Volunteer police, fire, EMS and other volunteer
organizations have a very difficult time
filling their shifts with volunteers. Even
if they do a great recruiting and add people
to their roster, it is increasingly hard
to get them to commit to the traditional
6 or 12-hour shifts. With partial shifts
now the norm, not the exception, scheduling
coordinators are constantly on the phone
trying to cobble together a schedule to accomodate
volunteers working a few hours here and there.
For the typical organization, RescueBooker
addresses these scheduling problems head
on for as low as $29 a month --- less than
a dollar a day.
RescueBooker is an internet-based scheduling service
that accomodates the busy lifestyle of today's
volunteer. From their computers at home or
the office, volunteers can quickly book on
 and off shifts in small time increments.
The online, up to the minute schedule clearly
shows what shifts are open requiring someone
of their certification. If they have requested
it, RescueBooker can even email or page them
on a timely basis to let them know about
shifts they might like to cover. No need
to call the coordinator (or be called), or
drive down to the apparatus bay to scribble
their name on the paper schedule--it's all
done online. And, volunteers with consistent
schedules can set up a regular shift that
will be respected and reserved for them by
the system.
Managing schedules with a traditional
paper-based
sign-up process is equally tedious
and frustrating
for the scheduling coordinators,
who must
Give RescueBooker a try. If you are not totally
satisfied, stop using the service at any
time. See the RescueBooker web site for more details.
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worry about filling in gaps and
looking for
last minute changes. RescueBooker
makes their
job easier. With more flexible
schedules,
crews are more likely to sign
up on their
own. RescueBooker can also monitor
the schedule
to keep completed schedules whole.
If someone
books off a shift and causes
a scheduling
problem, RescueBooker can page
or email the
coordinator; and, the coordinator
can be
alerted when a volunteer who
allowed themselves
to be paged in those situations,
logs in
and fills the void, thereby relieving
the
coordinator's short-lived headache
of finding
fill ins.
Managing the scheduling process
is also easier.
Standard reports provide daily,
monthly and
yearly tallies of hours and shifts
worked.
A new export feature allows the
coordinator
to study the scheduling needs
of the organization
and make intelligent decisions
about staffing
and training. And, since everything
is logged
for the coordinator's review,
it is easy
to identify those people who
scratch their
names off the schedule at the
last minute.
Because RescueBooker is a service
rather
than just a piece of software,
the process
is easy to set-up, use and maintain.
Because
RescueBooker uses a standard
browser interface,
there is no need to install any
client or
server software on the PC's of
coordinators
or volunteers. Scheduling data
is securely
tucked away on a server managed
and backed
up by Bigfoot Labs. And, because
login names
and passwords guard your scheduling
information,
information can even be safely
accessed from
a public internet terminal.
For optimum control, the RescueBooker
system
recognizes three levels of users:
Administrator(s),
who set up and control all passwords
and
access within the system, Coordinator(s)
who manage the scheduling process,
and Members
who log in and book on or off
shifts. For
members without internet access,
shifts can
be booked by calling a Coordinator.
All users who log on pass through
an "announcements
board" listing important
things to note.
These items are entered by the
scheduling
coordinators and administrators
and refer
to things like open shifts, equipment
that
is out of service, or upcoming
training events.
What do RescueBooker users say?
Volunteers
like the freedom to book on and
off shifts
over the internet from home and
the ability
to book partial shifts (down
to five minute
increments) themselves. Coordinators
like
the "legal crew" checking
done
visually on the screen to quickly
spot shifts
that need someone of a particular
certification
to complete the crew. They also
appreciate
knowing immediately when someone
is booking
on or off a shift and thereby
creating or
fixing a problem for them. And
Administrators
(usually the chiefs) enjoy having
their squad
cars, ambulances and fire trucks
ready to
respond with a full crew for
very little
money and a lot less effort. |
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