Adding more dispatchers and switching how they assess medical emergencies could allow the city to absorb possible cuts in staffing without anyone really noticing.
That’s the message from Fitch & Associates, a Missouri-based consulting company hired by the city to assess the Peoria Fire Department’s response times and how to navigate tough times while not reducing service to Peoria residents.
Fitch consultants say hiring 12 dispatchers and call takers would reduce the time a 911 call would take to go out to the fire department or to Advanced Medical Transport, the private ambulance service that covers the city.
Last March, the consultants told City Hall the fire department shouldn’t go out on as many “low-priority calls,” such as falls or basic life support. Instead, they recommended overhauling the dispatch center by installing new software and hiring more staff.