, a ladder truck
replacing vehicles in place that has every 10 years and other vehicles every
been adopted by the Town. 7-9 years.
For the future, the Town should The Town of Watertown should remove None
consider removing the Chief's the Fire Chief from Civil Service and
position from Civil Service to should conduct a Commonwealth search
broaden the pool of potential when the next Chief is hired. Part of this
applicants. process should include assessment
centers, interviews, background checks
and other methods for ascertaining the
appropriateness of the candidate.
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TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
The Fire Department currently uses Deploy personnel so that Rescue 2 can None
approximately 1.3 personnel per shift be staffed at all times. Focus on staffing
on overtime (with approximately'/2 of fire units at three personnel if at all
shifts having no personnel on possible. Both of these objectives are
overtime at all). This is achieved by reducing staffing in Car 2 by
approximately 8% of shifts covered utilizing the Firefighter assigned as the
using overtime—well within the Deputy Chief's driver to other functions.
range expected to be found in well- The project team believes that the
managed public safety agencies. appropriate target staffing for the Town is
for there to be a minimum of 16 personnel
The current deployment plan for on-duty—this allows for three engines,
Operations does not allocate two ambulances, a ladder and a chief
personnel to both Rescue units at all officer to be deployed at appropriate
times—an issue given that 59% of staffing levels.
the Department's workload is EMS.
Current response policies seem to The Fire Department should work to Unknown
over-dispatch units to certain call reduce the number of units dispatched on
types. a number of call types. The
implementation of a call triaging system,
particularly for EMS calls, would
potentially reduce the number of Fire
Department vehicles routinely sent on
calls. This should include increasing the
number of calls to which only a single
engine is dispatched.
Current response times appear to The Fire Department must work closely None
exceed targeted levels, with with the Police Department in order to
emergency EMS calls taking longer begin tracking all necessary response
than fire calls. time elements. Once these data are
being captured, particular attention should
be paid to the call processing time (in
dispatch) and the turnout time (in the
stations)— particularly for emergency
calls.
Current policies allow for only four Work to maintain, through improved None
Officers to be on duty. scheduling of time off, a target of five
officers per shift. Continue current
practice of using overtime to maintain a
minimum of four officers per shift should
continue under all but the direst financial
situation. The Town should work to
change the contract so that no more than
two (2) officers can be off on scheduled
leave per shift. The contractual language
stating that"25% of the complement" can
be off should be modified, as noted
previously to allow fewer total personnel
off and to distinguish between officers and
firefighters, allowing only one officer off at
a time if that will leave the Department
with fewer than five (5) on duty.
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TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
The Fire Department's personnel The Fire Department should engage in at None
can be better utilized during their least one-hour of pre-planning activity per
shifts doing things like training and day per company. If this approach is
conducting other tasks in support of taken, more than 700 pre-plans could be
their operations. Opportunities exist completed or updated on an annual basis.
to shift workload to line companies, Initially, facilities should be broken down
thereby increasing productivity. by first due 2 area, with some exceptions
made to expand the scope of the less
active companies. Consider adding a
layer in the GIS for pre-planning so that
the WPD and the WFD have access to
these plans.
Deputy Chiefs are the primary Deputy Chiefs should respond to all threat None
management of operations in the to life medical calls, and possibly to
Fire Department. EMS operations randomly assigned non-life threatening
are the majority of the Department's calls as well.
service provision, yet Deputy Chiefs
do not respond to "routine" medical
calls.
AED's are a proven way of improving The Town should adopt an ordinance None
survivability from sudden cardiac requiring the presence of AED's in all
arrest. medical establishments and places of
public assembly. The Fire Department
and the Town should work to assist with
the placement of these critical devices in
locations that cannot afford the full cost of
one through a grant program.
Furthermore, their location should be
added into the CAD system so those near
the victim of a heart attack can be
directed to one while awaiting the arrival
of EMS personnel. The cost of the AED's
should be borne by the provider.
2 The `first due' area is en engine company's primary area of responsibility—a geographic area of the
Town that is centered around the station from which the engine (or other unit) responds. This results
from the typically static deployment model used by most fire/rescue agencies, including the WFD.
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TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
Finding Recommendation Fiscal Impact
The Town needs more than one The project team recommends that the ($300,000)
ambulance at times. A Fire Department and Town Manager seek
recommendation in this report is to to work with neighboring communities by
shift staffing to ensure that Rescue 2 offering them the services of Rescue 2 on
is staffed at all times. a cost-sharing basis. Under this model,
each community would keep the revenue
associated with the calls run in their
jurisdictions, and would pay a proportional
cost of staffing the ambulance. For
example, if one other community
participated, the cost reduction to
Watertown would be 50% the cost of
staffing the ambulance—or approximately
$300,000.
The two departments have not The two public safety departments should None
developed a consistently effective develop 'customer service' approaches to
approach to 'customer service' and address and resolve problems in joint
problem resolution in emergency dispatching.
communications.
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2. ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND
ORGANIZATION
This chapter focuses on the key management systems used to oversee
operations and personnel as well as the organizational structure necessary to effectively
and efficiently manage operations in the Fire Department.
1. THE CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT IS RELATIVELY FLAT WITH ALL FUNCTIONS REPORTING
TO THE FIRE CHIEF.
The Watertown Fire Department is managed by the Fire Chief and four Deputy
Chiefs. Each of the Deputy Chiefs is responsible for managing one of four work groups
as well as a number of ancillary functions (training, fire prevention, maintenance and
others). The current organizational structure is depicted in the exhibit, below:
Fire Chief (1)
Staff Service SHIFT Training Officer -
Officer - Captain OPERATIONS Lieutenant Fire Inspector -
(1) Deputy Chief (4) (1) Captain (1)
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Note that the current organizational structure is relatively straightforward —
with few positions dedicated to purely administrative functions. The Department has
seen reductions in the area of public education and in Operations Division personnel.
2. EVALUATION OF ANY ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE RELIES ON THE
IDENTIFICATION OF FORMAL CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT.
In order to evaluate the organizational structure of the Watertown Fire
Department, the project team first had to identify the criteria by which the organization
structure would be judged. The paragraphs, that follow, describe those criteria as well
as describe what is meant by each of them:
• Accountability and responsibility is clearly identified: The organization must
be consistent with the concept that clear lines of authority and decision making
are essential for any organization to achieve excellence. Areas of responsibility
are clearly delineated and points of accountability are readily identifiable.
• Span of control or communication is optimal: Effective organizations are
structured so that lines of communication are identifiable and there are multiple
reporting relationships, responsibility for communication and control are clearly
identified and understood.
• There are essential checks and balances in place where necessary: As it
relates to this project, checks and balances are necessary in the area of clinical
performance review as opposed to operational performance review.
• Structure is based on task requirements and work flow as opposed to
specialized skills of individual members: There is a tendency in some
organizations to organize work patterns around the specific passions or skills of
individual members. This results in high friction levels of most work processes
and the relationships between group members and groups them.
• Similar titled positions have similar responsibilities and levels of
accountability: The organization should be structured such that decision
making authority and the ability of decisions to impact the organization in a
strategic way are all found at similar levels of the hierarchy.
• Support functions are logically grouped and do not, through this grouping,
create additional layers of oversight: Organizational structures should group
support functions together, separated from operations, only when the scale and
scope of the operation requires it.
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The section, that follows, provides our analysis of the current organizational
structure and opportunities for improvement.
3. THE CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE MEETS THE CRITERIA
FOR AN EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION AND SHOULD BE LEFT
UNCHANGED.
The current organization of the Fire Department is along fairly typical lines, as
shown, in the exhibit several pages prior. The exhibit, that follows, provides a graphical
assessment of the current organizational structure. Note the %0' marks in a box indicate
that the organizational unit meets that criteria described in the preceding section of the
report:
Similar
Checks Titles/ Support
Organizational Span of and Based on Similar Integrated
Unit Authority Control Balances Work Flow Duties into Ops
Office of the Fire
Chief
Operations
Fire Prevention /
Training /
Maintenance
The paragraphs that follow provide a summary of the project team's findings and
conclusions regarding the current organizational structure of the Fire Department:
• The Department is organized along traditional lines — with Deputy Chiefs and the
Staff Service Officer (Captain) reporting to the Chief, with the Fire Inspector and
Training Officer (who is also the EMS Coordinator) reporting to two Deputy
Chiefs.
• Like many Massachusetts Fire Departments, the Chief is the sole employee who
is not represented by one of the bargaining units. In this case, the Deputy Chiefs
and all subordinate employees are all part of the same bargaining unit.
• The Chief has six direct reports including the four Deputy Chiefs, Staff Service
Officer (Captain) and the Lead Clerk. This is within a reasonable levels of
supervision, when the range of 6-9 direct reports are generally accepted as
appropriate.
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• The Captain role on the shift has been reduced from one per company
(distributed across the shifts) to one per shift spread between Stations 2 and 3.
Station 1 has a Captain assigned to this role, they serve as a back-up to the
Deputy Chiefs on each shift, and then serve the same basic roles as the
Lieutenants assigned to the engines.
• The Fire Department has, effectively, a single position assigned to staff roles for
purposes of addressing research and development. This places a need for
support roles on the part of the Deputy Chiefs and company officers assigned on
the shifts — a common solution in Fire Departments.
• Company Officers do not currently have significant support roles assigned. The
Fire Department should assign support functions to all Lieutenants and Captains.
The Department has effectively distributed administrative responsibilities to the
four Deputy Chiefs.
The project team considered two alternatives:
• Creation of an Assistant Chief position.
• Elimination of the Staff Services Officer (Captain) position.
The table, below, provides a summary of the benefits and challenges from
making these changes:
Alternative Benefits Challenges
Create Assistant Chief Position • Provide for a second position Additional cost from either
outside the bargaining unit. conversion of an existing
• Ensure clear chain of position or creation of a new
command in the absence of position.
the Chief.
Eliminate Staff Services Officer • Reduction in personnel costs Elimination of the position
(Captain) Position in the Fire Department— would also eliminate the
approximately$109,000 in single-position focus for
salaries and benefits. administrative functions,
• Shifting of administrative research, etc.
duties to the Deputy Chiefs
and other company officers
would build on current
approach of distributed
administrative functions.
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Other issues identified by the project team while examining the organization
structure and its impacts on the operations of the Watertown Fire Department is that of
the distinction between line, supervisors and management in the Fire Department. The
project team offers the following observations:
• The Fire Chief is the only sworn member of the Fire Department who is not in the
bargaining unit.
• Lieutenants, Captains and the Deputy Chiefs are in the same bargaining unit as
the line Firefighters. This can pose a challenge for supervisors when they need
to discipline or otherwise direct the line employees.
The Fire Department, the bargaining unit and the Town should work together to
address these issues — by removing the Deputy Chiefs from the union overall and by
creating a separate superior officers unit, similar to that found in the Police Department,
for the Lieutenants and Captains in the Fire Department.
The project team also examined the roles and responsibilities of the two support
positions found in the Fire Department. One is assigned to the Chief's Office and the
other in support of Fire Prevention. The project team believes that these two positions
could be merged into a single full-time position if the position of a management analyst
is added to the Fire Department as discussed later in this chapter. In this capacity, the
remaining lead clerk position could continue providing administrative support to the
Chief while scheduling and performing data entry for Fire Prevention. This position
consolidation could also be supported by taking the following steps:
• Making increased use of in-field data entry by the Fire Inspector.
• Hiring a management analyst in the Fire Department (discussed in a later
section).
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Taking these steps will allow administrative, research, scheduling and other tasks
to continue to be shared between two positions — however, one will be trained to
provide a higher level of service including analytical and research support for the Chief
and other members of the command staff. This makes the addition of the management
analyst position more cost effective.
Recommendation: The Fire Department's organizational structure is appropriate
given the nature of the missions assigned to the Department. Fire Prevention is
equally high in the organization with Suppression and Training.
Recommendation: The Fire Department and Town should consider eliminating
the Staff Services Officer (Captain) position for annual savings of $109,000.
Recommendation: Town, Fire Department and bargaining unit should work to
create a new superior officers unit for Lieutenants and Captains. The Deputy
Chiefs should be separated from the union altogether to improve management
and supervisory capabilities in the Department.
Recommendation: Eliminate one of the two clerical support positions in the Fire
Department, merging the roles and responsibilities of the two functions. This
would result in annual savings of $45,000.
4. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE CREATION OF A
NEW MANAGEMENT ANALYST POSITION TO SUPPORT THE USE OF
DATA IN DECISION MAKING.
This section addresses the key management and information systems that
should be in place within a modern Fire agency such as the Watertown Fire
Department. The project team examined key management systems relating in the
Department. These systems are critical to ensuring that the Department operates both
effectively and efficiently. The key elements of a successful management system for a
Fire agency include the following:
• Formal Interaction — Does the management team interact in formal meetings
(set times, regular schedule, with agendas, etc.)? Are different groups of
managers brought together to focus on key issues, to communicate general
issues, to work on budget information, etc.?
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• Utilization of Data in Decision Making — Does the Department make use of the
data collected from calls, quality assurance reviews, inspections, etc. to make
informed decisions? Are analytical methods regularly employed to make
decisions regarding deployment, budgetary expenditures, etc.? Is there a culture
of making decisions using analysis rather than anecdotal information? Are there
sufficient staff resources to support analytical decision-making?
• Accountability Mechanisms — Is there a mechanism in place by which staff can
be held accountable for assignments made? Do these systems provide for
accountability the same way throughout the organization?
• Formal Policies, Procedures and Protocols — Are key policies, procedures
and protocols formally documented? Are they regularly reviewed and updated?
Does the review of these key documents involve a broadly based group? Are
policies and procedures widely available to all staff? Are staff held accountable
for compliance? Is there a formal "professional standards" function within the
Department?
• Management Training — Does the Town and the Department provide formal
training to officers as they are promoted and as part of their continuing
education? Do officers receive advanced tactical training, risk management
training, personnel policy updates, etc.?
• Utilization of Technology — Does the Fire Department make maximum use of
technology to enhance effectiveness and efficiency? Are current investments
being used effectively? Has the Department planned to adopt technology in the
future that will enhance services or management of services?
The project team has the following observations and findings regarding the
management of the Fire Department:
• The WFD also makes use of ad hoc groups to address special projects.
• The project team found that the use of data by the Fire Department occurs
sporadically if at all. Examples include the following:
- Operations data is not analyzed by unit, station, and Department-wide etc.
to monitor performance of individual units or officers.
- Response time data are not tracked at a level of specificity that is required
in modern fire / rescue management. These data are not regularly
analyzed or evaluated at any level of the organization. The Town's CAD
software and dispatch personnel are capable of tracking data that are not
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currently being tracked (such as when the unit acknowledged receipt of
the call, when the fire unit when en-route, etc.).
Training is not, at present, being tracked by individual. There are
repositories of training data in several places in the Department.
Deputy Chiefs and others are rarely expected to utilize formal methods for
evaluating issues assigned outside of operations — for example, the
decision to adopt a new piece of equipment or a new tactic is only
undertaken following a formal research process.
- There are no analysts to support the operations of the Fire Department.
This means that senior staff are left to perform their own research, rely on
less senior sworn staff to perform various analytical tasks, etc.
- Extensive data are collected in various operational areas through the CAD
/ RMS system, training records, etc. However, many of these data cannot
be easily accessed under current information systems.
- There is not a particular culture of "analysis" within the Fire Department.
The awareness that data can provide powerful — critical — information for
Fire managers is growing nationally. Senior staff will need to be able to
make a case for additional resources predicated on proof derived from
analysis — rather than on anecdotal approaches that have historically been
acceptable. This change will need to be developed and fostered by the
command staff.
• The Fire Department does not have a systematic method for ensuring
accountability for staff assignments or other routine tasks. The current
approaches rely upon the institutional memory of the command staff as a group
to ensure compliance by individuals. Given the complexity of the WFD, this
approach can no longer be viewed as appropriate. The Town should obtain a
software driven solution that allows assignments to be made and tracked and to
allow progress on assignments to be followed. It is equally important that such a
solution does not add excessively to the workload of the command staff.
• The Fire Department does not currently maintain a "command college" for its
Chiefs. Additional support for new chief-level officers would be appropriate —
particularly focused on personnel, risk management and other key management
skills not typically covered as part of company officer training. Most of the Chief
Officers have been to the Chief Officer Training program at the state Fire
Academy.
• The Fire Department should begin to engage in a number of projects focused on
enhancing the utilization of technology in the field and in the administration of the
Department. The project team found the following examples:
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- There are no computers in the fire response vehicles — an increasingly
common tool found in progressive fire / rescue agencies.
Personnel are not able to access critical records on-line from their
vehicles, leaving personnel using hard-copy books for limited pre-incident
plans.
There are no GPS or mapping solutions being utilized by the Fire
Department. This represents a lost opportunity in terms of improving
response time management.
The project team recommends that the Fire Department undertake the following
actions to make improvements in management and oversight:
• The Fire Department should develop an accountability system to ensure that all
assignments are followed-up appropriately. A simple in-house system can be
developed using common office programs until a more sophisticated system can
be obtained. An electronic system is useful since issues can be sorted by due
date, individual, status, etc. The tracking system should have (at minimum):
Assignment
Data assigned
Due date
- Responsible Individual
• Key measures should be identified by the senior staff and tracked regularly.
Examples might include:
- Reflex time (overall, by station, by unit, by major call type)
- Dispatch processing time
- Drive time
- Call concurrency
- Response times by time of day, etc.
- Number of inspections per inspector
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• Begin a process of information systems enhancement in the Department —
including consideration of contracting for a full needs assessment.
• Create a new analyst position, assigned to the Office of the Chief. This position,
similar in training and background to crime analysts typically found in police
agencies, should be a civilian who is trained as an analyst — familiar with
spreadsheets, statistics, use of analytical tools including GIS. The time of this
new position should be dedicated to both routine tasks (providing management
reports focused on response performance, leave utilization, etc.) and to provide
support to special projects undertaken by the command staff of the Department.
This will be critical in supporting the Department if it is to move towards a culture
which utilizes data for decision-making.
Recommendation: The Fire Department should undertake several steps to
enhance the utilization of information and analysis in support of decision-making.
Included in these steps should be the creation of a new Fire Analyst position for a
total cost of $80,000 annually. The Department should also take steps to improve
staff accountability, improve new-chief officer management training and the
adoption of key performance measures to be regularly tracked.
5. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE ON MANY BASIC
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.
The Watertown Fire Department represents a multi-million dollar investment on
the part of the community and its taxpayers. For the investment, the community
expects to receive effective and efficient fire, rescue and EMS services. In order to
assure the community that these funds are well spent and that operations are being
managed effectively, the Fire Department must have data-driven management systems
in place. This is similar to a common practice in law enforcement agencies — CompStat
— where command staff meet with one another and focus on management issues in the
Department. These style meetings are most common in police departments, but are
slowly being adopted by progressive fire departments nationwide. The focus of these
meetings should be on service delivery indicators, issues where units / shifts are not
meeting standards, etc. In general, management systems should be able to provide
managers with insight into the following critical areas:
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• Performance responding to emergencies.
• Training for both fire and EMS skills.
• Use of leave (sick, vacation, etc.).
• Budgetary performance.
• Overtime utilization by cause.
• Fire / EMS "run" reports and billing documentation.
The Matrix Consulting Group found that the Department's key management
systems vary in their utility and in the level of utilization by the command staff. Our
findings are summarized, below:
• Systems that provide for financial reporting are present and are under the control
of the Town. Systems are in place which enable the Department to monitor
budgetary performance. These are linked to the Town's financial management
systems. The project team found that the Department reconciles its own
performance against the budget in an on-going manner, enabling potential
budgetary issues to be identified quickly.
• Systems are also in place that enable detailed tracking of the use of overtime,
the use of leave, etc. — all key indicators on the utilization of personnel. The
project team found that the Department maintains detailed accounting of all
overtime utilized by reason.
• The Department does not consistently utilize available data to assess its own
performance internally. The project team found that key data elements were not
being captured by the dispatch process. These data would enable the
Department to assess its own "reaction" time to calls for service — this can not be
reliably done given the issues, found by the project team, with the data in the
various reporting systems in the Fire and Police Departments. This can be done
with the current systems, and should be implemented by consistently tracking the
time stamp for `en-route' which will allow drive time to be calculated and will allow
reaction time to be calculated.
• There are few internally developed performance objectives for response, on-
scene activities, etc. which are actively measured. Personnel are not held
directly accountable for their individual performance.
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(1) The Fire Department Has Been Informally Managed in the Past.
The matrix, which follows, provides a summary of our initial findings regarding
management systems in the Fire Department:
Issue Evaluation
How does the Fire Department Matrix Consulting Group found that the WFD has generally been
plan, schedule and control the informal with the way in which it plans, schedules and controls the
work to be done? non-emergency work to be done. The primary exception to this is
the way in which the Department controls its field operations. In
this case, the project team found that the WFD relies on
documented incident command systems (how emergencies are
managed in the field).
Does the Department use regular • The Department has reintroduced the use of management team
meetings to formalize meetings to improve the management of the Department. These
management? meetings occur regularly and involve all command staff personnel.
How is long range planning • The project team found that there is no documented long range
accomplished in the planning process for the WFD.
Department? Are managers • Individuals may have planning as part of their responsibilities but
using information to assess this is typically limited to a specific area and is not part of an
operational issues? overall approach to planning and development.
• The project team found that information is used by some
managers to assess some operational issues. However, we also
found that the capabilities of the records management systems
and the CAD were not being fully utilized.
Are vertical or horizontal • Internal communications within the WFD has historically been an
communications within the issue of some concern.
Department adequate?
Are the Department's policy and • The policies and procedures are incomplete and do not cover a
procedure manuals/documents wide range of key topics and operational issues. The
complete? Do major gaps exist Department's management team is aware of the lack of complete
relating to operations? policies and procedures, and limited efforts have been made to
address these challenges.
Are policies and procedures • The project team found that policies and procedures, as they exist
consistently applied in the today, are consistently applied in the Department and are used to
Department? consistently hold personnel accountable.
How effective is the Department's • Generally, the Department functions with an effective incident
approach to incident command? command structure at all major events. One area that could be
enhanced is the designation of a separate safety officer(person
responsible for maintaining positive awareness of the location of
each individual at the scene) for each major incident—a role that is
handled in combination with other tasks currently.
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Issue Evaluation
Are there accurate and timely • The data exists with which the WFD could monitor its performance
measures of the performance of on a daily basis.
the Department? • However, the project team found that data is not used to evaluate
service delivery or performance on a regular basis (even when
reports are generated regularly they do not appear to be used to
impact operations regularly).
Does the Department have • There is no such plan in place.
systems in place to tie
performance measurement and
goals to each employee to make
them accountable?
What improvements are needed • The project team identified no major issues in these areas.
in records and financial
management?
How are managers and • Mangers and supervisors are provided with both internal and
supervisors trained and external training opportunities. However, there is no requirement
supported in the Department? that personnel receive training upon obtaining a new rank.
Do the Town Manager and Town • The WFD does not provide the Manager with weekly reports
Council receive the information showing activity, response times, etc.
that they need to provide an on-
going assessment of the
performance of the Fire
Department?
Are there opportunities to The Fire Department could take steps to enhance public access to
improve public information? information and performance through publications, the Town
website, etc.
In general, the project team found that the Fire Department has been and
continues to be somewhat informally managed. There is little use of available data as a
management tool, few meetings of the command staff (this is changing) and little in the
way of long range planning. The Department can be characterized as reactive rather
than proactive in the way it addresses issues and challenges. Despite this, the project
team found that the in-field delivery of services continues to be done at a high level.
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(2) The Fire Department Should Take Several Steps to Formalize Management
of Operations and Administration.
The Fire Department will benefit from improved efficiencies and effectiveness if it
addresses the issues identified in the preceding sub-section. The Department has been
working to increase the formality with which the Department is managed on a day-to-
day and long-term basis. The project team believes that the Department should take the
following actions:
• Develop a set of performance measures. This is a critical step in the process of
improving the management of the Fire Department. Without a set of formal
expectations, it is impossible to hold personnel accountable on a daily basis.
The list, which follows, should be viewed as only the beginning of the
development of such a set of performance measures:
- Suppression:
•• Out the door to calls for service in less than 60 seconds.
•• First unit on-scene within four minutes.
•• Full response on-scene within eight minutes (all call types).
•• Minimum of two hours of training on at least 90% of shifts in a
month.
•• All personnel involved in patient care in at least 15% of calls for
their station in a given month.
- Fire Prevention:
•• All target buildings receive an inspection within the annual turn-
around time.
•• Inspectors conducting between 10 — 15 inspections per day per
Inspector.
- Emergencv Medical Services:
•• All personnel operating under an active and current license coupled
with a 100% success rate of renewing all licenses within the
timeframe.
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•• All paramedics participate in at least 15% of calls for service
handled by their station each month.
•• Paramedics and EMT's are all being subject to quality assurance
each month.
- Training:
•• Development of a training curriculum for in-service training.
Courses maintained and updated as required by circumstances.
•• Personnel receiving training hours targeted in annual training plan.
•• Training at training center covers both EMS requirements and at
least 40 hours per year in additional fire / rescue training.
• Develop a comprehensive master schedule for each year (this is addressed in
detail in the following sub-section).
• Assign responsibilities for long term planning to various members of the
command staff (including Deputy Chiefs). Each individual should be given a
particular area of responsibility upon which to focus. Each staff person should be
responsible for researching and bringing key issues to the attention of the other
members of the command staff.
• As part of the weekly staff meetings, the various personnel should be responsible
for reporting their progress as well as identifying areas where they need
additional assistance. These meetings should be used to identify issues that
may impact resource utilization, suppression crews, etc. This would include:
- Emergency Medical Services would address issues of training, quality
assurance, changing protocols, issues identified in the field, etc. This may
also include issues such as alerts from local hospitals and public health
agencies, etc.
- Fire Prevention would report on their statistics from the preceding week /
month. This should indicate which major properties have been inspected,
any major issues identified in the course of the inspections for the week
that the suppression crews should be aware of, upcoming fire prevention /
education events that suppression should participate in, etc.
- Training should review the upcoming training schedule, including what
needs to happen with suppression personnel in terms of scheduling,
rotating personnel into the Training Division, etc. This is also the
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opportunity for all personnel to identify issues that should be focused on in
upcoming training sessions.
- Suppression / Operations should review major incidents from the past
week. This should also include identification of any areas that require
additional review for quality assurance or issues identification.
- Administration should review the progress the Department is making in
relation to the annual budget. This should include a re-cap of where the
WFD is with its expenditures of overtime, training funds, operating costs,
etc. Personnel with responsibility for various elements of the budget
should be required to provide justifications to the command group as
necessary.
• The Fire Chief should require weekly reports from each member of his command
staff. These reports should identify major issuers, accomplishments, challenges,
etc. Command staff members should focus on the use of data to support their
summary of activities. These should also be compared to performance
measures established by the Fire Department.
The objective of the Fire Department should be to formalize the way the activities
and personnel are managed.
(3) The Fire Department Should Engage in a Master Scheduling Exercise Each
Year to Improve Coordination of Activities.
The Fire Department does not currently engage in any process that could be
described as long term planning. The project team has recommended that personnel in
the command staff be assigned to take responsibility for tracking changes in various
subject areas. The project team also believes that the Department would gain from an
exercise in developing an annual schedule showing key activities and events. Such an
exercise has the following benefits:
• Forces the Department to think through its year, to identify its key goals
and objectives in a formal process.
• Allows personnel in various commands (such as Fire Prevention and
Training) to ensure that their own schedule is meshed with the other
requirements of the Department's operations.
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• Identifies weeks in which there are major commitments to training, fire
prevention, public education, inspections, pre-fire planning, etc. and allows
shift officers and company officers to plan accordingly as well.
• Involves top command staff in setting priorities and makes those priorities
clear to all personnel through the distribution of the annual planning
schedule. This becomes a primary tool by which the Chief and others in
the command staff can make clear to staff where the focus will be in the
following year.
• Provides a check against which activities can be compared to assure that
the Department is meeting its goals and objectives.
The project team has worked with departments that have successfully
implemented this process. These departments typically set aside more than 80% of the
year, leaving some flexibility to catch up or to do unanticipated activities. Activities that
are typically covered in the plan include:
• Company training.
• EMS training.
• Pre-fire planning / engine company inspections.
• Hose testing / pump testing.
• Hydrant maintenance / testing (in agencies where this is a Fire Department
responsibility).
• Public education / fire prevention activities (such as National Fire Prevention
Week).
• Special hazards / special teams training days.
The project team recommends that the Fire Department adopt this approach to
planning. This process can be run on either a fiscal or a calendar year. Each function
in the Department should be asked to bring forward their plan for the year — this would
allow the Chief and other members of the command staff to develop an annual plan. To
be effective, the Chief must commit to managing using this plan — to limit the number of
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events that are moved around on the plan, etc. This plan should be developed into an
annual calendar that is then distributed to all personnel.
6. THERE IS NO CLEARLY AND CONSISTENTLY ARTICULATED COMMON
VISION, MISSION, GOALS OR OBJECTIVES FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
A review of policy documents reveals that the Department does have a published
Mission Statement. However, interviews with members of the Department reveal the
following:
The Mission Statement is not well understood, or even known, to many members
of the organization. It is viewed as a "cookie cutter" Fire Department mission
statement with little relevance to the Watertown Fire Department and the unique
circumstances faced by the Department.
There is an inability to communicate a common vision of organization.
There are no established goals or objectives on either a quarterly or annual
basis.
There is a very limited understanding of the budget or the budgeting process
beyond the Chief and Deputy Chief level of the organization.
Financial controls appear to be limited to capping spending on the amount of any
given line item in the budget. The management staff was unable to articulate
procurement policy or limits of authority in expenditures.
• Other than entry level employees there are no formal or informal performance
feedback or evaluation mechanisms.
These issues have resulted in a lack of organizational focus and confusion
regarding organizational priorities. The lack of common goals also results in a certain
lack of consistency in decision making and resource allocation.
Recommendation: The Chief and Deputy Chiefs should review the Department's
mission statement. This should be done in conjunction with a broadly comprised
working group. The primary focus should be on developing a mission statement
that is relevant to the special issues facing the WFD.
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7. THE TRAINING FUNCTION IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT MUST BE
ENHANCED AND SHOULD FOCUS MORE ON PROVIDING SUPPORT TO
THE COMPANY OFFICERS.
The Watertown Fire Department provides training to both new employees and
continuing education to current employees. The focus of this training is on fire fighting
and emergency medical services. The majority of training provided in the Fire
Department is organized by the company officers in each of the three fire stations. The
Fire Department also has a Training Officer who is also the EMS Coordinator. This is a
40-hour shift assignment (Monday — Friday) and the incumbents in the position may be
there for months or years depending on the rate of turnover at the top ranks of the Fire
Department.
A review of the training program shows that there are several major issues
regarding the way in which training is provided by the Fire Department:
• The unpredictability and turnover in the Training Officer position is viewed as a
major concern by line staff and managers.
• There are no performance measures or standards for performance for training or
for basic skills.
• There are no "minimum standards" set for new employees to meet and to be
continually maintained by current employees.
• The company officers do not receive coordinated support for in-station training.
• There are few opportunities for multiple companies to train together in either
scenario based exercises or on technical issues.
• There is little or no formal training provided for supervisors, managers or
executive staff.
• There are no post-incident critiques performed.
The current program is dependent on the creativity, motivation and preparation of
the company officers who work on the daily training. The project team recommends
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that the Fire Department take a number of steps to address these issues. These steps
should include the following:
• The Fire Department should adopt a series of minimum standards for new and
incumbent employees. These minimum standards should be made part of the
process by which new employees either pass or fail their probationary period.
These standards should continue to serve as the nucleus for in-station and multi-
company training. Recommended standards include the following:
- Area familiarization.
- Vehicle familiarization.
- Use of SCBA system.
- Incident command and safety.
- Use of ropes.
- Use of ladders.
- Use of hoses and streams.
- Medical equipment.
- Use of other tools and equipment.
- Ventilation.
- Emergency vehicle driver training.
These standards require the company officer assigned to the new employee to
mentor the person to ensure their understanding of the minimum requirements.
In addition, each minimum standard has a test that is administered to ensure
their knowledge. This provides a formal methodology for assessing employee
performance and enables the Fire Department and the Town to make more
informed decisions.
• Develop a calendar-based system to support the company officers in their
delivery of the training program. This would consist of the development of a
series of key topics with supporting materials, pictures, reference guides, tests,
suggested activities that would be provided to each fire station or on the internet
for the Department. The key elements of the program are described, below:
- The program would work by assigning a topic to a number (1-30).
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- A notebook (hardcopy or virtual) would be provided to each station.
- Each topic would be covered when the date corresponds to its topic
number.
- This would ensure consistency (each topic would be taught from the same
set of materials — the "Watertown way").
- The list of topics can be as narrow or broad as the Department desires. It
can remain the same or can be changed quarterly or annually. Example
topics include the following:
•• Ventilation •• Overhaul •• SCBA
•• Construction •• Salvage •• Entry
•• Hoses •• Ground Ladders •• Pumping
•• Fire Streams •• Incident Command •• Safety
•• Communications •• Sprinklers •• Streets
•• EMS •• Hydrants •• Policies
• The training program should be developed in accordance with NFPA 1410 —
"Standard for Training for Initial Emergency Scene Operations." This is a
standard which focuses less on topical skills training (as above) but also provides
for scenario based minimum standards for a fire agency. This approach can
easily be adopted to encompass both training as well as performance
assessment for the line crews. A number of specific minimum skills are defined
in the document. One example of the types of minimum standards set forth in
NFPA 1410 follows:
- Forward-lay a hose 300 feet from a hydrant using a single supply line.
- Advance a pair of attack lines 150 feet each from the engine.
- Charge the lines so that the primary attack line can pump and maintain
100 gpm. The secondary (backup) line should be able to pump and
maintain a flow of 200 gpm.
- This task should be completed by a 4-person engine company in less than
three (3) minutes.
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• Crews should be tested annually (or more often) on their ability to meet these
minimum qualifications. Those units that cannot meet these standards should be
immediately scheduled for training supervised by the Training Officer.
• The Training Chief should also utilize the recommended standards from NFPA
1410 to develop and oversee multi-company training. This training should be
done on at least a quarterly basis for all units. The Deputy Chief on-duty should
be involved in the exercises and full incident command practices should be
utilized in all exercises involving any fire or rescue and all events with three or
more units on-scene.
• All personnel from the rank of Lieutenant and above should be provided with
specific training to enable them to better oversee operations. The project team
recommends that the Fire Department adopt an approach recommended NFPA
1021 "Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications." This standard sets
forth requirements to achieve various classifications of Fire Officer 1 through Fire
Officer 4. These are summarized, in the exhibit which follows:
Fire Officer I Fire Officer II
• Firefighter II • All from F01
• Minimum standard for department. • Ability to evaluate member performance.
• Familiar with budget process. • Human resource policies of the city.
• Departmental operating procedures. • Communicate orally an in writing.
• Fire prevention and education. • Preparing a project or divisional budget.
• Cultural diversity. • Purchasing laws and regulations.
• Methods of supervision. • Working with the press.
• Group dynamics. • Incident command, health and safety.
• Rights of management and bargaining unit.
• Contractual language.
• Ethics.
• Fire related ordinances.
• Basic writing and organizational skills.
Fire Officer III Fire Officer IV
• All from FO 1 and FO 2. • All from FO 1, FO 2 and FO 3.
• Ability to research and analyze data. • Advanced training in personnel, administration,
• Working with the public outside the agency. legal and other issues.
• Develop and oversee large budgets. • Advanced training in analysis and information
• Ability to evaluate construction for issues. management.
• Training in long range planning and evaluation.
• Major incident oversight.
• Major incident planning.
This exhibit does not exhaustively cover the text of the 25-page standard.
However, it does show the sense of progression that is encouraged by this
program. The Fire Department could either adopt the standard formally (by
linking, for example, promotions to these various levels) or could design a
program for new and existing officers. Many of the elements of these programs
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can be provided by MIIA, the Town's Human Resources, Finance, Information
Technology, Purchasing and other support departments. The Town should
budget an additional $50,000 in training funds to provide for outside training to
management personnel.
The training program of the Fire Department should be enhanced to improve the
consistency of training and to enhance the support of company officers. In addition,
particular focus should be given to enhancing the training given to new employees and
to management personnel. Specific steps that should be taken to enhance the delivery
of management training include the following:
• Provide "grade appropriate" training to personnel in the Fire Department. Identify
the training needs that are relevant to officers and provide this to them. Do not
require officers who do not actively participate in line activities to spend time on
line training.
• Access the programs made available at the Fire Academy and in the Town that
focus on training mid-managers and senior managers to be more effective
trainers. These classes focus on methods of instruction and identify the various
ways in which people learn and retain information.
• Consider joint training exercises for managers in the Fire, Police and other Town
departments. The focus should be on sharing training opportunities that have
broad applicability. Town departments should focus on crosscutting training
issues such as personnel, budget management, capital planning, etc. and
provide these to personnel in all public safety agencies in the Town.
Recommendation: The Fire Department needs to make several major changes in
its training program. These include improving the continuity in the position of
Training Officer, development of a standards-based training program, annual
testing against these minimum standards, development of new hire training, and
provision of management training. The Town should budget an additional
$50,000 to cover the cost of the management and supervisory training - much of
which can be provided in-house for no additional cost.
8. DOCUMENTATION OF TRAINING HOURS IS A CRITICAL RISK
MANAGEMENT FUNCTION THAT SHOULD BE ENHANCED IN THE
DEPARTMENT.
The Matrix Consulting Group next examined the level of training and the records
support of the training function. The Fire Department is using a `home-grown' product
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for its in-house records keeping. This software supports a wide range of fire department
functions including training but is difficult to use and is ill-documented. To address
these possibilities the project team reviewed current practices with a particular focus on
the way in which data are tracked and recorded. This review does show that there may
be a gap in recording of information into the Department's software. The project team
makes the following recommendations:
• Adopt as a formal standard, two hours per day at least 80% of all day shifts in
each station for each company assigned.
• Link these in-station training requirements to the previously described training
program.
• The Training Officer should tour each of the stations at least once per week to
observe training in that station (randomly by appointment). These visits should
be focused on reviewing the use of the materials provided to ensure consistency
of training in the stations on key topics.
• The Deputy Chief of each work group should also tour each station at least once
per week during the training block to observe and critique training. One of the
primary roles of a successful company officer is to instill the proper techniques
and approaches into the personnel assigned to his or her command. The Deputy
Chief's cannot assess the capabilities of their company officers in this critical task
without directly observing them.
• All training should be recorded by the Department. Training records are a key
component of a successful risk management program.
These changes would result in enhancements to the current training approach
and would make the entire Fire Department more accountable to the Town and
Department for the training time.
Recommendation: Adopt a formal training target of at least two (2) hours per day.
The minimum threshold should be set at 80% compliance with this target. The
records for all training completed should be entered daily into the Department's
software. The Training Officer and shift Deputy Chief should each be touring the
fire stations to observe training and to critique it when necessary.
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9. THE WATERTOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES NOT CONDUCT AFTER-
ACTION OR POST-INCIDENT CRITIQUES. THIS RESULTS IN A LOST
OPPORTUNITY FOR LEARNING AND SHARING INFORMATION.
After-action reports (i.e., post incident critiques) should be conducted following all
structure fires, vehicle extrications, multiple-casualty EMS runs and randomly selected
"routine" calls. The project team found that the Watertown Fire Department does not
conduct formal after-action debriefings follow major incidents such as structure fires or
other significant responses. The use of such after-action reporting can lead to
significant educational opportunities for staff at every level of the organization.
Currently, no such effort is in place within the Fire Department, resulting in lost
opportunities to learn from both successes and failures in the day-to-day operations of
the Department. Furthermore, there is a lost opportunity to enhance the delivery of
training in the Department, as such after-action assessments can prove to be a valuable
element in a training needs assessment process.
These should be prepared with input from all personnel involved in the event and
should be co-authored by the officer in charge and by one line firefighter assigned to the
incident. This process is addressed in NFPA 1500. Focus should be given on the
following types of issues:
- Incident Command - was it utilized effectively?
- Accountability - was it utilized, and were there issues?
- Scene Safety - issues that need to be addressed?
- Strategy Utilized - were there big-picture issues that need to be addressed
or learned from?
- Tactical - were there issues or lessons to be learned from specific
operational tactics?
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These should be developed by the officer in charge and should be distributed to
all personnel in the Fire Department.
Recommendation: The Fire Department must work to immediately address the
issues described in this section. Current approaches to these issues are not
representative of best practices in the management of a fire / rescue agency. The
Chief and Deputy Chiefs should be tasked with undertaking these
recommendations initially, with future support provided by the Training Officer
and other officers in the Department.
10. THERE IS NO FORMALIZED METHOD OF IDENTIFYING AND TRAINING
MANAGERS AND LEADERS WITHIN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The current systems of training and employee development do not include any
formalized process for identifying or developing management potential. This results in
several organizational challenges:
Once promoted, individuals are unclear as to the expectations of supervisors and
managers within the organization.
There are few incentives to promote to leadership ranks within the Department.
There is little opportunity to model or observe effective management behaviors.
By definition, promotional processes do not assess effective management skills,
traits or abilities because they have not been defined by the organization.
As a result of these issues, there is a wide range of management abilities
exhibited by personnel at supervisory levels of the organization. This also results in
varying expectations of supervisory performance by senior management staff who come
to expect varying levels of performance from various supervisors throughout the
organization. Focus on these issues will be increasingly important in coming years
given the anticipated turnover in staff within the Department.
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One option to consider would be to utilize the joint IAFF / IAFC3 Labor-
Management Initiative. This program is designed to both enhance the management
skills of Chief officers, but also to enhance their ability to work with bargaining unit
leadership. These programs are, in fact, designed for the participation of both the
Chiefs and the union leadership at the same time. Other programs are available, for
free, from the Massachusetts State Fire Academy, including a program entitled: Chief
Fire Officer Management Training Program. Three of the Chief Officers in the Fire
Department have attended this program. The Fire Department will allow Chief Officers
to attend and have historically paid to cover the cost of any missed shifts.
Recommendation: Develop a training program for company officers that results
in all of them being trained to the level of "Fire Officer I" per NFPA standards.
Deputy Chiefs should be trained to the level of "Fire Officer 2" per the NFPA
guidelines. Provide ongoing management training, including risk management,
personnel management, employee assessment, training skills development, etc.
11. THE MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT SUFFERS FROM A HISTORY OF
MINIMAL SUPPORT AND CONSISTENCY.
The current Chief is alone as a non-union members. As a result, a management
style has emerged that in some instances focuses on a higher level of detail than would
be appropriate if the command staff areas of responsibility were clearly defined and
staffed appropriately.
Management staff should receive comprehensive training to learn how to function
as managers. This should happen when personnel are promoted from Firefighter to
Lieutenant to Captain and again when they are promoted from Captain to Deputy Chief.
Much of the training can be provided internally, but additional training can be provided
by the Massachusetts Fire Academy — one such program is referenced in the preceding
3 IAFF = International Association of Fire Fighters/IAFC = International Association of Fire Chiefs.
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sub-section of this report. As personnel are promoted their scope of responsibility
expands beyond service delivery to the community to include supervision and
management of the Fire Department and its personnel. Training should focus on the
following issues:
• Basic supervisory skills.
• FMLA / FLSA issues
• Working with employees facing personal challenges at home.
• Basic human resources issues.
• Payroll and basic financial systems issues.
Deputy Chiefs are a key element in the command staff of the Fire Department.
Some overtime funds must be dedicated to ensuring that they can attend management
team meetings on a regular basis.
Recommendation: The Department needs to focus on organizational
development and team building to focus attention on and improve, systems of
accountability.
12. EMPLOYEE EVALUATIONS SHOULD BE INSTITUTED IN THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT.
Evaluations of employee performance are limited to probationary periods of
employment. This is generally recognized as a function of the civil service rules under
which the Town operates.
The Department has adopted standardized company performance standards
which are utilized to evaluate the ability to carry out specific fire ground tasks and
related operations. However, there is no on-going mechanism for formalized employee
feedback. The Fire Department, in consultation with Personnel Director and Town
Attorney, should develop a basic employee appraisal system. These reviews should be
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completed by the direct supervisor of each employee. The review should provide basic
feedback for each employee so they understand how they are meeting or failing to meet
Fire Department and Town expectations.
Recommendation: Develop an employee appraisal approach that either focuses
on the performance of the individual or on the performance of the company unit.
This should be focused on improving training and preparedness of personnel.
13. THERE IS NO FORMALIZED MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PLAN WITHIN
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The Department has not developed clearly defined needs or expectations for
leadership or management skills. Again, this is attributed to the civil service rules that
bind the promotional processes. However, the lack of clearly defined expectations of
supervisors and managers leads to on-going confusion and organizational dysfunction.
The Department has not developed either experiential or didactic methods of
developing leaders internally. There is a limited ability for employees to attend the
National Fire Academy or other professional training venues. However, the Department
does not offer supervisory or management development training as an integral part of
its personnel development system.
Recommendation: Focus on providing company officers and command staff
members with ongoing management and supervisory training. In addition to the
Fire Officer training recommended previously, the Department should also
provide company officers with training on educational methods, risk management
and personnel management.
14. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MUST BE UPDATED AND MADE TO
COMPREHENSIVELY COVER OPERATIONS, SUPPORT AND OTHER
FUNCTIONS.
The Fire Department, as does any emergency operations department, operates
under the direction provided by its policies and procedures. These documents can be
issued by the Fire Chief under the authority granted to him by the MGL Chapter 48 /
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Section 42. These documents, in conjunction with the contract between the Town of
Watertown and its bargaining unit, represent the two locally derived documents that
provide structure to the administration and operation of the Fire Department.
The current policies and procedures are limited in their scope and do not cover
the comprehensive requirements of a modern fire / rescue department. The types of
things included in the current document include the following:
• General Rules
• Fire Alarm
• Uniforms
• Training
• Radio Procedures
• Attack Procedures
• House Keeping
• Accountability and Discipline
There are not consistent dates on the specific policies contained in the document
as to when they were reviewed and / or updated. The clear tracking of review and
revision is instrumental to ensuring that all staff are able to identify the most up to date
version of each policy or procedure. In addition, the project team found that the
document has been updated solely by the Chief with little direct input from the Deputy
Chiefs or other staff in the Department. The project team also found the following:
• The current policies and procedure do not cover a number of topics which are
critical for the fire / rescue service delivery environment.
• The current policies and procedures are focused on a mixture of administrative
and operational items with significant gaps in the document regarding topics such
as emergency medical response, infection control, risk management, etc. A
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detailed list, developed by the US Fire Administration, is provided later in this
section of the report.
• The current policies include a number of intensely detailed passages followed by
very general guidelines.
Policy creation is a rigorous and demanding process, especially if it is based
entirely on local development efforts. Fortunately, a number of fire departments
nationwide have developed policies that could form the basis for the comprehensive
development of policies for the WFD. In addition, the Center for Public Safety
Excellence or CPSE (formerly the Commission on Fire Accreditation International — or
CFAI) has developed materials that could also support the Department's policy initiative.
We are not suggesting that documents from other sources be copied into a WFD format
but that existing materials be used to help the Department structure its efforts. The
Matrix Consulting Group project team recommends that the Department adopt the
following process for completing this, as recommended by the US Fire Administration:
• Conduct a complete needs assessment of the policies and procedures of the Fire
Department. Given the current state policies and procedures, it would likely be
more practical to obtain an up-to-date policy from a neighboring community (or a
model policy from the Commonwealth, if it is available). This needs assessment
should take the following form:
- Form a committee made up of at least one Deputy Chief, one or two
Company Officers and one or two Firefighters to develop a needs
assessment. Coordinated committees might be established on each shift.
The Deputy Chief should serve as the facilitator of the committee.
- The committees should focus on implementing sound policies and
procedures, with the inclusion of NFPA 15004 safety standards wherever
possible.
- Identify any unique or unusual characteristics of the community. What are
the major sources of risk? Are there unique demands for service placed
on the Department? Who does it interact with frequently (police, water,
4 NFPA 1500 is a standard providing for safety of firefighters— it touches on a wide range of topics
including personal protective gear, firefighter safety programs, etc.
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other fire departments)? Are there response impediments that need to be
considered? Are there seasonal issues that need to be considered?
- Consider the current policies as well as any potential models from which
the policies could be developed.
- Do the policies that exist address the needs of the community and the
Department? Are there major gaps in them or are they too specific?
- Develop a list of policies and procedures that should be in place. Do the
model policies address the issues relevant to the WFD? Are there major
gaps in the policies?
- Do post-incident reviews suggest major gaps that need to be addressed?
Have there been changes in the law? Have any issues been identified
during training? Has equipment been changed? Are there new apparatus
that need to be considered?
- Are there guidelines from professional and trade organizations that
suggest policy or procedure approaches?
• Once the needs assessment has been done, the Fire Department can turn to the
process of developing new policies or modifying existing ones. This process can
be accomplished as follows:
- Establish one or more teams for each section of the policy manual to
handle specific editing and writing tasks.
- Develop specific procedures for writing, sharing and editing proposed
policies.
- Develop a specific format for all policies and procedures.
- Gather information and potential alternatives for each policy. Do not
reinvent policies that already exist elsewhere.
- Analyze the various alternatives and select the one which most closely
matches the WFD approach to conducting fire and EMS operations.
- Write the draft of the policy.
- Review and test (if applicable) the proposed policy or procedure.
- Ratify and approve the final version. Seek legal sign-off from the Town's
attorney if this is recommended internally.
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• The next step is to implement the policies and procedures. This is also a
complicated process and involves the following:
- Assessment of what is being implemented. Is this a total replacement or
an annual update?
- Provide notice to, and discuss policy changes with, personnel.
- Assess training needs and develop training materials to ensure that all
personnel are properly briefed and prepared to consistently implement the
policies.
- Track who has received new policies and who has been trained. Many
agencies require employees to sign an acknowledgement receipt.
• The Department should have a process by which performance can be monitored
to ensure that:
- All policies are being followed.
- All policies match the actual practices and that they meet the needs of the
agency and community.
- All policies are reviewed annually to ensure that they continue to be
relevant. A process similar to the one described above should be used to
review polices.
The preceding dot points describe a process by which policies can be developed,
reviewed and implemented. The following points provide a list of standard operating
guidelines the WFD should consider developing.
• Management and Administration
- General Administration
•• Organizations
•• Facilities
•• Emergency Vehicles and Special Apparatus
•• Equipment and Supplies
•• Finance
•• Training, Education and Exercises
•• Information Management
- Member Health and Assistance Programs
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•• Medical Screening / Health Assessment
•• Health and Wellness Promotion
•• Performance Evaluation Process
•• Post-Injury Rehabilitation
•• Employee Assistance
•• Facility Safety
•• Hazard Communication
Organizational Planning and Preparedness
•• Strategic / Master Plan
•• SOP Development
•• Risk Management
•• Emergency Operations Planning
•• Mutual / Automatic Aid
• Prevention and Special Programs
Public Information and Education
•• Working with the Public
•• Working with the Media
•• Emergency Public Information
•• Public Education
•• Public Relations
Building Inspections and Code Enforcement
•• Authorities and Codes
•• Design and Plans Review
•• Residential Inspections
•• Commercial Inspections
•• Industrial Inspections
•• Code Enforcement
•• Record Keeping
- Special Programs
•• Fire Cause and Arson Investigation
•• Hydrant Maintenance
•• Other Special Programs
• General Emergency Operations
Operating Emergency Vehicles
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•• Driving Emergency Vehicles
•• Riding Emergency Vehicles
•• Operating Special Apparatus
•• Vehicle Accident Reporting and Investigation
•• Use of Personal Vehicles
- Safety at Emergency Incidents
•• Applicable Standards
•• Risk Management Guidelines
•• Safety Officer
•• Protective Clothing and Equipment
•• Personnel Accountability System
•• Responder Exposure Control
•• Hearing Conservation
•• Operating in a Hostile Environment
•• Operating on Roadways
•• Incident Scene Rehabilitation
•• Medical Support
•• Incident Termination
Communications
•• System Access
•• Definition of Alarms / Dispatch Protocols
•• General Procedures
•• Emergency Signals
•• Alternate Radio Frequencies
•• Mobile Data Terminals
•• Departmental Cell Phones and Pagers
•• Mutual Aid Companies
•• Situation / Status Reports
•• Use of Personal Cell Phones and Pagers
Command and Control
•• Incident Command / Incident Management System
•• Mutual / Automatic Aid
•• Incident Scene Management
•• Staging
•• Transferring Command
•• Public Information
•• Record Keeping
- Special Operations
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•• Aircraft Operations
•• Boat and Watercraft Operations
•• Special Unit Operations
•• Bomb / Hazardous Device Threats or Confirmed Incidents
•• Terrorism Incidents
•• Civil Disturbances
Post-Incident Operations
•• Post-Incident Analysis
•• Post-Incident Recovery
•• Incident Record Keeping and Reporting
•• Injury / Exposure Reporting and Investigations
•• Critical Incident Stress Debriefing / Defusing
• Fire Suppression
Fire Suppression Risk Management
•• Required Use of Personal Protective Equipment
•• Rapid Intervention Team
•• Evacuation (Firefighters)
•• Air Monitoring
Company Operations
•• Incident Staffing
•• Water Supply
•• Tanker/ Tender Operations
•• First-In Engine Operations
•• Second-In Engine Operations
•• Truck Company Operations
•• Rescue / Squad Company Operations
•• Special Units
- Tactical / Strategic Guidelines
•• Incident Size-Up
•• Automatic Alarms
•• Offensive and Defensive Operations
•• Apparatus Placement
•• Forcible Entry / Gaining Access
•• Foam Operations
•• Ventilations
•• Hot/ Cold Weather Conditions
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•• Sprinkler/ Standpipe Operations
•• Apartment/ Condominium Operations
•• Commercial Building Operations
•• Salvage
•• Overhaul
•• Exposures
- Special Facilities / Target Hazards
•• High-Rise Operations
•• Clandestine Drug Labs
•• Correction Facility Operations
•• Industrial Facilities
•• Other Special Structures
- Special Fire Suppression Operations
•• Aircraft Firefighting Operations
•• Special Unit Operations
•• Wildfire Operations
• Emergency Medical Response
- Emergency Medical Response Risk Management
•• Incident Infection Control
•• Protective Clothing and Equipment
•• Lifting / Moving Patients
•• Hostile Situations
Pre-Hospital EMS First Response
•• Delivery Model
•• Patient Care
•• Treatment Protocols
•• Medical Devices and Equipment
•• Biohazard and General Waste Disposal
•• Clothing / Equipment Decontamination
- Patient Disposition and Transportation
•• Destination Guidelines
•• Method / Mode of Transport
•• Ambulance Operations
•• Helicopter Operations
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- Management of EMS Operations
•• Re-Supply / Procurement of Supplies
•• System Inventory
•• Designation of Treatment Facilities
•• Data Collection and Reporting
•• Quality Improvement System
•• Research and Reporting
•• Standard of Care
•• Patient Care Reporting
•• Patient Documentation and Billing
- Special EMS Operations
•• Mass Gatherings
•• Hazardous Materials Team Medical Monitoring
•• EMS Operations at Hazmat Incidents
•• EMS Operations at Technical Rescue Incidents
•• EMS Operations During Disasters
•• EMS Operations in the Rehabilitation Area / Sector
• Hazardous Materials Response
- Hazardous Materials Response Risk Management
•• Personal Protective Equipment
•• Hazardous Materials Personal Safety
•• Air Monitoring
- First Responder Operations
•• Roles and Actions
•• General Response Procedures / Emergency Response Plan
•• Recognition and Identification
•• Notification
•• Site Management and Scene Setup
•• Emergency Decontamination
•• Defensive Actions
- Special Hazmat Operations
•• Operating with Hazmat Teams
•• Public Protection Options
•• Environmental Restoration
• Technical Rescue
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Technical Rescue Risk Management
•• Personal Protective Equipment
•• Lock Out / Tag Out
•• Air Monitoring
Rescue Operations
•• Scene Stabilization
•• Rescue Equipment
•• General Rescue Operations
•• Rescue Teams
- Special Rescue Operations
•• Ice Rescue
•• Water Rescue
•• Confined Space Rescue
•• Structural Collapse Rescue
•• Rope Rescue
•• Trench and Excavation Collapse
•• Aircraft Extrication
• Disaster Operations
Organizing for Disaster Situations
•• Disaster Management
•• EOC Organization
•• ICS / EOC Interface (NIMS)
•• Activation Levels
•• Personnel Assignments and Responsibilities
•• Personnel Notification Procedures / Call-In Procedures
•• Disaster Training
•• Disaster Preparation
- Disaster Operations Risk Management
•• Personal Protective Equipment
•• Disaster Operations Personal Safety
•• Protection of Facilities and Equipment
•• Accountability of Personnel
•• Suspending Operations
•• Member Injuries and Fatalities
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- Disaster Operations
•• Disaster Operations Center
•• Adjusted Levels of Response
•• Disaster Communications
•• Response Unit Routing and Placement
•• Damage Assessment
•• Specialized Equipment
•• Building Safety Evaluations
•• Community Emergency Response Teams
•• Mitigation Activities
•• Curtailing Disaster Operations
Successful and safe operations, as well as broader risk management strategies,
are grounded in an agency's policies and procedures. The current policies and
procedures do not provide a comprehensive basis from which the WFD can be
effectively and efficiently operated.
Recommendation: The Fire Department should develop a new, comprehensive,
policy and procedures manual. The Department should first take steps to identify
examples from Massachusetts to simplify their development. Second, a
committee of staff from all ranks should be formed to ensure that the adaptation
of policies and procedures to the Fire Department is done with appropriate focus
on the needs of the community and the WFD.
15. THE USE OF DATA IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS CLEARLY LACKING IN
MANAGEMENT FOCUS AND UTILIZATION.
The decision making process within the Fire Department appears to be
incremental and event driven. There is little formal tracking of organizational
performance, trend development, or organizational benchmarking or comparison.
Evaluation of Department performance should be dependent on agreed upon and
adopted standards of performance - yet these are not present in the current
environment. This should include a wide range of issues including: financial
performance, operational performance, the integration of GIS information into
operations and planning and so on.
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Recommendation: The Department must adopt extensive use of data collected
from all sources in order to enhance management control and service delivery.
16. THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE OF ADOPTED PERFORMANCE MEASURES
THAT ARE EVALUATED ON A CONSISTENT BASIS UTILIZING DATA.
Despite the technological infrastructure to support data needs, the existence of
reliable and consistent data was a constant challenge in the development of this study.
The primary reasons for these challenges are as follows:
There is little or no accountability for company officers to enter appropriate data
outside of incident reporting responsibilities.
There is little or no review of daily station reporting.
In the absence of specific goals and objectives, there is no ability to provide a
meaningful management context to any data supplied.
The absence of adopted and recognized performance standards.
The decision making process within the Department appears to be based upon
budgetary determinations and, outside of the budget process, driven almost entirely by
events. The project team was unable to identify any formalized, organization wide
planning process. This observation is confirmed by the organization's lack of defined
goals and/or objectives.
The project team has identified several opportunities for improvement in
the management systems of the Watertown Fire Department. These include:
A lack of a meaningful management framework for the Department, including the
development and establishment of an organizational mission, vision, goals and
objectives.
The lack of adopted community standards of performance for the Department.
A clear absence of defined expectations for positions of management and
supervision within the Department.
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A lack of a formalized system to identify and develop management and
supervisory skills within the Department.
The accountability and responsibility issues created by the peer-to-peer
management model resulting from the ad hoc appointment of the Deputy Chiefs.
Recommendation: The Town and the Department should work collaboratively at
developing and adopting community-wide standards of performance, including
response times and acceptable levels of risk.
Recommendation: The Department should implement a formal Management
Information System that identifies and adopts critical performance indicators and
tracks these on a daily basis.
17. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOULD CONDUCT THOROUGH BACKGROUND
CHECKS ON ALL NEW HIRES. CRIMINAL RECORDS CHECKS AND
DRIVING RECORDS CHECKS SHOULD BE PERFORMED ANNUALLY.
RANDOM DRUG TESTING SHOULD BE MADE A QUARTERLY EFFORT.
The Fire Department currently conducts background checks on new hires. The
historical practice has been to conduct a criminal records check on new applicants'
based on their Massachusetts criminal history. The following points summarize our
findings:
• Historically, criminal records and driving records checks have been made of new
employees prior to an offer of employment being made.
• These checks have been limited to the Massachusetts records.
• No follow-up criminal or driving records checks are made of existing staff. This
represents a potential liability and risk management gap in the Town's current
approaches.
• Furthermore, no random drug or alcohol testing is conducted of Fire Department
employees.
The project team recommends the following steps to be taken by the Town and
the Fire Department:
• Institute a program by which new applicants are checked in both Massachusetts
and national criminal history data bases.
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• Check the driving history of all new applicants in, at minimum, Massachusetts
and other New England states. This has been instituted town wide on all
employees who drive a vehicle as part of their employment.
• Institute a program under which all Fire Department employees are subject to a
criminal history in the national database and driving history in Massachusetts on
an annual basis (either all on the same date, or on the anniversary date of their
hire). The Town is currently checking the driver's record on all employees who
drive a vehicle as part of their employment.
• Develop a program of quarterly random drug and alcohol tests — for all Fire
Department personnel. A third party medical provider should be used to collect
and test all samples.
The intention of all of these programs is to reduce risk and liability for the Town of
Watertown. Given the several recent experiences in the Commonwealth Fire
Departments, these approaches should both reduce the risks of reoccurrence of recent
experiences.
Recommendation: Develop policies and procedures for conducting background
checks examining both criminal and driving histories. These should be done
before new employees are hired, and should be done on an annual basis for
existing employees.
18. ADOPTION OF TARGETED AND DETAILED PERFORMANCE MEASURES
MUST HAPPEN FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO IMPROVE ITS SERVICE
DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT.
Few performance measures are focused on service delivery — and therefore few
are useful in terms of measuring performance contemporaneously. Performance
measures should be easily understood and easily calculated. Suggested performance
measures for the Fire Department should include the following:
• 911 call processing time (call answered to call dispatched): 1 minute or less 90%
of the time.
• Emergency call reaction time (call dispatched to unit en-route): 1 minute or less
90% of the time.
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• First unit drive time to emergency calls (unit en-route to unit on-scene): 5 minutes
or less, 90% of the time (should include calls in the Town of Watertown only).
• Quality assurance score of 85% or better on 90% of emergency medical calls for
service.
Other communities will also identify on-scene performance indicators, or
measures which must be met in training. These may include:
• On-scene to charged line at the front door of a structure fire: three minutes or
less 90% of the time.
• Water from hydrant to supply engine: two minutes or less 90% of the time.
The point of the performance measures is to identify the community's
expectations in a quantifiable way, and to use the measurement of the Department's
performance against these objectives to identify areas which may need improvement or
additional resources.
Recommendation: The Fire Department, in conjunction with the Town's
administration and policy makers, should work to develop specific performance
indicators for the WFD. The Department's financial management systems are
adequate for ensuring that budgetary and overtime issues can be identified
quickly. Once these are in place, management systems focused on tracking
these indicators should be developed by the Department.
19. AS WITH THE PROJECT TEAM'S RECOMMENDATION FOR POLICE,
FUTURE FIRE CHIEF RECRUITMENTS SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO
INCLUDE OTHER COMMONWEALTH CANDIDATES IN ADDITION TO
INTERNAL ONES.
The Town of Watertown Fire Chief is a Civil Service position. In Watertown
historically this has meant that the position has been selected from a list of local
candidates who have passed a Civil Service exam. The Town Manager, as the
appointing authority, must take one of the top three performers on the exam to fill the
vacant position. This approach has several key implications that can negatively impact
the Department and the Town:
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• The Town Manager is limited to making a selection from those personnel who
have taken the exam. These in general include those who work inside the
Department.
• This approach limits the pool from which the Town Manager could otherwise
recruit and select a Chief officer for the Department.
Civil Service regulations do not exclude external candidates from consideration
for appointment. The project team believes that `testing the market' for top
management positions through Commonwealth recruitments would be an effective
approach to ensure that the best fit of management skills for the Town was attained.
Recommendation: The Town of Watertown should conduct a Commonwealth
search when the next Fire Chief is hired.
20. OPPORTUNITIES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR ADDRESSING FLEET
MAINTENANCE IN THE FUTURE. THE TOWN SHOULD ALSO REVISE ITS
REPLACEMENT PLAN FOR ALL FIRE / RESCUE VEHICLES.
The Fire Department operates a front-line fleet which includes three engines (one
in reserve), two ladders (one often is out of service), two rescues (one is often out of
service) and one Deputy Chief car.
(1) The Fire Department Needs to Plan for Replacing its Firefighter-Mechanic.
The Fire Department provides for its own fleet maintenance within the
Headquarters station. The following paragraphs summarize the current situation:
• The Department has a single mechanic, who is a firefighter on the line, who
performs the full range of necessary repairs and maintenance alone. This
presents a major safety concern for the Mechanic and a major risk management
issue for the Town and Fire Department.
• The mechanic, who is eligible for retirement, would be difficult to replace
internally.
• There is no dedicated maintenance bay for storage area for large parts and tires,
presenting a major challenge for the Mechanic and necessitating the movement
of parts / tires for maintenance.
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• The pace of repairs can also be impacted by solo work — necessitating a number
of work arounds, movement of equipment, etc.
The Town should consider the following solutions to these issues:
• Identify one or more heavy vehicle mechanics within the Town who can be
trained to assist the current mechanic. These personnel should be brought up to
speed in terms of skills and experience, as well as certifications, in order to
reduce the potential impact when the incumbent retires.
• Continue with the current practice of sending heavy or specialized repairs to
outside shops.
• Begin working with the incumbent to ascertain a likely timeframe for his
retirement so that steps can be taken to ensure timely continued repairs of the
fire apparatus.
• Consider contracting with the current incumbent for a transition period should his
retirement taken effect before other staff are certified.
Recommendation: The Fire Department should work with other Town units to
ensure continued in-house (i.e., in-Town) mechanics with the capability and
certifications for working on fire apparatus. The current incumbent performs a
wide range of key repairs including working on the pumps. These skills may be
difficult to replicate among current staff, and so the Department and the Town
should begin considering the budget implications of expanding their use of
contractors to complete specialized repairs.
(2) The Fire Department Should Develop a Revise Its Vehicle Replacement
Plan in Order to Maintain the Fleet in Its Current Condition.
As mentioned in the introduction to this section of the report, the Fire Department
has the following fleet of vehicles providing front-line service:
Unit Model Year
Engine 1 2011
Engine 2 2004
Engine 3 1994
Engine 4 (Reserve) 1994
Ladder 1 2005
Ladder 2 2007
Rescue 1 2008
Rescue 2 2003
Car 2 2010
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The project team finds that the Watertown Fire Department is operating a small
fleet dedicated to the delivery of critical services. The Fire Department has just been
authorized to purchase a new engine (moving the current Engine 3 into reserve) and a
new Rescue (which will shift the current Rescue 1 into reserve). Effectively managed
fire / rescue departments and communities plan for the regular replacement of their
rolling stock to ensure that operating costs stay low, maintenance costs are controlled
and that the department is operating with modern, fuel efficient safe and effective
equipment. The project team proposes the following replacement schedule:
• The four engines spend 15 years in front line service, and 5 years in reserve -
resulting in an engine purchase every 5 years.
• The two ladders spend 10 years in front-line service and 10 years in reserve,
resulting in a ladder purchase every 10 years.
• Before ambulances and the Chief car are replaced on a 9-year replacement
cycle.
The resulting acquisition schedule (which reflect the recent approval of an engine
and rescue replacement) is shown in the table, below:
Base Annual Debt
Capital Service Rolling Debt
Year Capital Item (Description) Cost Impact Service Cost
2012 Replace Engine 3/ Rescue 2 $650,000 $52,158 $52,158
2013 No Replacement $0 $0 $52,158
2014 No Replacement $0 $0 $52,158
2015 No Replacement $0 $0 $52,158
2016 Replace Rescue 1 $150,000 $12,036 $64,194
2017 Replace Engine 2 $500,000 $40,121 $104,315
2018 Replace Car 2 $60,000 $4,815 $109,130
2019 No Replacement $0 $0 $109,130
2020 No Replacement $0 $0 $109,130
2021 Replace Rescue 2 $150,000 $12,036 $121,166
2022 Replace Engine 1 $500,000 $40,121 $161,288
2023 No Replacement $0 $0 $161,288
2024 Replace Engine 1 $500,000 $40,121 $201,409
2025 Replace Rescue 1 $150,000 $12,036 $213,445
2026 Replace Ladder 1 $1,300,000 $104,315 $317,761
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Base Annual Debt
Capital Service Rolling Debt
Year Capital Item (Description) Cost Impact Service Cost
2027 Replace Engine 3 $500,000 $40,121 $357,882
2028 Replace Car 2 $60,000 $4,815 $362,696
2029 No Replacement $0 $0 $362,696
2030 Replace Rescue 2 $150,000 $12,036 $374,733
2031 No Replacement $0 $0 $374,733
2032 Replace Engine 2 $500,000 $40,121 $414,854
The table above assumes that the cost of apparatus remains constant in current
dollars, though the actual cost would increase with each purchase. We have also
assumed that purchases would be made with the use of a 20-year bond financed at an
interest rate of 5%.
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3. ANALYSIS OF OPERATIONS
This chapter is focused on the suppression and EMS operations and options
facing the Town.
1. THE TOWN OF WATERTOWN HAS NOT YET ADOPTED SERVICE LEVEL
STANDARDS
The adoption of performance standards for fire and EMS response is a critical
first step in the evaluation of fire, rescue, and EMS service levels and staffing
alternatives. While there are national standards that can be used to evaluate fire and
EMS service delivery, each community must identify the key risks and necessary level
of protection it needs based on its own unique circumstances. Once these performance
standards are established a community can assess its performance and determine if
current resources support the desired level of service.
(1) Efforts to "Standardize" Service Level Objectives Are Based on Fire
Growth Behavior and Research on Cardiac Arrest.
Nationwide, a great deal of effort and research has been put into developing
performance objectives for the delivery of fire and EMS services. This effort is critical
for agencies making decisions about deployment and location of emergency resources.
The objectives promoted for fire/rescue and EMS have their basis in research that has
been conducted into two critical issues:
• What is the critical point in a fire's "life" for gaining control of the blaze while
minimizing the impact on the structure of origin and on those structures around
it?
• What is the impact of the passage of time on survivability for victims of cardiac
arrest?
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The chart, that follows, shows a typical "flashover" curve for interior structure
fires. The point in time represented by the occurrence of "flashover" is critical because
it defines when all of the contents of a room become involved in the fire. This is also the
point at which a fire typically shifts from "room and contents" to a "structure" fire —
involving a wider area of the building and posing a potential risk to the structures
surrounding the original location of the fire.
Generalized Flashover �,{ire
FLASHOVER TEN PERATURE:
Exee!PUrt DaWds an
ILL QiMed Timrand Heat
) Poaernial of MgWial6
LU
u1 1,5m — — — — — — — — — — — — —
er-
C.}' I
W I
Z I
LU I
800 -
THEGOFL IS T4
EXTINGUISH THE FIRE
BUORE THIS POINT
W
LLI
� I
200 I I 1 I
MINUTES
Note that this chart depicts a fire from the moment of inception — not from the
moment that a fire is detected or reported. This demonstrates the criticality of early
detection and fast reporting as well as rapid dispatch of responding units. This also
shows the critical need for a rapid (and sufficiently staffed) initial response — by quickly
initiating the attack on a fire, "flashover" can be averted. The points, below, describe
the major changes that occur at a fire when "flashover" occurs:
• It is the end of time for effective search and rescue in a room involved in the fire.
It means that likely death of any person trapped in the room — either civilian or
firefighter.
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• After this point (flashover) in a fire is reached, potable extinguishers can no
longer have a successful impact on controlling the blaze. Only larger hand-lines
will have enough water supply to affect a fire after this point.
• The fire has reached the end of the "growth" phase and has entered the fully
developed phase. During this phase, every combustible object is subject to the
full impact of the fire.
• This also signals the changeover from "contents" to "structure" fire. This is also
the beginning of collapse danger for the structure. Structural collapse begins to
become a major risk at this point and reaches the highest point during the decay
stage of the fire (after the fire has been extinguished).
It should be noted that not every fire will reach flashover — and that not every fire
will "wait" for the 8-minute mark to reach flashover. A quickly responding fire crew can
do things to prevent or delay the occurrence of flashover. These options include:
• Application of portable extinguisher or other "fast attack" methodology.
• Venting the room to allow hot gases to escape before they can cause the ignition
of other materials in the room.
• Not venting a room — under some circumstances this will actually stifle a fire and
prevent flashover from occurring.
Each of these techniques requires the rapid response of appropriately trained fire
suppression resources that can safely initiate these actions. In the absence of
automatic fire suppression systems, access to interior fires can again be limited by a
safety requirement related to staffing levels. OSHA and related industry standards
require the presence of at least 2-firefighters on the exterior of a building before entry
can be made to a structure in which the environment has been contaminated by a fire.
In the absence of a threat to life demanding immediate rescue, interior fire suppression
operations are limited to the extent a fire service delivery system can staff to assure a
minimum of 4-people actively involved in firefighting operations. The second issue to
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consider is the delivery of emergency medical services. One of the primary factors in
the design of emergency medical systems is the ability to deliver basic CPR and
defibrillation to the victims of cardiac arrest. The chart, that follows, demonstrates the
survivability of cardiac patients as related to time from onset:
% Survival Rate
Survival Rate
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Response in Minutes
This graph illustrates that the chances of survival of cardiac arrest diminish
approximately 10% for each minute that passes before the initiation of CPR and/or
defibrillation. These dynamics are the result of extensive studies of the survivability of
patients suffering from cardiac arrest. While the demand for services in EMS is wide
ranging, the survival rates for full-arrests are often utilized as benchmarks for response
time standards as they are more readily evaluated because of the ease in defining
patient outcomes (a patient either survives or does not). This research results in the
recommended objective of provision of basic life support within 4-minutes of notification
and the provision of advanced life support within 8 minutes of notification. The goal is to
provide BLS within 6 minutes of the onset of the incident (including detection, dispatch
and travel time) and AILS within 10 minutes. This is often used as the foundation for a
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two-tier system where fire resources function as first responders with additional (ALS)
assistance provided by responding ambulance units and personnel.
Additional recent research is beginning to show the impact and efficacy of rapid
deployment of automatic defibrillators to cardiac arrests. This research — conducted in
King County (WA), Houston (TX) and as part of the OPALS study in Ontario, Canada —
shows that the AED can be the largest single contributor to the successful outcome of a
cardiac arrest — particularly when accompanied by early delivery of CPR. It is also
important to note that these medical research efforts have been focused on a small
fraction of the emergency responses handled by typical EMS systems — non-cardiac
events make up the large majority of EMS and total system responses and this research
does not attempt to address the need for such rapid (and expensive) intervention on
these events.
The results of these research efforts have been utilized by communities and first
responders, often on their own with no single reference, to develop local response time
and other performance objectives. However, there are now three major sources of
information to which responders and local policy makers can refer when determining the
most appropriate response objectives for their community:
• The Insurance Services Office (ISO) provides basic information regarding
distances between fire stations. However, this "objective" does little to recognize
the unique nature of every community's road network, population, calls for
service, call density, etc.
• The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) promulgated a documented
entitled: "NFPA 1710: Objective for the Organization and Deployment of Fire
Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special
Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments." This document (NFPA
1710) was published in 2001 and generated a great deal of dialogue and debate
— which is still on-going.
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• The Center for Public Safety Excellence (formerly the Commission on Fire
Accreditation International or CFAI) in its "Objectives of Coverage" manual
places the responsibility for identifying "appropriate" response objectives on the
locality. These objectives should be developed following a comprehensive
exercise in which the risks and hazards in the community are compared to the
likelihood of their occurrence.
While each of these efforts provides a reference point for communities to follow,
only NFPA 1710 offers any specificity. It is important to note that the performance
objectives (in terms of response times) provided in the NFPA 1710 document are
derived from the basic research previously described. These include the following (all
are taken from section 4.1.2.1.1 of NFPA 1710):
• One minute (60 seconds) for the processing of an incoming emergency phone
call, including the completion of the dispatching of fire response units.
• "90 seconds for turnout time." This is also called reflex time, reaction time, "out-
the-chute" time, etc. This is the time that elapses between dispatch and when
the units are actively responding.
• "Four minutes (240 seconds) or less for the arrival of the first arriving engine
company at a fire suppression incident and / or 8 minutes (480 seconds) or less
for the deployment of a full first-alarm assignment at a fire suppression incident."
• "Four minutes (240 seconds) or less for the arrival of a unit with first responder or
higher level capability at an emergency medical incident."
• "Eight minutes (480 seconds) or less for the arrival of an advanced life support
unit at an emergency medical incident, where this service is provided by the fire
department."
• In section 4.1.2.1.2, NFPA 1710 goes on to state: "The fire department shall
establish a performance objective of not less than 90 percent for the
achievement of each response time objective specified in 4.1.2.1.1"
It is important to note the "and / or" found in the initial response objective
statement. This indicates that a system would meet the intent of the standard if it can
reasonably plan to deliver either the single unit, 4-minute travel time standard, the first
alarm, 8-minute travel time standard, or both. It should also be noted that it is implied
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that the total time allotted is additive with each successive event. For example, a
system which arrived on-scene in 6.5-minutes or less 90% of the time (from time of
dispatch) would be in compliance — even if the turnout time was longer than 90 seconds
(though that should clearly be improved).
It is also critical to note that these time objectives apply to emergency calls for
service — there is nothing in NFPA 1710 (nor in any other objective) that suggests that
communities cannot establish a differential response to calls for service determined to
be non-emergency in nature. A second element of the NFPA 1710 performance
objectives addresses unit and total response staffing. These objectives are described in
NFPA 1710 as follows:
• Engine and truck companies should be staffed with a minimum of four personnel
(sections 5.2.2.1.1 and 5.2.2.2).
• Section A.3.3.8 defines a company as either a single unit or multiple units, which
operate together once they arrive on the fire ground.
• A total initial response is defined (in section 5.2.3.2.2) as having a total of 15
people (if an aerial is utilized) for 90% of calls. This is broken down as follows:
One (1) incident commander.
One (1) on the primary supply line and hydrant.
Four (4) to handle the primary and backup attack lines.
Two (2) operating in support of the attack lines, performing forcible entry.
Two (2) assigned to victim search and rescue.
Two (2) assigned to ventilation.
One (1) assigned to operate the aerial device.
Two (2) to establish an initial rapid intervention team.
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• If an incident is determined to require additional resources, the fire department
should have as an objective the ability to respond with:
Additional units as needed (through its own resources or via automatic
and mutual aid).
Assignment of two (2) additional personnel to the rapid intervention team.
Assignment of one (1) as an incident safety officer.
It is interesting to note that the four person companies discussed in some areas
of NFPA 1710 are not maintained in the description of primary tasks to be accomplished
on the fire ground — recognition that the requirements of the response in the field are
dynamic and do not fit neatly into size and shape of any particular response
configuration. These objectives apply to the initial and follow-up response for reported
structure fires. The document does not suggest that this response be mounted for all
incidents. Most agencies in Massachusetts operate with three-person engine and truck
companies.
2. THE TOWN OF WATERTOWN SHOULD FORMALLY ADOPT LOCALLY
DEFINED SERVICE LEVEL OBJECTIVES.
The Watertown Fire Department includes a number of performance measures in
its annual budget, including average response times to emergency calls for service.
However, the Town and the Fire Department have not identified or formally adopted
service level targets for initial response to emergency medical calls or fire incidents.
While the project team believes the standards utilized in the following sections are
appropriate for the Town, service level targets should be adopted only after careful
consideration of local risks and the financial implications of maintaining those levels.
Recommendation: The Town of Watertown should adopt the time performance
objectives described in NFPA 1710 and related documents. This includes
processing of emergency calls in less than one minute in dispatch, responding to
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Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
the dispatch and having units en-route in less than 90 seconds and delivery of
the first unit on-scene in less than four minutes of drive time — all for 90% of
emergency calls.
3. ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONSE SYSTEM IN WATERTOWN SHOWS THAT
THE DEPARTMENT'S STATIONS ARE LOCATED APPROPRIATELY. A
REVIEW OF RESPONSE TIMES SHOWS GAPS IN THE DATA AND A NEED
TO FOCUS MORE MANAGEMENT ATTENTION ON THIS ISSUE
The next step for the project team was to assess the current fire station network
utilizing our GIS capabilities. The maps showing station coverage is provided, on the
following pages. The paragraphs, that follow, provide a summary of the findings and
conclusions that can be drawn from these analyses:
• The maps are broken into 4-minute and 8-minute drive times.
• The Fire Department is well-positioned, from its current locations, to provide a
very rapid response throughout the community. This is shown in both the 4-
minute drive time map and the 8-minute drive time map. The 4-minute view is
most important for single engine responses (EMS, car accidents, etc.) and shows
the Department's capability for delivering a rapid initial response to any incident
type.
• The Fire Department is also able, within the 8-minute drive time standard, to
provide a Town-wide structure fire (or major incident) response of 14+
responders. This is without reference to the availability of mutual aid companies.
The maps are provided on the following pages. The table, below, shows actual
response time average for selected call types:
Call Type 2009 2010 2011
Fire Alarm 4.1 7.0 4.5
Fire Investigation 7.6 5.6 5.2
Structure Fire 4.2 6.1 4.7
Fire Master Box 3.9 4.3 4.7
Fire Hazmat 4.0 10.8 5.9
Medical ALS 5.5 6.0 6.0
Medical BLS 4.4 6.0 5.1
Vehicle Accident 3.7 4.4 4.9
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Watertown, MA
Current 4-minute Service Area
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J •'a�.,�..-•��� '� # � Legend
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Watertown
4-minute Service Area
' Staff Responding
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4-5 Firefighters
6-9 Firefighters
10-14 Firefighters
- 15-17 Firefighters
o 0-35 0-7 1-4 2-1 2-8
Miles
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Watertown, MA
Current 8-minute Service Area
"yw{
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��r„'�.r���`"�—..�•-w+�,���'—.,—,.�a�'. . -..�Watertown
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8-minute ServiceArea
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= 3 Firefighters
4-5 Firefighters
6-9 Firefighters
10-14 Firefighters
15-17 Firefighters
0 0.35 0_7 1.4 2.1 2.6
Miles
IN
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A review of the response times, in the table preceding the maps, shows that the
Department is arriving at most emergency calls in less than six minutes — from the time
of dispatch. There are several issues with these data:
• The number of discrete elements currently tracked in the dispatch center are
limited. This means that the Fire Department cannot determine whether they are
achieving targeted response times in dispatch, in the stations (turnout time) or in
their drive time.
• There is no distinction in the data between emergency and non-emergency
responses. There are many calls for which a rapid response will result in no
improvement in the situation and which could, in fact, result in increased risk to
the community as the Department responds. For these calls, a slower response
is more appropriate.
• EMS calls tend to have a longer response time than do fire calls. While the
project team cannot determine on a call-by-call basis why this might be
happening, it is important to note that ALS EMS calls are, by definition, true
emergencies. They should be responded to as rapidly as fire calls — and
perhaps faster given that the responders do not need to dress in bunker gear
before responding.
Recommendation: The Fire Department must work in conjunction with the Police
Department to improve the quality and types of response time data captured.
These data are critical for managers to assess the performance of their staff (and
even to set response time targets).
Recommendation: Once these data are being captured, Deputy Chiefs should
monitor their shift performance. If an analyst is hired for the Fire Department,
monitoring and analyzing these response time elements should be a key focus of
his / her work.
4. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HANDLING VARIED
EMERGENCY RESPONSE WORKLOAD.
The Fire Department is an all-hazards fire/rescue agency. The Department
responds to emergencies including: medical events (as first responders), fires, vehicle
accidents, other rescues, etc. The information in this section provides an overview of
those workloads:
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Incident Number of % of Total
Type Incidents Incidents
Fire/ Explosion 64 1.43%
Overpressure/ Rupture 3 0.07%
Rescue Call 2,656 59.31%
Hazardous Condition 262 5.85%
Service Call 637 14.23%
Good Intent Call 126 2.81%
False Call 686 15.32%
Severe Weather/ Natural Disaster 27 0.60%
Special Type/Complaint 17 0.38%
Total Number of Incidents 4,478 100.00%
Coverage Assignment/ Mutual Aid 199 n/a
The paragraphs, which follow, summarize these statistics:
• The majority of calls handled by the Fire Department were Rescue (medical)
Calls, with more than 59% of total calls being of this type.
• Service Calls and False Calls each were around 15%, for another 29% of total
incidents.
• The remaining 11% of calls included fires, overpressures and other `fire' type
events.
The project team next examined the Fire Department's response policies to calls
for service, summarized, below:
Dep.
Call Type Chief Engine Ladder BLS ALS Comment
Fire-Water Rescue 1 1 1 1 1 Boat also
Fire Box 1 1 1
CO2 Alarm 1
CO2 with Illness 1 1 1 1 1
Bomb Threat 1 1 1
Mutual Aid As requested
Investigations
Animals in Bldg. 1
Assist Police 1
Electrical Problem 1
Elevator Problem 1 1 1
Forced Entry 1
Investigations 1 1 1
Odor of Gas 1 1 1
Odor of Smoke 1 1 1
Lockouts 1
Smoke in Area 1 1
Water/ Flooding 1
Wires Down 1
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Dep.
Call Type Chief Engine Ladder BLS ALS Comment
Hazardous Materials Calls
Level 1 (small/<10 1
gallons)
Level 2 (> 10 1 1 1 1
gallons)
Level 3 (unable to 1 2 1 1 1 Hazmat Team per
control) Command
Fire Calls
Fire Master Box 1 2 1
Brush 1
Motor Vehicle 1 1 1
Transformer 1 1 1
Dumpster 1 1 1
Arcing Wires 1 1 1
Structure Fire 1 2 1 1
Medical Calls
ALS 1 or 1 1 1
ALS/ Forced Entry 1 1 1 1
ALS Industrial 1 1 1 1 1
Accident
ALS Vehicle vs. 1 1 1 1 1
Pedestrian
BLS 1 or 1
BLS/ Forced Entry
Elderly/ Patient 1 or 1
Assist
A review of the response policy shows a number of interesting elements to be
explored:
• The Fire Department has ordered that the Ladder company be sent, reflexively,
on a number of calls for service types — some of which are atypical for fire-rescue
agencies across the United States. For example, the Ladder is sent on all fire
calls (except brush) including dumpster and transformer fires, to any call where
forced entry (or technical rescue) may be required, etc. This is driven by the fact
that 1) the Fire Department does not staff a heavy rescue unit capable of carrying
the tools required for these tasks and 2) that the majority of heavy rescue and
other technical tools (a broader range of monitors and meters for example) have
been placed on the Ladder.
• The EMS response system in the Town of Watertown results in a larger number
of units being dispatched, particularly to ALS calls where three or more units are
commonly dispatched. Sending an Engine (or, if none is available, a Ladder) to
EMS calls to assist the ambulance crew is a common practice, though many
communities are now examining with more focus those calls that may or may not
require this level of response.
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• The Fire Department has ordered the dispatch center to send the Deputy Chief
on a wide range of (non-medical) calls for service. This is generally a good
practice, particularly where multiple units are involved, where forced entry or
other property destruction may occur as part of the rescue effort, where units are
operating in potentially dangerous environments or where units are operating in
areas where operations may be impacted by traffic.
• Many communities are routinely dispatching single engine companies to
incidents such as car fires, dumpster fires, wires down, transformer fires and so
on. In Watertown, each of these call types generates a response by at least
three units.
There is a growing national trend to focus on reducing the number of units that
are reflexively dispatched to calls for service. This is being done for a number of
reasons, summarized, below:
• Sending fewer units, particularly where budgets are challenging departments to
reduce staffing or to reduce minimum deployments, preserves units for the `next
call' to come in.
• Each unit dispatched represents a potential risk management issue for the Town
in terms of firefighter injury, automobile vs. fire apparatus accidents, disruption of
traffic flows and so on.
While the Department is not large enough to consider some of the approaches
that other departments are using (deploying alternative vehicles such as SUV's to
response to medical calls, etc.) there are approaches that can and should be taken:
• The Fire Department should focus on each call type to answer the question
about whether a unit should be sent at all, and if so, which units can be most
efficiently sent.
• The Fire Department should focus on responding with a single engine company
to a broader range of fire calls, including car fires, dumpster fires, arcing wires
and transformer fires. Clearly, in any of these cases, if a structure is threatened
or other circumstances warrant, additional units should be deployed.
• Consideration should be given to issues such as the fuel consumption and
operating costs for which vehicles are sent.
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• Implementation of prioritization software in the dispatch center focused on more
effective call triage should be examined. Many departments are making
decisions to send fewer units to EMS calls based on these systems. For
example, a teenager with a broken ankle might simply receive a response from
an ambulance with no engine company being dispatched.
Recommendation: The Fire Department should be tasked with overall reduction
of the number of units that respond to calls for service. This could be done with
changing unit deployments and / or implementation of a priority medical dispatch
triaging system.
5. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS ADOPTED A FORMAL RESPONSE TO
VARIOUS STAFFING LEVELS BY PREDETERMINING WHICH UNITS WILL
BE STAFFED AND AT WHAT LEVEL OF STAFFING.
The Fire Department has recently seen reduced workforces on all shifts — this
has been a result of budget changes as well as the consequences of long-term disability
and, in some cases, extended military deployment. The result from all of these can be
shift staffing levels which fall short of the internally viewed as `optimal' level of 21 (which
would allow for all five fire apparatus to be staffed with an officer — either Captain or
Lieutenant — and two Firefighters, both rescues to be staffed with two Firefighters, and
the Chief's car to be staffed with a Deputy Chief and a Firefighter). Given that shift
staffing falls below this level, the Chief has issued the following matrix to enable
decisions to be made consistently across all four work groups in the Department with
respect to staffing:
Current Deployment of Personnel
At Various Staffing Levels in the WFD
Unit Officers and Firefighters on Duty
20 19 18 17 16
Car 2 2 2 2 2 2
Engine 1 3 3 3 3 3
Engine 2 3 3 3 3 3
Engine 3 3 3 3 3 3
Ladder 1 3 2 3 2 3
Ladder 2 2 2 2 2 DOWN
Rescue 1 2 2 2 2 2
Rescue 2 2 2 DOWN DOWN DOWN
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The following paragraphs summarize some key issues in reviewing this table:
• The fact that the Chief issued this directive is a credit to the Department — the
focus on consistency across shifts is a positive sign as to the management of the
Department.
• The Department recognizes the engine companies as their primary work unit with
three personnel always assigned to these pieces.
• What does not show in this exhibit is that the Department has also established a
minimum of five officers per shift. This will be one shift commander (typically a
Deputy Chief or perhaps a Captain) and three officers assigned to the engine
companies and one for the ladder company.
• Only at the higher end of staffing does the Department staff Rescue 2 — choosing
at 18 and 17 personnel to staff Ladder 2 instead. This is an interesting choice
given that the volume of the workload in the Department falls in the area of
Rescue calls.
• The dedication of a Firefighter to serving as the driver for the Deputy Chief is an
issue that should be further explored, particularly at lower levels of staffing on a
daily basis.
• As can be seen, below, the shifts are staffed with either 19 or 20 personnel:
Group 1 2 3 4
Total Staffing 20 19 19 20
Impact of LTD/ Military 18 17 17 18
Impact of Time Off 15 14 14 15
Use of OT to Cover to 1 2 2 1
Minimum
This results in an average predicated level of overtime use of 1.5 personnel per
shift (to obtain a staffing level of 16). This is borne out by examining the number of
shifts that needed to be covered in calendar 2011, as shown, below:
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FF's on FF's on
OT to OT to
Cover Cover
Night Day Night
Number Schedule/Available Day Tours Tours Tours Tour
6 0 1 0 10
7 0 0 0 0
8 1 1 8 8
9 0 2 0 14
10 1 1 6 6
11 12 12 60 60
12 29 18 116 72 �
13 39 35 117 105 �
14 52 47 104 94
1s 69 62 69 62
16 67 71 0 0
17 45 70 0 0
18 26 21 0 0
19 2 4 0 0
20 2 0 0 0
Total 345 345 480 431
Covered
with OT/
Shift 1.4 1.2
The Fire Department's actual experience, in 2011, using overtime to cover shift
operations is exactly what would be predicted given their staffing levels and obligations
for leave, etc. found in the contract. Furthermore, it should be noted that the Fire
Department is filling approximately 8% of its positions, daily, using overtime. On
average, the Department is filling one or two positions per day (clearly some days
require higher levels due to sickness, etc.). The level of staffing in the Department
typically sits near the minimum threshold of 16 personnel — requiring that overtime be
utilized to cover one or more vacancies on each shift. It should also be noted that this
resulted, in 2011, in 166 night tours and 142 day tours that were staffed at or above the
minimum staffing level of 16 currently in effect. Any step towards adding firefighters as
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a way of reducing overtime would also increase by that number of shifts staffing levels
above the current minimum of 16.
Recommendation: The Fire Department is effectively managing its overtime
given current staffing resources and the current minimum staffing level. Adding
another firefighter to the complement, while maintaining a minimum staffing level
of 16, will result in staffing over the minimum target for almost 50% of the shifts
in each year.
6. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOULD REDEPLOY EXISTING STAFF
RESOURCES TO EXISTING UNITS.
The project team recommends that the Fire Department consider the following
changes in the recommended distribution of personnel.
Recommended Deployment of Personnel
At Various Staffing Levels in the WFD
Unit Officers and Firefighters on Duty
20 19 18 17 16
Car 2 1 1 2 b 1 1
Engine 1 3 3 3 3 3
Engine 2 3 3 3 3 3
Engine 3 3 3 3 3 3
Ladderl 3 3 3 3 2
Ladder 2 3 2 DOWN DOWN DOWN
Rescue 1 2 2 2 2 2
Rescue 2 2 2 2 2 2
This change has the following impacts:
• The Fire Department maintains two Rescues at all times, with no additional
staffing required. As the primary source of call demand in the Department, it is
critical that these units both be staffed at all times. This should significantly
reduce reliance on outside units for coverage (i.e., transport) of the Town's EMS
calls and should result in a small increase in revenue for no additional personnel
cost.
• Only under the 16-personnel scenario are any of the four primary fire units
staffed with fewer than three (3) personnel — this is Ladder 1 under the 16-
personnel scenario.
• Ladder 2 is only staffed under the 19 and 20-personnel scenarios.
5 The project team shows a driver under the 18-person staff level, rather than showing a four-person
company on any of the engines or ladders. The Fire Department could argue for staffing one of the front
line fire apparatus with four, rather than assigning the driver to the Deputy Chief.
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• Car 2 is reduced, under all but one scenario, to the Deputy Chief in the car alone.
Only under 18 personnel would the car be staffed with a second person — this is
the most flexible location for this position to be assigned for this level of staffing.
This allows the Deputy Chief to assign this firefighter to any other unit that
responds to an emergency. The alternative would be to staff a fire apparatus
with four personnel or an ambulance with three personnel — neither of which is a
practical solution.
• This does not address the issue of a four-officer minimum staffing level. That is
considered, below.
This movement of personnel can be accomplished simply by order of the Chief.
It does not require any additional budget authority.
Recommendation: Deploy personnel so that Rescue 2 can be staffed at all times.
Focus on staffing fire units at three personnel if at all possible. Both of these
objectives are achieved by reducing staffing in Car 2 by utilizing the Firefighter
assigned as the Deputy Chief's driver to other functions. The project team
believes that the appropriate target staffing for the Town is for there to be a
minimum of 16 personnel on-duty — this allows for three engines, two
ambulances, a ladder and a chief officer to be deployed at appropriate staffing
levels. In this staffing approach, personnel could be detailed from Rescue 2 to
work with the ladder company and to support the Deputy Chief, if necessary.
7. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOULD CONTROL THE USE OF LEAVE AND
WORK WITH THE TOWN ON A CONTRACT CHANGE TO PROVIDE FOR A
TARGETED MINIMUM OF FIVE OFFICERS PER SHIFT.
Current policy in the Department allows for the use of overtime to ensure that
four officers (Deputy Chief through Lieutenant) are on-duty each day. The current
deployment of personnel has six officers per shift:
Group 1 2 3 4
Deputy Chief 1 1 1 1
Captain 2 2 1 1
Lieutenant 3 3 4 4
Total 6 6 6 6
With current levels of leave utilization, the Department should, through careful
scheduling of vacations and other scheduled time off, be able to ensure that five officers
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are available on most shifts. This would allow for a shift commander, an officer on all
three engines, and an officer on Ladder 1.
Recommendation: Work to maintain, through improved scheduling of time off, a
target of five officers per shift. Continue current practice of using overtime to
maintain a minimum of four officers per shift. This will also require changes in
the contract restricting the number of officers who can take leave each day.
8. OPPORTUNITIES EXIST TO ENHANCE THE LEVEL OF STAFF UTILIZATION
IN FIRE DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS. THIS INCLUDES MORE
PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC EDUCATION.
The Fire Department operations staff work a schedule that rotates using 24-hour
shifts. Under current conditions, the Fire Department's operations personnel perform
both emergency and non-emergency functions. These are summarized, below:
Performed by WFD
Function Operations Staff?
Response to Fires Yes
Response to EMS Incidents Yes
Response to Rescue/Other Hazards Yes
Training for Emergency Functions Yes
Pre-Planning Target Hazard Locations Yes (facility familiarization)
Conducting Formal Inspections Yes (commercial buildings)
Testing Hydrants in 1s` Due Area b (Public) No (done by Water Dept.)
Testing Hydrants in 1s` Due Area (Private) No (done by Water Dept.)
Supporting Public Education Efforts Minimal
The matrix, above, shows that the Fire Department is engaged in primary roles of
emergency response and training. However, their involvement in other activities such
as inspections is limited. The table, which follows, provides the project team's
assessment of the opportunities for expanding the line crew's involvement in various
support functions:
6 The `first due' area is en engine company's primary area of responsibility—a geographic area of the
Town that is centered around the station from which the engine (or other unit) responds. This results
from the typically static deployment model used by most fire/rescue agencies, including the WFD.
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Function Performed by WFD Operations Staff?
Training for Emergency Functions Critical part of preparation and safety for personnel.
Currently performing 2+ hours of training per shift worked.
Pre-Planning Target Hazard Locations This is an area that should be enhanced. Companies are
well-suited for this since they will have to work in these
structures and areas in case of emergency. Companies do
conduct"familiarization"walk throughs of facilities—and will
notify Fire Prevention of there are issues. These walk
throughs result in detailed pre-plans for target hazards.
Conducting Formal Inspections Company officers would need to be certified as inspectors
under MA law. Current inspection staff is sufficient to
perform formal inspections on key target hazards.
However, many mercantile and other smaller facilities are
only inspected when they change hands.
Testing Hydrants in 1st Due Area (Public) Water Department currently perform annual maintenance
and testing of all hydrants in their respective districts. The
Fire Department will identify issues with hydrants and
forward them to the Water Department.
Testing Hydrants in 1st Due Area (Private) The Fire Department does not currently test private
hydrants. The Fire Prevention staff require private property
owners to show that they have had their hydrants tested
within the past year.
Supporting Public Education Efforts The companies are involved in providing very limited public
education support to the community— including fire drills at
schools.
The project team's findings in this area of service delivery suggest that engine
companies should focus on increased pre-planning for target hazards in their response
areas. The workload data presented earlier in this chapter suggests that companies are
operating at approximately 50% of their capacity for handling emergency workload'.
The project team recommends that additional engine companies be added in a discrete response area when
workload approaches 10 runs per day per unit. For example, a second engine should be added to a station when the
primary engine is handling approximately 10 runs a day.
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Emergency Workload by Unit 2010
% of 12 Hour
Total Day Spent on
Emergency Hours in 1/2 Emergency
Unit Workload Hours of the Day Workload
E1 1,614 470.75 4,380 10.75%
E2 1,335 389.38 4,380 8.89%
E3 1,150 335.42 4,380 7.66%
L1 1,229 358.46 4,380 8.18%
R1 2,188 1,276.33 4,380 29.14%
The units average between 8% and 29% per day handling emergency incidents.
The table, below, shows the level of non-emergency workload (training and public
education) handled each day:
Non-Emergency Workload by Unit 2010
% of 12 Hour
Total Training/ Day Spent on
Prevention / PE / Non-
Maintenance Hours in 1/2 Emergency
Unit Workload Hours of the Day Workload
E1 1,747 2,620.50 4,380 59.83%
E2 1,747 2,620.50 4,380 59.83%
E3 1,747 2,620.50 4,380 59.83%
L1 1,747 2,620.50 4,380 59.83%
R1 1,747 2,620.50 4,380 59.83%
The table, above, shows that all units are spending almost 60% of their day shift
on maintenance, training and other administrative support activities (including
conducting inspections and the like). The following table shows the combination of the
two tables plus the impact of meals and station duties:
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Emergency and Non-Emergency Workload by Unit 2010
% of 12 Hour
Hours in 1/2 Day Spent on
Unit Workload Total Hours of the Day All Workload
E1 3,361 3,091.25 4,380 70.58%
E2 3,082 3,009.88 4,380 68.72%
E3 2,897 2,955.92 4,380 67.49%
L1 2,976 2,978.96 4,380 68.01%
R1 3,935 3,896.83 4,380 88.97%
The analysis, above, shows that the Fire Department is doing an effective job of
utilizing personnel during the daytime hours (we have assumed that all emergency
workload takes place on the day half of the shift for purposes of calculating utilization —
to avoid the complication of sleep time).
There is some capacity in all units for some increased activity and the project
team recommends that this time be focused on increased pre-planning for emergency
incidents and on expanding their role in public education. It would not be practical for
this expanded role to include personnel assigned to Rescue 1. This should be
accomplished first at target hazards and then should be accomplished with a focus on
all commercial, mercantile, industrial and multi-occupancy structures. The Insurance
Service Organization (ISO) recommends that communities conduct annual inspections
and pre-planning of all such structures within the jurisdiction.
If one-hour is sufficient to walk-through an average facility (some larger ones
may take longer) a facility can be pre-planned on every shift rotation (one hour to
conduct the pre-plan walkthrough and another hour to develop drawings and notes).
This would enable the Fire Department to pre-plan more than 730 facilities per year.
This calculation is shown below:
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Shifts/Year 365
Eligible Companies 4
Company Shift Days 1,460
Shifts/ Plan 2
Potential Plans (Max) 730
This would increase utilization for most companies to between 80% and 90%
during the day with utilization during the night shift at less than 30% (emergency
response and meals only). This would enhance the productivity of the Department for
no cost. Alternatively, the Department could increase the number of engine company
inspections handled by each unit.
Recommendation: The Fire Department should engage in at least one-hour of
pre-planning activity per day per company. If this approach is taken, more than
700 pre-plans could be completed or updated on an annual basis. Initially,
facilities should be broken down by first due area, with some exceptions made to
expand the scope of the less active companies. Consider adding a layer in the
GIS for pre-planning so that the WPD and the WFD have access to these plans.
9. THE PROJECT TEAM EVALUATED ORGANIZATIONAL ALTERNATIVES
FOR EMS OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT.
The Watertown Fire Department has a Deputy Chief assigned to provide general
oversight for shift command on-duty at all times. This position, per shift, report to the
Chief and is responsible for all aspects of operations, staffing and deployment of
personnel in the Fire Department. The current role of the Deputy Chiefs as they relate
to pre-hospital care include the following:
• Ensuring that the daily schedule and roster provides for the deployment of all
front-line apparatus in the Watertown Fire Department.
• Providing direct incident command at major incidents with an EMS component
(mass casualty, technical rescue, confined space rescue, extrication, and
structure fire). Deputy Chiefs do not typically respond to "routine" medical calls —
no matter how serious they are in nature — unless there are special
circumstances as noted above.
• The Deputy Chiefs have no direct or on-going responsibility for providing quality
control or direct medical supervision. They are not currently involved in the
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control or distribution of medications or supplies.
• The Department does not have any specific on-shift individuals responsible for
the oversight of EMS services as a separate program — this rests with the
Training Officer/ EMS Coordinator.
The approach to providing EMS shift command varies across the United States.
The project team finds that, among communities the size of Watertown and larger, it is
not un-common to maintain shift command for EMS services — particularly when the
service is providing advanced life support (ALS) level EMS. These positions typically
have responsibilities that are a combination of roles including chart review, quality
control, medication coordination, controlled substance distribution and so on. The
project team considered several alternatives to address this issue, including the
following:
• Maintenance of the status quo. This model would remain essentially the same
as the approach that is currently in effect with perhaps changes mentioned
elsewhere in this report.
• Maintenance of the current approach with some enhancements. These
enhancements could include the following:
Increasing the involvement of the Deputy Chiefs in a range of activities in
support of pre-hospital medical services. These roles could include:
•• Distribution of medicines and EMS supplies on shift to the medical
units in the Department. This would also add another level of
accountability for these materials.
•• Increase their response to serious medical calls beyond those that
involve other special circumstances (i.e., extrication, technical
rescue, multiple injuries, structure fire). The purpose of this would
be to ensure that the system functions as it is intended to. Deputy
Chief responses could be set for a range of call types including:
Working cardiac arrest or other resuscitation.
Drowning.
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Vehicle accident with serious injuries.
Any call where the ambulance will have a delayed response.
•• Provide for Deputy Chief response to several randomly selected
emergency medical calls for service, independent on the nature of
the call, throughout their shift.
•• Conduct follow-up contacts with patients and their families to
determine if there are opportunities to improve the level of care
provided by the WFD. These calls could be made by the Deputy
Chief on the second following shift to allow for some time to have
elapsed following the call and to provide for some checks and
balances in the contact and reporting of any issues.
The exhibit, that follows, provides the project team's analysis of increasing
Deputy Chief involvement in EMS calls. This analysis addresses the benefits and
disadvantages as well as highlighting any major differences with the current approach:
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Benefits I Challenges Comparison Points
Enhancement of Current Approaches
• Increases the WFD's focus Increased response • Makes greater and more
on EMS issues on the shift. expectations for Deputy focused use of existing
• Makes shift Deputy Chiefs Chiefs would increase their resources (Deputy Chiefs) in
responsible for overseeing workload and reduce their the EMS area.
the service delivery on their availability for other • Would not require any
shift. assignments. positions to be eliminated
• Increases the accountability Does not provide any and would require the
of the command staff in additional resources for creation of a single new
Operations for EMS quality control, issues position.
services. identification, medical
• Adds a layer of checks and instruction, etc.
balances to controlled Could benefit from additional
substance and other time by medical director and
supplies distribution. nursing staff conducting ride
• Reduces the need for the alongs with WFD units to
EMS Officer to restock observe field implementation
critical supplies while off- of protocols.
duty.
• Allows increased
management focus on the
paramedic engine company
program.
• Most cost effective way of
providing for on-shift
improvement.
• Would underscore current
efforts at creating checks
and balances between EMS
and Operations.
The Fire Department should take immediate steps to increase the involvement of
the shift Deputy Chiefs in the management and supervision of EMS services in the City.
The project team recommends the following specific changes to current approaches:
• Deputy Chiefs should be included on all life threatening calls for service as
triaged by the dispatch center. The Deputy Chief's role on these calls is not to
provide medical supervision, but rather to provide for system management and
oversight, to support the victim's family, to provide for scene safety and other
oversight roles. These roles do not require the Deputy Chief to be a paramedic —
they rely on these mid-level managers as the connection between the line
employees who are delivering the EMS services and the Department's and
Town's senior management team.
• Deputy Chiefs should be dispatched to non-life-threatening calls for
service on a random basis. In order to be enhance management oversight
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EMS, the Deputy Chiefs must also respond to some of the less serious calls for
service that make up the majority of EMS calls. The project team recommends
that these responses approximate 3% to 5% of calls for service per week. These
should span the entire shift.
• The following shift Deputy Chief should make contact with the victim or
their family to ascertain whether the WFD could have provided enhanced
services on the call. The Fire Department should make one attempt to contact
the victim's family to ensure that they view patient care as a positive experience
and to determine if there were other steps that the Fire Department could or
should have taken to improve their support of the victim and their family. Issues
should be cataloged and summarized and passed on to EMS command,
Operations command, EMS training staff and to the Medical Director for inclusion
in future training. While it is not practical to contact all victims, the WFD should
target initiating contact with at least 25% of calls — these should be randomly
selected, but should include 100% of life threatening calls.
• Deputy Chiefs should take on additional responsibilities to ensure the
efficient delivery of emergency medical services including serving as a field
representative of the Medical Director with the authority as approved, assisting
with hospital status (reroute) and issues, following up on complaints about patient
care, and reviewing and updating policies and procedures related to EMS
delivery.
These changes would require some changes in policies as they relate to
controlled substance distribution and call responses.
Recommendation: The Matrix Consulting Group recommends that the Watertown
Fire Department increase the responsibility of the Deputy Chiefs for EMS calls.
There is no estimated recurring cost associated with this recommendation.
10. THE TOWN SHOULD MANDATE THE DISTRIBUTION OF AUTOMATIC
EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS IN SKILLED CARE FACILITIES, PLACES OF
PUBLIC ASSEMBLY AND OTHERS.
Extensive medical research has demonstrated that rapid application of external
defibrillation by those who witness a cardiac arrest is the most successful method for
enhancing survivability of these patients. A number of communities around the United
States, Canada and Europe have funded distribution of automatic external defibrillators
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(AED's) throughout the response system. In addition, many have provided AED's to a
wide range of community interests in the Town and throughout its response area.
However, there is no supporting ordinance in the Town requiring the deployment
of these devices to a wide range of venues —it has been viewed as an individual risk-
management decision. The Town should work to develop a program by which these
devices can be deployed and should support such an effort with an ordinance that
requires the following classes of enterprises to have at least one on-site, with an
allowance for multiple-businesses to place one in common areas which allow for public
access — i.e., a medical office building could place them in the public corridors:
• All medical or medical care facilities, including but not limited to:
- Hospitals.
- Skilled care facilities.
- Rehabilitation facilities.
- "Urgent care" centers.
- Medical clinics.
- Physical therapy businesses.
- Physicians' offices.
- Health clubs, private gyms, etc.
• Venues which allow for public assembly of more than 100 people.
• Schools.
• Sporting events.
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This would greatly expand the reach of the AED program, would enable it to be
done in a cost-effective manner and would enable the Town to improve on its
approaches to provide responses to cardiac emergencies.
Recommendation: The Town should adopt an ordinance requiring the presence
of AED's in all medical establishments and places of public assembly. The Fire
Department and the Town should work to assist with the placement of these
critical devices in locations that cannot afford the full cost of one through a grant
program. Furthermore, their location should be added into the CAD system so
those near the victim of a heart attack can be directed to one while awaiting the
arrival of EMS personnel. The cost would be borne by each medical provider. In
the case of a medical office building, the providers could pool together to share
this cost.
11. THE WATERTOWN POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS NEEDS TO FOCUS
ON "CUSTOMER SERVICE" ISSUES WITH RESPECT TO EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATIONS.
The Watertown Police Department dispatches for the Watertown Fire
Department, a public safety practice which this project team supports. However, issues
have arisen with respect to resolving problems dispatching some calls, use of air time,
explaining changes in the system which need to be addressed in the future. The Police
Department, as a result, should take the lead in the following:
• Work with the Fire Department to develop a `performance contract' for service
which would cover such issues as:
— Ring times.
— Dispatch times.
— Problem resolving techniques.
— Reporting and review meetings.
• Develop measurable performance measures in support of the contract.
• Create a users group with representatives of both departments to address and
resolve issues when they arise. This group should meet no less frequently than
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quarterly.
• Report back to the Town Manager on an annual basis on the effectiveness of the
service and working relationship.
These measures in other jurisdictions have positively addressed perceived and
real problems in joint dispatching working relationships.
Recommendation: Develop `customer service' approaches to address and
resolve problems in joint dispatching.
12. THE TOWN OF WATERTOWN SHOULD WORK CLOSELY WITH ONE OR
MORE OF ITS NEIGHBORS TO EXPLORE A REGIONAL EMS TRANSPORT
SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL.
The Town of Watertown's Fire Department operates with one and sometimes two
transport ambulances. Neighboring communities also operate their own emergency
medical transport systems from within their Fire Departments. The Town of Watertown
could consider an alternative — to jointly staff a second unit with one or more
neighboring communities (either using personnel from more than one agency, or
alternating the shift which staffs the ambulance — two shifts from Watertown and two
shifts from Belmont or some other community). The table, below, provides an
interesting calculation regarding ambulance unit demand:
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Avg/ EMS Ambulance
Model Calls Demand Units Needed
Calls per Hour 0.26 0.33 0.73
Calls per Hour with Prior
Hour Impact or 150% of
Average Hour Call Load 0.39 0.49 0.89
Calls per Hour with Prior
Hour Impact at 95%
Confidence or 250% of
Average Hour Call Load 0.66 0.82 1.22
The calculation of the number of transport units required is a straightforward
mathematical exercise that relies on the following information:
• Determine the average number of calls for service per hour.
• Calculate the straight demand for units.
• In order to assess the impact of peak workloads (periods of time where the
demand for ambulances exceeds the average), we examined the need for units
at 100% of the average call load, 150% of the average call load and 250% of the
average call load (these models show the impact of concurrent calls from the
prior hour).
The Matrix Consulting Group then took the Fire Department's workload and
evaluated the number of units that are required on an hourly basis using these
methodologies. This calculation is shown in the table, above. Note that these analyses
are developed using the approximately 2,300 calls for service to which the Fire
Department's units were dispatched in 2010.
What this analysis indicates is that most often the Fire Department requires a
single transport unit — but that under peak load pressures the Department's need for
transport capability exceeds one unit per hour. There are three solutions to this issue:
• Continue to utilize mutual aid.
• Re-deploy personnel in the Fire Department so that there are more than one
Rescue unit staffed at all times. This has already been recommended elsewhere
in this report.
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• Work with neighboring communities in a cost-sharing arrangement that would
offset the cost of running a second Rescue unit.
This model would be potentially applicable to other services including the
following:
• Emergency communications;
• Public education;
• Fire fleet maintenance;
Recommendation: The project team recommends that the Fire Department and
Town Manager seek to work with neighboring communities by offering them the
services of Rescue 2 on a cost-sharing basis. Under this model, each community
would keep the revenue associated with the calls run in their jurisdictions, and
would pay a proportional cost of staffing the ambulance. For example, if one
other community participated, the cost reduction to Watertown would be 50% the
cost of staffing the ambulance — or approximately $300,000.
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APPENDIX A
PROFILE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
This Appendix is a descriptive profile of the Watertown Fire Department (WFD),
prepared by the project team from the Matrix Consulting Group. This profile is intended
to serve as a summary of staffing, organization, workload and other factors that
describe the operations and services provided by the Watertown Fire Department. This
profile is organized into subsequent chapters that describe the Office of the Chief (and
other support functions) and Shift Operations. The staffing numbers used are the
authorized positions as of July 2011.
1. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF
(1) Introduction
The Fire Chief has overall responsibility for all department functions; and has
direct responsibility for the supervision of all shift operations, training, prevention and all
ancillary duties assigned to Deputy Chiefs, Captains and Lieutenants.
(2) Organizational Structure
The plan of organization for the Chief's Office is presented below.
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Fire Chief(1)
Head Clerk (1) —
I I I I
Staff Service SHIFT Training Officer-
Officer- Captain OPERATIONS Lieutenant Fire Inspector-
(1) Deputy Chief(4) (1) Captain (1)
Fire Inspection
Clerk (1)
(3) Staffing
The exhibit below provides a summary of the staff reporting directly to the Fire
Chief, by function and classification, and also summarizes their key roles and
responsibilities. The four Deputy Chiefs assigned to Shift Operations are included in
that section.
Note: the columns "Bgt" means budgeted/authorized WFD positions; the column
"Vac" means the number of positions in each classification that are vacant as of July
2011.
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Function Position Bgt Vac Key Roles and Responsibilities
Department Fire Chief 1 • Manages and coordinates all fire services in the Town
Management to meet objectives set by the Town Manager and Town
and Council.
Leadership • Provides overall leadership and guidance of
Department personnel and fire services.
• Provides overall management and administration of the
Department; coordinates resources. A member of the
executive management team of the Department and the
Town.
• Develops and maintains good working relationships
with other managers in the Town and peers in the
regional and state fire service community.
• Represents WFD in regional and state fire service work
efforts and projects.
• Coordinates and evaluates top Department managers.
• Performs routine administrative functions in the day-to-
day management of the Department.
Admin. Head Clerk 1 • Personal assistance to the Chief(e.g. correspondence,
Support calendar management, phones).
• Answers telephones and reception of visitors.
• General and project support for command staff,
• Processes/tracks: personnel action forms;
travel/training and related expense forms, POST
reimbursements,
• Pays bills, including purchasing card bills, cell phone
bills, petty cash.
• Maintains Department employee files, phone lists,
personnel rosters.
• Processes all timecards and pay related issues for the
FD; updates and maintains a manual timekeeping log of
employees' work hours, leave hours, and comp time
hours bank.
Administration Captain 1 • The Staff Service Officer reports directly to the Fire
Chief and is responsible for a wide range of
administrative and support tasks.
• This position is responsible for helping the Chief as the
only other dedicated administrative position in the Fire
Department.
• Represents the Chief when the Chief is not available.
• Additional duties for this position include SCBA, Pass
and other breathing air systems.
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Function Position Bgt Vac Key Roles and Responsibilities
Fire Captain 1 • Conducts site plan reviews on initial submission from
Inspections developers.
• Serves as the Fire Inspector— handling major
inspections and follow-ups from the line units.
• Investigates Fire Code complaints.
• Responds to major incidents during normal business
hours.
• Conducts business inspections on schools, sprinkler,
certificate of occupancy and underground.
• Investigates suspicious fires to determine cause and
origin.
• Coordinates the activities of the engine/other
companies on the line in their conduct of inspections,
hydrant maintenance, etc.
Fire Clerk 1 Supports the Fire Inspection Officer(Captain)
Prevention Answers telephones and reception of visitors.
• Schedules inspections for the Fire Inspector.
• Performs data entry related to fire inspections and plan
reviews.
• Maintains the property/address files for the Fire
Department.
Training / Lieutenant 1 • Reports to one of the Deputy Chiefs who serves as
EMS Training Coordinator(as an ancillary duty).
• Coordinates all shift training —this includes working with
outside providers as well as internal experts.
• Develops monthly training calendars.
• Provides direct training elements.
• Monitors training records and certifications.
• Oversees EMS training, certifications and compliance.
• Department liaison with area hospitals, OEMS, etc.
2. SHIFT OPERATIONS
(1) Introduction
A Deputy Chief who reports directly to the Fire Chief manages each of the four
work groups in Shift Operations (Groups 1 — 4). This Division is responsible for
providing emergency response to fire, EMS (including transport), and Haz-Mat calls for
service, hydrant maintenance, equipment maintenance and assists in business
inspections in the Town of Watertown. The WFD operates from three stations, each
with a Captain `station officer' assigned to coordinate maintenance and other issues.
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(2) Organizational Structure
The plan of organization for the Operations Division is presented below.
Chief
(1)
I I I I
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4
Deputy Chief(1) Deputy Chief(1) Deputy Chief(1) Deputy Chief(1)
Captain (2) Captain (2) Captain (1) Captain (1)
Lieutenant(3) Lieutenant (3) Lieutenant (4) Lieutenant (4)
1 1 1 1
Firefighter(14) Firefighter(13) Firefighter(13) Firefighter(14)
(3) Staffing
The table below provides a summary of the staff reporting to the Shift Operations
Deputy Chiefs, by function and classification, and also summarizes their key roles and
responsibilities.
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Function Position Bgt Vac Key Roles and Responsibilities
Shift Deputy 4 • Provides overall leadership, management and
Command Chief administration of each Group.
• All Deputy Chiefs are in the bargaining unit. Each
reports directly to the Fire Chief.
• Work a 24 hour on 72 hour off shift schedule.
• Serve as the shift commander for their Group.
• Also have ancillary duties (overtime, computers,
training, apparatus/ maintenance, station maintenance,
hose testing, hydrants, ground ladder testing, etc.).
Suppression Fire Captain 6 • Work a 24 hour on 72 hour off shift pattern
• Serve as the first line supervisor of fire personnel
stationed at the three fire stations. Station 1 always has
a Captain assigned.
• Stations two and three have a single Captain assigned
across the four groups who serve as a `station captain'
responsible for maintenance and other station issues.
• Responsible for ensuring scheduled training occurs.
• Ensuring the adequacy of staffing levels
• Responds to emergency calls for service.
• Evaluates performance of subordinates.
• Monitors the condition of station facilities, apparatus,
equipment and schedules needed repairs.
• Ensures policies and procedures are followed.
Lieutenant 14 • Work a 24 hour on 72 hour off shift pattern.
• Serve as the first line supervisor of fire personnel
stationed at the three fire stations.
• Responsible for ensuring scheduled training occurs.
• Ensuring the adequacy of staffing levels
• Responds to emergency calls for service.
• Evaluates performance of subordinates.
• Monitors the condition of station facilities, apparatus,
equipment and schedules needed repairs.
• Ensures policies and procedures are followed.
Firefighter 54 • Work a 24 hour on 72 hour off shift pattern.
• Respond to emergency calls for service.
• Perform hydrant maintenance activities; including
painting.
• Perform company inspections as scheduled.
• Perform public education activities.
• Prepare incident reports for entry into the RMS.
• Assist in checking and maintaining fire apparatus and
equipment.
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(4) Summary of Operations
Given shift staffing patterns, the Fire Chief has instituted a pre-determined unit
deployment plan that varies depending on available personnel. This was distributed to
all personnel in an effort to centralize the decision making. This is shown, below:
Unit Officers and Firefighters on Duty
20 19 18 17 16
Car 2 2 2 2 2 2
Engine 1 3 3 3 3 3
Engine 2 3 3 3 3 3
Engine 3 3 3 3 3 3
Ladder 1 3 2 3 2 3
Ladder 2 2 2 2 2 DOWN
Rescue 1 2 2 2 2 2
Rescue 2 2 2 DOWN DOWN DOWN
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APPENDIX B
DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT
In this section of the report, the primary operations, staffing and management of
the Watertown Fire Department are compared with measures of effective organizations
from throughout the country. The measures utilized have been derived from the project
team's collective experience and represent the following ways to identify divisional
strengths as well as improvement opportunities:
• Statements of "effective practices" based on the study team's experience in
evaluating operations in other municipalities or "standards" of the profession from
other organizations.
• Other statements of "effective practices" based upon consensus standards or
performance goals derived from national or international professional service
organizations.
• Identification of whether and how the department meets the performance targets.
The purpose of this assessment is to develop an initial overall assessment of
departmental operations and identify opportunities for improvement:
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
ADMINISTRATION
The organization has grouped The Fire Department has Only the Fire Chief is outside of
like functions together to grouped like functions together the collective bargaining unit.
support the organizational to support the organizational All other personnel are
mission and goals. mission and goals. In addition, represented by the same union.
supervisors are assigned
collateral duties in all functional
areas: training, resource
management, community
education, emergency
management, etc.
The organizational structure has The organization is relatively
similar spans of control for flat. Deputy Chiefs are
similar levels of management. responsible for shift supervision,
incident command, as well as
collateral duties.
Personnel of like rank have Deputy Chiefs have similar
similar responsibilities. responsibilities. Captains all
have similar responsibilities.
The organizational structure Given the flat organizational With only the Chief working a
supports goals of one manager structure, all Deputy Chiefs standard work week, issues of
per function and ensures that report to the Chief. Captains collaboration and coordination
staff report to a single manager. and Lieutenants report to their are a concern. This is mitigated
respective Deputy Chiefs. by the extra-ordinary efforts of
the command staff but is not an
ideal organizational staffing
configuration.
The Department utilizes data The Department does not make
and converts data into regular frequent use of the data which it
reports reflecting the progress of tracks.
programs, activities, or tasks
related to the accomplishment
of identified goals and
objectives.
Members of the Department are Hard objectives in terms of
aware of the targets, goals, response times, etc. are not
objectives and priorities of the strictly described and therefore
department consistent with their not a part of the Department's
role in the organization. culture.
All relevant responders are All fire units are dispatched and The Fire Department should
recorded utilizing the same times recorded through Town's work with the Police Department
clock or a coordinated clock (i.e. dispatch center. to ensure that dispatch services
ambulance, rescue, mutual aid and record keeping are in
units, etc.) keeping with the WFD's
requirements.
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Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
OPERATIONS
Differential responses are The Department should re-
provided for emergency/ non- evaluate its policies to
emergency as a risk responding to calls for service.
management tool.
Firefighters should be able to Data are not available from the
roll apparatus within 1-minute of CAD to determine compliance
being dispatched. with this standard. A number of
discrete time stamp elements
are not tracked. This will
require effort from both Fire and
Police to solve.
Deliver a minimum of 15 The Department has the
personnel (three engines, a capacity to deliver this level of
rescue and a truck and a chief staffing when all units are
officer) with a travel time for all available, at minimum staffing.
responding units of 8-minutes Additional capacity exists in the
on a 90% fractile basis to fire form of mutual aid.
calls.
Automatic and mutual aid The Town has mutual aid The Town could seek to enter
agreements are in place to agreements in place with into seamless, total boundary
ensure that sufficient resources neighboring jurisdictions to drop agreements with
are available to handle rare but handle larger scale incidents. surrounding agencies to assure
intensive response such as the closest available resource
structure fires. responds to calls for service
regardless of political
jurisdiction.
Response protocols clearly The WFD has response
define the types and number of protocols in place that indicate
responders to be dispatched. what resources will respond to
various types of incidents. This
includes second and third levels
of response.
Command staff and company Command staff and company Table top exercises are not
officers are trained in Incident officers receive ICS and NIMS routinely performed to rehearse
Command System (ICS) and training. the function of ICS and NIMS.
National Incident Management
System (NIMS) or comparable Does not include training
approach for structuring and exercises with neighboring
exercising command and communities.
supervision at emergency
incidents.
Includes periodic conduct of
training exercises in ICS
including incident simulation.
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Fire Suppression crews have There are some pre-incidents
immediate access to Pre- plans completed by the
Incident Plans and Information. Department, though this is not a
Wireless Transmission is universal approach. There is no
preferable process by which plans are
automatically updated in
response units.
The Department has adopted a The Department has not
loss control goal to return adopted such a policy.
commercial properties to
functioning within a specific time
frame (i.e. 2 hours).
Expedite delivery of emergency The Department provides EMT-
cardiac care by training and D (Defibrillator) trained
certifying engine company personnel and operates a
personnel at advanced skill minimum of one transport
levels including in some cases ambulance per shift. A second
providing early Defibrillation unit can be staffed Additional
capabilities on first-in engine transport capabilities are
company response units. obtained from neighboring
communities or private
resources.
EMS systems are fully WFD units have ability to WFD personnel should be
integrated with ability of units to communicate via radio with actively engaged in EMS Quality
communicate and all personnel other neighboring ambulance Assurance efforts, specifically
involved in the chain of patient units. chart audits that involve patients
treatment involved in the Quality contacted by WFD personnel.
Assurance/Improvement efforts.
Implement and support citizen CPR training is provided to The Town should implement a
"self-help" programs in the residents. community AED program that
emergency medical services provides AEDS at public
area such as locating facilities throughout the Town.
defibrillators in high risk areas This should include integrating
and providing AED's and CPR their locations into the CAD
training to community residents system so that bystanders can
and businesses. be made aware of AED
locations.
The Department has an adopted The Department's safety Identification of a safety officer
Safety Plan with a dedicated functions are supervised by the on each duty shift to enable
Safety Officer and elements of Staff Services Officer. Full responses at fire scenes/large
safety are included in command, accountability systems have incidents. This role is handled
operations and training been adopted and are utilized. by the SSO when the Captain is
consistent with NFPA 1510. on duty.
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Functional areas within the fire The Department lacks adequate
station are appropriate to meet space for physical fitness and
the needs of various functions. workout room that is shared on
the apparatus floor.
There is not a dedicated area
for training equipped with
appropriate equipment needed
in an adult learning
environment.
The Department has full The Department participates in
operational inter-operability with both state and regional
emergency responders within response networks for both
the State and/or the region. routine and declared
emergencies.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Suppression crews are actively Crews are involved in smoke The Department should expand
involved in community smoke detector inspections prior to real existing Fire Prevention
detector and CO detector estate transactions. Education experiences to
awareness and inspection include smoke detector and CO
programs. Detector awareness and
inspection programs.
Officers and Firefighters After action reports and
conduct after action discussions discussions are not conducted
and produce after action reports within the Fire Department.
on all major emergencies
NFPA Firefighter I, II and III NFPA Firefighter I and II are
requirements for Firefighters. required for newly hired all full-
time personnel. There is no
requirement that experienced
firefighters certify at these
levels.
NFPA Fire Officer I, II and III There is no requirement under
training requirements for fire civil service for personnel to
officers. obtain these certifications prior
to taking /passing / being
assigned as an Officer.
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There is a dedicated training The Deputy Chief over training The training and safety
officer who creates monthly and creates monthly training functions are supervised by a
weekly training schedules. schedules and monitors training shift based deputy chief that
hours. A minimum of 1.5 presents a lack of continuity and
hours/shift of training is consistency between shifts.
documented. A Lieutenant is This is addressed by the
directly involved in researching assignment of the Training
and providing training. Officer(Lieutenant). The same
Training Officer is also the EMS
Coordinator responsible for all
QA/QC and maintaining track of
all certifications.
Training evolutions are based The Department does not
on NFPA 1410. conduct task performance
reviews that are largely based
on NFPA 1410 targets.
All Training experiences have The Department does not have
an evaluation component and a formal evaluation mechanism
the training program has a built for training with the exception of
in mechanism to measure skills new employees.
retention.
There are no adopted
performance standards for
manipulative tasks.
The Fire Department dedicates There is one dedicated position Many Fire Prevention
staff to fire prevention, fire code responsible for fire prevention, inspections are the
inspection/enforcement, inspections, etc. responsibility of shift based
engineering/plan checking, and personnel with each shift having
investigations. a primary fire inspection
specialist.
The Department has developed The Department has prepared a Continue efforts to complete
a comprehensive risk standard of cover document (in and update the Town's risk
assessment and inventory 2008) based on a inventory.
information system that comprehensive risk
quantifies fire risk, hazard, or assessment.
values for planning purposes.
This is based upon the
community's occupancy
records, and measures the
performance of the Fire
Department in controlling risk.
Ordinances requiring built-in The Town has adopted the
protection for high-risk State sprinkler ordinance.
occupancies have been adopted
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TOWN OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
Management and Operations Study of the Fire Department
Performance Target Strengths Potential Improvements
The Fire Prevention staff plan- The Fire Marshal performs plan
check planning permit checks based on the Fire Code.
applications, fire protection
system plans and specifications,
and building permit plans for
compliance with the Uniform
Fire Code.
A public education program is The Fire Department has almost
provided to improve fire safety no public education component.
knowledge and awareness. There is no dedicated staff
assigned. The line crews
engage in very little public
education themselves.
The frequency of State State mandated fire prevention
mandated fire prevention inspections for schools,
inspections by the Department hospitals, day cares, nursing
are in accordance with the homes, public assemblies, and
ordinances and codes. other high risk occupancies are
conducted as required.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Department has instituted a There is no formal fitness
program of physical fitness evaluation, other than an annual
evaluation and attempts to physical, which is not required
identify pre-existing conditions for WFD personnel.
that pose a threat to personnel
The Department has The Department does not have
implemented a wellness a formal wellness program or
program (consistent with fitness goals.
IAFF/IAFC Wellness Program
as published). This includes
agreed upon wellness and
fitness goals for the
Department.
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