Ensuring Fairness with Callback Ranking and Automated Overtime Hiring

Ensuring Fairness with Callback Ranking and Automated Overtime Hiring
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February 5, 2021

Resource: Blog Industry: Fire, Public Safety
Tags: Fire, Online Training, Vector Scheduling

Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue







Agency Information

  • Area of coverage: 70 square miles
  • Population in coverage area: 105,000 residents
  • Fire Stations: 11
  • Staff: 265 employees (247 sworn, 18 non-sworn)
  • Implemented Vector Solutions LMS in 2019; Scheduling in 2019

Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue has gained substantial efficiencies and eliminated a lot of paper with the Vector Solutions Learning Management System to assign and deliver training courses, policies and track their ISO and registry hours. In 2019 they added Vector Solutions’ scheduling software to their technology stack to simplify, and add more transparency to, their staff scheduling.

Automate Employee Scheduling with Agency-Defined Rules

Using a rules-based algorithm, that they customized to match their procedures and policies, Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue has been able to automate and ensure fairness with their callback ranking and overtime. Blake Squires, Special Projects Officer with Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue, said, “In the past the staff did not have visibility into overtime scheduling so no one knew where they fell in a ranking. Now they can see their rank and catch mistakes if they happen.”

COVID-19 Staff Scheduling and Force Hiring

Officer Squires said that for the past six months with the COVID-19 pandemic, they have had to use mandatory force hiring to meet their minimum standards. The Scheduling app saved significant administrative time with automation tools to appropriately manage shift assignments.

As an added safety net, Officer Squires receives notifications when a shift is below the compliance standards. Employees can also manage their schedules in their personalized calendars in the mobile app or on web platform and determine their auto-accept periods, unavailability periods and more.

“Our older users were a little resistant to the change at first,” said Officer Squires. “But they figured it out pretty quickly and our younger users really like the modern technology. We had two chiefs who, after just their first time using the Scheduling app, said it was easiest thing they had ever done and worked like they thought it should. We continue to find new uses to make things easier for our employees, like posting our video staff meeting links and daily truck check links in the notes section.”

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