Responsive Efforts To Address Integral Needs in Staffing

APCO International's Project RETAINS (Responsive Efforts To Address Integral Needs in Staffing) is the product of the most extensive in depth research ever conducted of the issues impacting the recruitment, hiring, processing, training and retention of public safety communications center personnel.

APCO Project RETAINS was initiated in response to a widespread perception that the public safety communications industry had unusually high employee turnover rates. While members were telling APCO International they were struggling to find and keep qualified employees, managers had no national data they could use to compare their center with others to determine whether they were dealing with an extreme situation. There was anecdotal evidence of a problem, but no hard data that could help determine if high turnover was a widespread problem or a localized phenomenon.

A first ever definitive national study of public safety staffing issues was conducted over the course of four years using vigorous research methods. Derived from this expansive research is the APCO Project RETAINS Effective Practices Guide and online Toolkit. The Effective Practices Guide lists strategies and discusses the factors related to employee retention and satisfaction. The Guide also evaluates pay, benefits, overtime, recruiting/screening/selecting qualified staff, shift management, turnover rates, job complexity, working conditions, and factors related to employee satisfaction.

The APCO Project RETAINS Toolkit and Effective Practices Guide are designed to assist communications center managers, human resource and budget personnel, police chiefs, sheriffs, fire chiefs and elected officials, in addressing the challenges associated with hiring and retaining qualified personnel for this vitally important position that is the person behind the number 9-1-1. These tools contain formulas and provide processes that communications center managers can use to estimate their staffing needs and compare them with current staffing levels by looking at the available hours employees can work, turnover rates, hours that need to be covered and call volume among other factors.

Effective Practices

RETAINS FAQ

Staffing Articles from Public Safety Communications/APCO Bulletin