Officers and firefighters where the calls are, when the calls come
Police, fire and 911 schedules that match workload, protect rest and rein in overtime.
PUBLIC SAFETY (POLICE & FIRE)
The challenge
Communities expect round-the-clock service, and the demand keeps growing. Yet many departments still flat-staff in large blocks that ignore how workload swings by time of day, day of week and season. Officers get stretched thin and pile up overtime in the busy hours, while other hours are overcovered. Backshift and weekend roles are harder to hire for, and fatigue wears down the people you cannot afford to lose. Change is not easy, but with a committed leadership team, a clear business case and involved employees, it can be done.
How we help
Mine your existing call and traffic data and turn it into a clear, visual picture of workload by hour, day and season
Design schedules that match staffing to workload, improve response time and integrate part-time staff where it fits
Revise sick-time and time-off policies so they feel fair and stop wasting hours
Build the change with everyone from elected boards to front-line staff at the table, then carry the recommendations into scheduling software such as Blue Roster (public agencies can contract through CCG's GSA Schedule, 47QRAA20D0086)
Typical results
For a North American regional police authority, a new schedule designed and implemented in "three to four months" with the support of the chief of police, the officers' association and the police services board (CCG blog, First Responders Also Deserve Work/Life Balance)
Better hour-by-hour and seasonal match to workload, improved response time, more community and preventive presence, and more time to train (same source) (CCG blog)
[NEEDS CCG EXAMPLE: a quantified police or fire result, such as overtime or response-time change]For a North American regional police authority, a new schedule designed and implemented in "three to four months" with the support of the chief of police, the officers' association and the police services board (CCG blog, First Responders Also Deserve Work/Life Balance)
Better hour-by-hour and seasonal match to workload, improved response time, more community and preventive presence, and more time to train (same source) (CCG blog)
What clients say
Coleman Consulting Group exceeded our expectations which was simply to have an objective third party analyze employee schedules, provide data and findings, and make recommendations for alternative schedules to maximize personnel effectiveness while also providing work/life balance for our staff. ... They developed recommendations with solutions to schedule problems we continually face.
Luis Bixler, Director, Dane County Public Safety Communications
The United States Mint has recently concluded a revamp of our work schedules for our police force. ... Ms. Rikli made herself available to clarify points and answer any question that our officers came up with: I assure you there were many.
Inspector Louis P Cannon, US Mint Police HQ (2002)
Working with unions
"Through your excellent educational program, partnering skills, knowledge and creativity, a schedule was successfully implemented that fulfilled the goals of both Union and Management." (Richard J. Polo, Jr., Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer, Detroit District, Corps of Engineers (Soo Locks)) | /what-we-do/union-environments
Next step
Is overtime stretching your officers and firefighters thin? Schedule a 30-minute workforce diagnostic.