Workforce

Balanced Scorecard Drives Performance and Pay Raises at Lakes Region EMS
By Karen Edwards
When Aarron Reinert became executive director of Lakes Region EMS, a small, third-service ambulance service located just northeast of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, he was asked by the board of directors to look into a pay-for-performance system for frontline staff. Reinert decided to go a step further.

Modify Shift Schedules and OT Policies to Fight Fatigue
By Aimee J. Frank
Managers at Austin-Travis County, Texas, EMS knew they had a problem: Paramedics at urban stations responded to 20 to 30 calls during their 24-hour shifts, leaving them virtually no time to rest, much less sleep. On the other hand, paramedics at rural stations in the county on average responded to three or fewer calls per shift, resulting in a discrepancy in workload and potential safety issues for the county’s busiest crews.

Get a Fix on Employee Satisfaction to Reduce Turnover
By Mike Taigman
In 1965, the Rolling Stones bumped Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe” off the top of the charts with a song that became the Stones’ biggest hit, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” A generation of Americans made this their theme song as they searched for life’s meaning. How satisfied are you with your work, your job, your boss and your organization? How happy are the folks on your team? Can you get any satisfaction?

Deep-Six the Annual Employee Review; Better Options Exist
By Mike Taigman
For more than 20 years, I have asked leaders at EMS and fire conferences, “How many of you do annual performance evaluations?” Usually, every hand in the room goes up, accompanied by the kind of facial expression you see when the dentist says you need a root canal.

Meet the Challenges Posed by Workplace Pornography
It’s a problem many fire and EMS managers have, but no one wants to talk about: pornography in the workplace. With the introduction of Internet access in offices and living quarters, the situation has heated up, as emergency workers have begun to download pornography onto work computers.

Ensure Quality in ALS Care with STEP Program
An EMT graduates from paramedic school; how do you know that he or she is competent to run a code or handle a trauma response with three or four victims? Many EMS organizations pair new medics with more experienced partners, in the expectation that the more senior partner will teach and mentor the newer one. West Palm Beach, Florida, Fire Rescue, takes a more formalized approach before granting their new medics full privileges on the street.

Share Recruitment Costs and Benefits
By Gwen Horth
To succeed, any business must recruit qualified candidates for employment. This is particularly true for emergency services organizations. In an effort to develop lists of capable employees, large municipal fire and EMS agencies commit tremendous personnel and financial assets to their Human Resource Divisions. Smaller governmental entities often lack the necessary resources for the continued recruitment, processing and hiring of qualified personnel.

Wisconsin Recruits Volunteers in One-Day Campaign
By Don Hunjadi
On May 22, in conjunction with EMS Week, Wisconsin held a statewide campaign to recruit volunteers for fire and EMS services. In a single day, we reached out to hundreds of people who expressed interest in becoming EMTs or first responders. We also garnered more than 60 minutes of television coverage on 20 stations and more than three hours of radio coverage, many with local EMS providers.

Recruitment: Proven Best Practices Part II
By Patricia Carroll, RN, MS
Last month, we provided recruitment tips about how to develop your initial advertising campaign and how you can exploit the unique advantages of your organization. Now, how do you put that campaign into action? DELIVER WHAT YOU PROMISE The key to successful recruitment and retention campaigns is for organizations to only make promises that they can and will follow through on. John Maher, a senior account manager with Recourse Communications, Inc., said: “One of the biggest problems…

Recruitment: First, Find the Right Fit
By Patricia Carroll, RN, MS
It’s no news flash that recruitment and retention is a serious issue for emergency services. The problem is not limited to our industry alone. This month, John Maher, an expert in recruitment solutions and a senior account manager with Recourse Communications, Inc., offers his insight into this dilemma and how best practice principles can be applied to emergency services.

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