Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) for Fire Service and EMS Organizations

Key Performance Indicators, (KPI's), are measurable metrics that demonstrate how effectively an organization is achieving its key business objectives. These objectives can also be referred to as Key Performance Measures. Successful organizations use KPI's on multiple levels to evaluate their progress at reaching certain targets or goals. It is important to note, adopting and measuring KPI's is only as valuable as the action they inspire.

Too often, organizations will blindly adopt industry standard KPI's without fully understanding how they fit into their organization, and as a result, won’t see any positive change. Each fire and EMS organization is unique, with varying access to manpower and resources. Because of this, each can expect to have diverse standards of performance. For example, a career staffed fire department with emergency responders in house, the standard turnout time may be 60 seconds, whereas in a volunteer department, the emergency responders are coming from home and the standard turnout time could be several minutes.

Another consideration for measurements of KPI's is the accuracy of the data. Where are you obtaining your data from? Are you importing it directly from a computer-aided dispatch system or other electronic sources? If so, have you audited the data to ensure that it's accurate? The old adage "garbage in, garbage out" is very applicable in this setting. If your staff isn't entering accurate data, is there any benefit to measuring it?

The other big question is what units are you measuring the data in? Are you using averages or "means"? Data averages can be misleading, as they tend to hide outliers. Industry standards are typically measured in percentiles, usually 90th or 95th percentile.

So, now you've got all of this data, what’s next? Before you can know what to do with it, you have to identify what outcomes you're looking to achieve. Existing data must be measured and compared to agency goals and gaps identified. Where gaps exist, you must create a plan to fill the gap. An often forgotten about but important piece of filling gaps is communicating the existing and desired data to your staff, and why it’s important to achieve the benchmark.

The following are some examples of KPI's by class of service that are measurable by an organization:

EMS

Response Times (measurement: Time)

Call Processing Time

Chute Time

Response Times

Time on Task

Unit Hour Utilization

Clinical Care (measurements: Time, Quantity, Percentile)

At patient to EKG (where indicated)

At patient to Aspirin (where indicated)

Blood glucose documented (where indicated)

Scene time 10 minutes or less (where indicated)

Hospital notification (where indicated)

Revenue Cycle Management (measurements: Time, Quantity or total percentage, Percentile)

Days to get claim to billing office

Days to bill

Denial rate

Rejection rate

Days in A/R

Collection percentage after contractual reductions

FIRE

Response Times (measurement: Time)

Call Processing Time

Chute Time

Response Times

Time on Task

Fire Prevention (measurements: Time, Quantity or total percentage,)

Number of initial inspections

Number of follow up inspections

Special event plan reviews

Number of complaints investigated

Community Education performed

Response (measurements: Time, Quantity or total percentage,)

Total # of Responses

Dispatch Type

Outcome

Total Qualified Responders

Mutual Aid

Reporting tools are an important consideration as well. Reports can be presented in both static and interactive formats. Static reports cannot be changed or modified by the end user, whereas interactive reports allow the end user to navigate through the data using multiple hierarchies and visual elements. Often times, these reports will include trend lines or target metrics, so it is easy to see how your agency is stacking up. If you already use a records management system or patient care reporting system, chances are it has a reporting or output module that can assist you in reporting on collected data.

KPI's can vary widely, and the measurement of indicators is crucial to the success of organizations of all types and sizes. If you're looking for more information or want to see how Summit Public Safety can assist your organization, contact us today.