MADISON, Conn. (Jan. 8, 2013) – On January 8, 2013, Webster Police Department in Webster, Mass., completed PowerPhone’s quality assurance program to successfully achieve Total Response Accreditation, the first in the state of Massachusetts to do so.
This important designation serves as a mark of excellence in the emergency communications industry. Webster Police Department undertook a dynamic process to identify 911 best practices and promote high quality performance measures. Through this process they have validated their commitment to quality and accountability in emergency call handling.
Following adoption of and training in PowerPhone’s Total Response Emergency Medical Dispatch protocols, Webster PD committed to a formal accreditation process as part of their ongoing adherence to providing the highest standard of care in the industry.
“We seized the opportunity to enhance our services through PowerPhone’s Quality Assurance program,” said Sergeant Thomas Ralph. “We set three goals for this effort – to increase uniform consistency of call handling, increase familiarity with the EMD protocols and increase the department’s overall level of service.”
The 911 center began with a self-evaluation of their call handling and dispatch function to help establish benchmarks against which future operations could be compared. With the help of Cory Friend, PowerPhone’s Professional Services Director and public safety veteran, Webster Police Department was able to define the quality assurance standards they wanted to meet and an action plan to adhere to these standards.
“Our standard of care has improved in the past six months simply because we now have a quality assurance plan that depends upon improvement across all aspects of emergency communications serving Webster’s citizens,” Sergeant Ralph said. “We were able to do this because of the support from our leadership and the willingness of our police and EMS departments to work side-by-side with us.”
During the QA process, Webster PD has had a percentage of the 911 calls they answered randomly reviewed for protocol compliance. They have undertaken rigorous documentation of their goals, policies and procedures, and stakeholder involvement. They have participated in intense quality assurance training in order to obtain the tools and techniques to enhance their strengths, remedy shortcomings, and learn to confront future challenges.
Webster Police Department’s implementation of Total Response has garnered a seal of approval from the Chief of EMS, Gary Milliard, as well.
“Our pre-arrival instructions are now more in depth and informative,” Milliard said. “Our calls are more effective, allowing us to enhance life safety, not just criminal safety. And because of the depth of pre-arrival information, we arrive with the right resources, the right medications and the right equipment in a timely manner.”
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