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A Resource for Testing in the Fire Service Industry

May 9, 2012 By

Testing in the Fire Service Industry: A Handbook for Developing Balanced and Defensible Assessments

Resource for developing balanced & defensible assessments

Dan Biddle, Ph.D. and Stacy L. Bell-Pilchard, M.S. recently published Testing in the Fire Service Industry: A Handbook for Developing Balanced and Defensible Assessments.  It provides steps that will help ensure that your public safety selection procedures are developed in a fair and valid manner.  In addition, the authors give step-by-step guidelines on how to complete a defensible validation study using court-endorsed methodologies.

Book features include:

  • Up-to-date information on EEO testing in the fire service industry
  • Identification of testing issues that will likely trigger a lawsuit
  • Steps on validating tests using content and criterion-related validity
  • Results from a national study which reveal the key competencies that should be measured to identify successful firefighter candidates
  • Appropriate uses of test results
  • Detailed description of validating a physical ability test for candidates and incumbents
  • Checklists to use for evaluating the validity of pre-employment and promotional selection assessments

Visit http://fpsi.com/fire-service-testing-book.html to purchase Testing in the Fire Service Industry: A Handbook for Developing Balanced and Defensible Assessments by Dan A. Biddle, Ph.D. and Stacy L. Bell-Pilchard.  ISBN: 978-0-7414-7349-3

About the Authors:

Daniel A. Biddle, Ph.D. Dan is the CEO of Fire & Police Selection, Inc. (FPSI), a firm dedicated to providing fair and defensible testing solutions to the protective services industry. Dan is also the CEO of Biddle Consulting Group, Inc., (BCG), a consulting firm specializing in the areas of test development and validation, Equal Employment Opportunity compliance, and Human Resource software development. Dan has over 20 years of experience in the EEO analysis and test validation fields.

Stacy L. Bell-Pilchard, M.S. Stacy is the Executive Vice President of Fire & Police Selection, Inc. (FPSI). Stacy has a Master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and 15 years of experience in the field. She is an expert at developing and validating tests and measures for pre-employment and promotional processes with the protective services industry and is the project manager of all test development and validation studies conducted at FPSI.

Contact information for Fire & Police Selection, Inc.:

Fire & Police Selection, Inc.
193 Blue Ravine, Suite 270
Folsom, CA 95630
U.S.A
800.990.3473

www.FPSI.com

 
Filed Under: Client Resources

City of Henderson, NV – Customer Story

March 22, 2012 By

I have been involved with test writing and development in the public sector since 1992, and CritiCall is one of the best testing tools for public safety dispatching I have ever seen. Not only does it allow for customization to the individual organizational needs, it provides a built-in validation module which is extremely easy for subject matter experts and HR analysts to use and understand. Candidates frequently tell me they have never taken a test which is so closely relates to what they do on the job. After I demonstrated this product to another agency in our valley, they purchased it immediately! I’d recommend this product to any public sector organization that wants a valid and reliable tool for their public dispatching recruitment process.

Jeanne Hudgins
Senior Employment Analyst
City of Henderson (Nevada)

Filed Under: Success Stories

Dispatcher Applicant Gives Feedback About CritiCall

February 17, 2012 By

We receive a lot of great feedback from agencies who use CritiCall. It’s not everyday, though, that we hear from a job applicant about our pre-employment testing. Today we received this wonderful email from a dispatcher applicant who took the CritiCall exam. We’ve removed the e-mail address, agency, and name for confidentiality.

From: **********
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 6:50 AM
To: Info@CritiCall911.com
Subject: Thank you
To whom it may concern,

I just participated in a testing session with the ******  Police for a position as a Dispatcher. I have 6 1/2 years experience in this field. I have been actively looking for a new job in this same field. In the process, I have taken numerous different tests. For the first time I tested with the Criticall software system. I have never been impressed with testing….until yesterday! I believe that you have hit the nail on the head with this testing system. It covered ALL of the areas that are necessary for a successful Dispatcher. I was thrilled to see a spelling section (one of my pet peeves). Thank you for providing a program that should be used by ALL agencies in their hiring process for Dispatchers.

I normally don’t take the time to write to a company, but felt this time it was warranted. My husband told me I should be a representative for your company since I came home so excited about the program. I wish you success and hope to see this type of testing at the remainder of the positions I apply for.

H**** P****
____________________________

Thank you, HP! We truly appreciate your taking time to share your feedback with us.
We wish you all the best in your career!

Filed Under: Applicant, CritiCall News Tagged With:

NECI Offers Discounted Certification to Veterans

February 16, 2012 By

Honoring our U.S. military veterans…

NECI, a company providing 9-1-1 employees of all levels training and certification, offers discounted services to U.S. military veterans. 

From the NECI website:

9-1-1 Veterans Initiative

Click on military seal for details

NECI will provide any veteran with any 9-1-1 national certification course
for only $25.00 per course. This is $100 savings per course.
9-1-1 Basic Certification – EMD Certification – Fire Communications – CTO

NECI is a Biddle Consulting Group and CritiCall partner.

Filed Under: CritiCall News

How Much Does It Cost to Train a Dispatcher?

February 16, 2012 By

Agencies frequently ask, “How much does it cost to train a dispatcher?” To answer that question, we have an online calculator here on CritiCall911.com. Also, take a look at this post written by the folks at 911Dispatch.com.

The following is quoted directly from http://www.911dispatch.com/info/QandA3.html. 

Q. How much does it cost to train a dispatcher?

A. I think the question you’re really asking is, “How much did we spend when a dispatcher leaves just after we finished training him/her?” Well, the basic question is pretty simple to figure out, based on your local pay rates– we’ve used the national average from our Job Openings page and training period of six months–plug in your own cost figures.

  • Pay of the dispatcher in training x 6 months = $14,268
  • Pay of trainer = $14,981 (+5% bonus)
  • Pay for dispatcher to fill empty position of trainer = $21,402 (time and one-half overtime)
  • Miscellaneous overtime for trainer = $983 (2 hours per week)
  • Miscellaneous supplies (books, binders, etc.) = $100
  • Supervisor admin time = $1,081 (2 hours per week, +10% pay step)

Total =$52,815

Note that this does not include the cost of overtime to fill the empty position the trainee will eventually fill. It also doesn’t include the pay of anyone assising in the training, such as firefighters, officers or paramedics.As mentioned above, if a trainee drops out after the training is completed, you’ll really end up adding this person’s cost to the cost of the next person you train. If you end up training four people to get one dispatcher who stays on, you’ve spent over $200,000 for one position. Yikes!

Find out how CritiCall can help your agency save money in the dispatcher hiring process. 

Request more information today!

Filed Under: CritiCall News Tagged With:

Upcoming 2012 Conferences – Meet the Team!

January 20, 2012 By

If you will be attending any of these conferences, please stop by our booth to say “hello!”. We’d love to meet you!

CalNENA Conference
January 30, 2012
San Diego, CA
Presentation: Jim Kuthy, Ph.D.

NENA Conference
June 11-12, 2012
Long Beach, CA

APCO International Conference
August 7-9, 2012
Minneapolis, MN

Filed Under: CritiCall News

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 14, 2012 By

“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” the last speech given by Martin Luther King,  was shared in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968. The next day King was assassinated. Here’s an excerpt:

Martin Luther King Jr NYWTSSomething is happening in Memphis; something is happening in our world. And you know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of taking a kind of general and panoramic view of the whole of human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, “Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?” I would take my mental flight by Egypt…Greece…Roman Empire…the Renaissance…I would come on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating President by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn’t stop there…Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, “If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the 20th century, I will be happy.” from “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” by Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I Have a Dream”, perhaps King’s most well known speech,  was delivered in Washington, DC,  August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King was there participating in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The March and “I Have a Dream” were instrumental in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Here’s a portion of his inspirational words:

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! from “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. [Audio and Full Text of "I Have a Dream"]

In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, our office will be closed on Monday, January 16.

Filed Under: CritiCall News

TactiCall Dispatcher Training Software Uses Text to Speech

January 3, 2012 By

We’re excited about the new year and what 2012 will bring.  In particular, we will be releasing TactiCall – our new post-hire dispatcher training software for agencies – early this year. 

CritiCall helps agencies hire emergency call-takers and dispatchers more effectively, saving time and money. TactiCall will help these same agencies train these newly hired dispatchers and call-takers.

Last month Mike Callen, our Product Division Director, was a guest on the popular internet radio show “VoIP Users Conference”  hosted by Randy Resnick.  Mike was invited by Gerd Graumann, President of Speech Technology Group, to share how we are using text to speech (TTS) technology in TactiCall.

 Here is an excerpt from the radio show:

Listen to Mike Callen: Guest on VOIP Users Group Conference

 To listen to the full show, please visit:

http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-22622/TS-568140.mp3

 About TactiCall Dispatcher Training Software

CritiCall Testing Software is proud to announce the upcoming release of its new 100% self-guided, customizable, TRAINING program!  TactiCall Training Software for dispatchers and call-takers focuses on two very important job domains that are critical to maintaining public safety:

Speech

  • Maintaining Voice Clarity
  • Using Proper Volume
  • Speaking at a Proper Pace
  • Selection of Appropriate Words

Protocols

  • Following Your Agency’s Step-Wise Processes
  • Responding to Verbal Cues
  • Consistency in Application Instructions

TactiCall Training Software is:

  • Self-Administering
    Requires no supervisor oversight
  • Self-Scoring
    Built-in voice recognition software listens for scored key words
  • Customizable
    Create any number of realistic training call scenarios
  • Life-Like
    Dispatchers hear callers and must respond appropriately

 Call (800) 999-0438 ext. 124 or 139 for more information.

 [Learn more about Speech Technology Group - one of our partners for TactiCall]

 

 

Filed Under: CritiCall News, TactiCall

Happy Holidays!

December 23, 2011 By

Happy Holidays from CritiCall and Biddle Consulting Group!

Our office will be closed on Monday, December 26th and January 2nd.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a truly happy New Year!

Filed Under: CritiCall News

3 Resources for Understanding Pre-Employment Testing

September 29, 2011 By

Filed Under: Client Resources
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