Calvert County EMS Uses ScheduleAnywhere at no Cost During Pandemic

Customer

Calvert County was the last 100% volunteer-operated fire, rescue, EMS system in its jurisdiction. The department provides fire protection, rescue, and emergency medical services to the citizens of Calvert County, Maryland.

Challenge

As the COVID-19 outbreak escalated, the number of available volunteers at the Calvert County Fire Rescue and EMS departments began to decline. Some became ill or had to quarantine because they had been exposed to the virus. Others had to care for infected family members or children who were home due to school closures. Additionally, many volunteers were restricted from secondary employment or volunteering due to the pandemic.

The remaining volunteers struggled to meet the increased demand for essential services. In addition to the increased call volume and higher patient acuity, volunteers also worried about protecting themselves and their loved ones from potential exposure. County officials recognized the need to hire temporary, part-time, paid employees to help mitigate the pandemic’s repercussions on volunteers. One of the challenges this created was managing the staff and their schedules and coordinating with volunteers – all while continuing to serve the community during unprecedented times.

“During Covid-19, it became necessary to find a program to manage our changing staffing requirements.” Chief Barry Contee

Solution

Calvert County officials created a Career EMS Division to support the county’s volunteer fire departments. Chief Barry Contee was put in charge of the new employees and coordinating staffing at volunteer stations. Chief Contee began researching staff scheduling solutions and discovered that ScheduleAnywhere was offering employee scheduling software to mission-critical operations at no cost to help support them in the onset of the pandemic.

To help Chief Contee implement the software quickly and easily, the ScheduleAnywhere support team imported the EMS department’s more than 100 employee schedules into ScheduleAnywhere at no cost. They also provided free training and worked with the chief to set up staff schedules in the system. The software’s ease of use meant employees were quickly able to navigate the software and gain 24/7 access to their schedules with the mobile app. The software allows Chief Contee to create an unlimited number of schedules for each location and department and make changes to the schedule anytime, anywhere. When a schedule is complete, the chief posts it and employees are notified.

ScheduleAnywhere tracks skills, certifications, and training, so the chief can quickly identify employees with specific qualifications who are available to work when and where they are needed. He can send messages to individuals, groups of employees, or all employees to find available volunteers or notify them of important information. The software gives Chief Contee and his department peace of mind knowing everyone has access to up-to-the-minute schedule information.

“The ScheduleAnywhere support team has been extremely responsive, and I never hesitate to call if I have questions.” Chief Barry Contee

Key Features & Benefits

• Anytime, anywhere schedule access
• Free mobile app
• Track skills and certifications
• Free support

Learn why ScheduleAnywhere is the ideal staff scheduling solution for public safety departments, and request your free 30-day trial today.

Image ©Studio615/Adobestock.com