Fla. Agency Developing Strategy for Future Growth

Aug. 30--MANATEE -- Manatee County Emergency Medical Services Chief Steve Krivjanik wants to ensure his division can anticipate future needs to handle population growth.

To help forecast the future, the county is soliciting proposals for a consultant to do a five-year strategic plan on EMS.

"I think it's very important that as a chief or a manager you lead in a direction that is in steps with your organization," Krivjanik said. "What better way to do that than bring your organization in and determine what your vision looks like."

Bob Smith, county Public Safety Department director, said his goal for the department, which includes EMS, is to be future oriented.

"We should always be looking forward and looking five to 10 years down the road, not just next week or next year," Smith said. "This fits perfectly in that plan."

From the minute Krivjanik began as the EMS chief in 2014, he said he knew he wanted to do a strategic plan in Manatee County. A strategic plan is the first component in receiving accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, he added.

"It provides you the gold standard of your industry," Krivjanik said of being accredited. "It you makes you take a hard look at what you do, how you do it and how you can do it better."

Only 11 EMS agencies in Florida are accredited, according to the CAAS website, including Broward County Sheriff's Office of Fire and EMS, Collier County Emergency Medical Services and Leon County EMS.

Krivjanik said he is aiming to become accredited by 2018-19.

"Accreditation signifies that your service has met the gold standard determined by the ambulance industry to be essential in a modern emergency medical services provider," according to the CAAS website. "These standards often exceed those established by state or local regulations. The CAAS standards are designed to help increase operational efficiency and decrease risk and liability across the entire spectrum of the organization."

If Manatee County earns accreditation, it reaffirms it is already doing a good job, Smith said.

"For us personally, it would just reaffirm what we already know, that we function at the highest levels of service possible," he said.

Developing a strategic plan

Krivjanik said he anticipates the plan being finished by the beginning of 2016. Proposals are due to the county by 4 p.m. Monday.

EMS is "soliciting for a qualified professional consulting firm to facilitate, develop and prepare a comprehensive five-year strategic plan incorporating a business planning approach. The objective of the strategic plan is to assist the organization in budgetary planning, staffing and management of current and future programs and resources," according to the request for proposal.

EMS staff will participate in meetings and interviews with the consultant to talk about "what we want to look like, how we want to get there and how to get from A to Z," Krivjanik said.

Other stakeholders including the "Emergency communication staff and financial management/budget office; members and leadership of the three community hospitals in Manatee County; Manatee County Department of Health; and local law enforcement, including but limited to Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Bradenton Police Department and Palmetto Police Department, which will also participate in meetings, according to the request for proposal.

Krivjanik said it is essential to have input from all stakeholders.

"When you formulate a strategic plan, it's not an internal process," he said. "You also deal with community citizens. We like to reach out to them to see what their requests are for sure. How can we better our services? How can we serve the community better? How can we do our job better?"

Internal comments from EMS staff and external comments from community stakeholders are used to develop the strategic plan, Krivjanik said.

"They are usually brought together and determine what the future momentum will be," he said. "We actually use the strategic plan. It's not just to make a document to sit there and look pretty."

Periodically, the division will look at the plan to see whether it is following the needs set forth or if the needs have changed, Krivjanik said.

"What do we need to meet the benchmarks?" Krivjanik said. "It's a continual process."

County growth

With the growth occurring in Manatee County, particularly in north county and in East Manatee, a strategic plan is important to make sure limited available dollars are used effectively, Smith said.

"This planning process will help us make sure we get the biggest bang of the few bucks we have," Smith said.

Growth is a big component behind the division wanting a five-year strategic plan, Krivjanik said.

"We can see and predict where future call volume is going to come from," he said. "We want to be ahead of it instead of coming from behind so we can anticipate what the future is and what the future needs are of the division."

As part of the county's recommended $549 million budget for 2015-16, there is funding for a 19th ambulance for the Parrish area. The ambulance, which would be at the Parrish Fire Station, and the associated required staff of seven, would cost $944,355 next year and $526,030 the following year. The funding is from revenues other than property taxes.

"Unfortunately, given the current and planned growth, response times will continue to increase in this geographical area, ultimately resulting in an unacceptable level of service," according to county budget documents.

Smith echoed the observation.

"Even if we get the money to put that Parrish truck online, it's pretty clear that resources, especially funding, are going to be very limited and not adequate for the growth we are experiencing," Smith said. "It's good that we are undertaking the process. It's something we've needed to do for awhile."

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.

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