Manassas Park Fire and Rescue augments scheduling efficiency and enhanced workforce management with Aladtec

Simplified Scheduling Enabled Staff to Spend Time on More Critical Responsibilities

CHALLENGE

With 30 fire and rescue personnel working 24/48 shifts, scheduling was a constant challenge for the Manassas Park Fire and Rescue Department. Up until 2019, the department used Excel spreadsheets to build schedules by hand. Even when it eventually began using scheduling software, the platform Manassas Park Fire and Rescue initially selected still was unable to solve all the department’s unique scheduling challenges.

It wasn’t until a group of local university students began working with Manassas Park Fire and Rescue as part of a capstone project that the department saw significant improvements. Working closely with the students, Manassas Park Fire and Rescue’s Deputy Chief Adam Jones examined how the department was using the previous scheduling software while also identifying the department’s pain points and most critical needs. Of the several scheduling platforms the students identified, Aladtec was recommended, and ultimately selected, because it truly fit the needs of the agency and provided the most benefit.

After implementing Aladtec, we saw value and a
return on the investment pretty much right away.
Adam Jones, Deputy Chief

IMPACT OF PUBLIC SAFETY SCHEDULING SOLUTION:

Within two months, Manassas Park Fire and Rescue’s staff responsible for building schedules were able to learn how to use Aladtec and get into a continuous flow of using the platform. The rest of its staff also adjusted quickly to viewing and managing their schedules in Aladtec.

Upon implementation, the biggest shift that Manassas Park Fire and Rescue was able to make was assigning a staffing officer. While this person is officially a Battalion Chief with numerous additional responsibilities, they also serve as the department’s main scheduling supervisor responsible for monitoring the schedule, ensuring units are staffed properly, and overseeing that managers approve leave appropriately. By appointing a dedicated staffing officer, Manassas Park Fire and Rescue collectively spends much less time managing its schedule. Previously, the department had each shift officer overseeing scheduling for that day where they were responsible for continuously monitoring and approving schedule changes.

With Aladtec, scheduling is no longer a hassle.

“Even after we moved away from manual scheduling in Excel spreadsheets and started using a software solution, it still wasn’t easy to manage. Scheduling has finally become manageable now that we are using Aladtec.”

Even capturing Kelly Days is much easier now. The department’s administration has visibility into who is scheduled for a Kelly Day on the back end of the platform.

“Previously staff had to submit leave requests directly to me for approval which was not sustainable. Even when we moved to the other scheduling software, it wasn’t easy to manage leave requests approvals. Now we don’t manage any of that directly—we have rules built out to automate leave request approval.”

Manassas Park Fire and Rescue staff have also enjoyed how easy scheduling is with Aladtec. The department’s previous scheduling software was not user friendly. However, with Aladtec, staff can access their schedule from their cell phone and even swap shifts with one another in just a few taps on their screen. It’s also easy for staff to sign up for overtime shifts from their mobile.

On the administrative end, it’s also easy to view the schedule at a glance to ensure staff aren’t working too many hours in a row. Even better, Aladtec has rules in place sending a notification to the department’s staffing supervisor if someone is scheduled to work more hours in a row than allowed, which requires manager approval.

“Our department just received a grant that will allow us to hire 15 more employees. Aladtec will make it easier for us to scale and manage everyone’s schedule as our department grows by 50%”

Like many public safety teams, Manassas Park Fire and Rescue’s responsibilities include staffing command posts at special events, like monitoring holiday fireworks displays and being on scene at a parade. Because Aladtec is built specifically for the needs of public safety, it has been easy for the Manassas Park Fire and Rescue team to add additional units in the scheduling tool when they need to adjust schedules to staff special events. Prior to using Aladtec, it would require several hours of manual work to determine scheduling for these events which occur 10+ times per year.