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How RescueBooker can Help
Volunteer police, fire and EMS 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 accommodate volunteers
working a few hours here and there. For the
typical organization, RescueBooker addresses
these scheduling problems head on for as
litle as $36.25 a month --- a little more than a dollar
a day.
RescueBooker is an internet-based scheduling
service that accommodates 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 available for signup. 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
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 a
coordinator.
Managing the scheduling process is also easier.
Standard reports provide daily, monthly and
yearly tallies of hours and shifts worked.
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 two levels of users: Coordinators,
who set up and control all passwords and
access within the system, 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 refer
to things like open shifts, equipment
that
is out of service, or upcoming
training events.
What do our users say about RescueBooker?
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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