Ramping Up Manpower When Disaster Strikes

Natural disasters can happen with little or no warning. From hurricanes and flooding to winter storms and wildfires, there is no time of year and no law enforcement organization immune to the possibility of facing a devastating catastrophe. Most agencies have policies and procedures in place for the mitigation of, preparedness for and response to emergency events. But how can an operation rapidly fulfill excessive manpower requirements while simultaneously managing the crisis at hand? 

One of the first steps agencies must take during a natural disaster is alerting personnel of the need for additional staff. Some public safety facilities implement a manual phone tree, where one person calls a number of contacts to relay the information. They in turn will call those assigned to them and the cycle continues until everyone is informed. However, there are many variables which could make this ineffective. If the first caller is unable to reach one contact, for example, that person, along with each employee who follows that branch of the call tree, will remain unaware of the situation and the urgent request for reinforcement. If every person is assigned four contacts, one quarter of employees are left out of the loop right from the start. Ideally, there would be a backup plan, but any delay of information can compromise the agency’s response capabilities.

Many agencies have discovered that online scheduling software does much more than help manage employees’ schedules, and can be an extremely effective communication tool. The Rogers (Minn.) Police Department implemented ScheduleAnywhere as its online employee scheduling solution to reduce the time spent on scheduling each month. They quickly learned that the software also provided a way to effectively notify and communicate with officers and staff.

“Prior to using an online scheduling system, staff members who were away from the office had no access to current schedules or updates,” says Chief Jeffrey Beahen. “And managers had to be physically present in order to manage personnel and shift changes, as well as variances in manpower requirements. Now, schedules can be viewed online, and we can track manpower allocations and shift coverages. Additionally, notifications, requests and approvals can be done in seconds.”

Scheduling systems with the ability to immediately notify all employees of an emergency give law enforcement agencies a head start on meeting the demand for additional manpower. Systems that send notifications through multiple channels of communication, such as both emails and text message alerts provide added insurance that everyone will receive the notification. A mobile app can also provide a beneficial alternative.

It’s not just about getting the message out to all employees, it’s also imperative that the right people are in the appropriate places at the correct times. Scheduling software systems that also track employee attributes, such as skills, certification and training allow managers and supervisors to quickly identify and notify a select group of proficient employees. Managers can subsequently view whether there are too many or too few employees scheduled and adjust staffing requirements to meet fluctuating personnel needs.

In an emergency situation, it may become necessary to temporarily change an employee’s responsibilities, work assignments and location. A system that allows visibility of multiple schedules across an entire organization can safeguard against scheduling conflicts or double-booking, virtually eliminating the possibility of an understaffed location resulting from shared resources. This ability to share schedules also reduces unnecessary overtime by providing the total hours scheduled across the entire organization.

“With the online scheduling system, we aren’t sitting in the office trying to cover shifts,” says Beahen. “We can focus on the job at hand.”

Because when the lives and safety of the community are in the balance, every minute can mean the difference between an exacerbated situation and a successful rescue.  

About the Author

Jon Forknell is the Vice President and General Manager of Atlas Business Solutions, Inc., a software marketing company specializing in employee scheduling software, including ScheduleAnywhere, and other business software solutions. Jon has been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as an SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year.