Methodology
The problem with benchmarks in our experience, has been that benchmarking initiatives tend to be onerous and untrustworthy. You are often asked to provide information that is not readily available (daytime population of your service area, mutual aid responses, etc.). Or worse yet, you are asked to report things that are not clearly defined (response performance, call time, etc.). As a result, you either give up on filling out the forms, or you don’t trust the results provided by your peers.
Most of the value of a benchmark occurs at the aggregate level. You want an apples-to-apples comparison on the major items (total call volume, units in service, population covered, response performance, etc.). These aggregate measures show what you’re doing and are not as susceptible to differences in definitions.
We therefore use a simplified set of questions that can be easily answered in one sitting. We supplement this information with publicly available data so that you don’t have to waste your time running it down.
Finally, we compile and present the data in an intuitive and easily understandable way. At a glance, you can see where you stand versus a group of your peers.
Darkhorse has developed a benchmarking scoresheet based on standard service measures typically available through your dispatch or call center system.
Outcome
The final outcome is access to this interactive visualization on an ongoing basis. You will be granted login credentials so you can visit the report at any time, and you can download it to incorporate in your stakeholder reporting. Each year, you will be notified when to update your data and when the newest benchmark scorecard will be released.
Cost & Timelines
The first Benchmarking Scorecard is available now at ems-benchmark.dha.io.
You can try it out with no commitment and register to save your data.
There is no cost for this service.
