# The Boston Herald: Harvard school looks at books and says … hey Tommy, you can fix this mess The 23 students, who are enrolled in an advanced budgeting course taught by former U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary Linda Bilmes, examined operations related to emergency communications, snow plowing, street lights, parking meters and nonemergency vehicle maintenance. The highlights of the Tuesday briefing at City Hall included: May 10, 2009 The Boston Herald HARVARD SCHOOL LOOKS AT BOOKS AND SAYS ... HEY TOMMY, YOU CAN FIX THIS MESS BYLINE: By LAURA CRIMALDI SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 005 LENGTH: 565 words Fire alarm operators and supervisors earn far more pay than their counterparts in the emergency medical services and police departments, but handle only a fraction of the emergency calls made in Boston. That finding was among a litany of municipal inefficiencies and revenue sieves outlined for Mayor Thomas M. Menino last week by Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government students who were invited by the city to spend a semester looking for cost savings. The 23 students, who are enrolled in an advanced budgeting course taught by former U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary Linda Bilmes, examined operations related to emergency communications, snow plowing, street lights, parking meters and nonemergency vehicle maintenance. The highlights of the Tuesday briefing at City Hall included: \*\* Fire alarm staff handled 9 percent of the 773,188 calls made to fire, EMS and police in 2008, but operators made an average base pay of $70,086. That’s 39 percent more than the average base salary of EMS operators and 44 percent more than police call takers. \*\* Boston’s ratio of emergency operators to supervisors is low compared to cities taking in at least the same number of emergency calls. There are four operators for every one supervisor in Boston. In Louisville, which handled 747,000 calls in 2008, there are 12 operators per supervisor. In Washington, D.C., which handled 1.4 million calls in 2008, there are 13 operators per supervisor. \*\* Only 44 percent of the city’s 729 nonemergency vehicles are receiving preventive maintenance. \*\* Parking meters are emptied of coins too frequently, on average when they are just 42 percent full. “This gives us a clear view of how government is working and not working,” said Menino, who visited Bilmes’ class in December to broker the partnership. “Efficiencies in government will allow us to have more revenue to service the people who need it most.” Somerville was the first city to enlist Bilmes’ students for free consulting work in 2004. Officials there estimate Harvard’s work to develop performance-based budgeting saved $200,000 in consulting costs and put the city on a path to improve its credit rating and withstand this fiscal storm. Menino said all the students’ recommendations are worth serious consideration, and one in particular – withholding gas cards for staff who do not seek preventative maintenance for a city vehicle – would be easy to implement. Consolidating city emergency communications would generate the most controversy and would entail negotiations with four unions, said Administration and Finance Director Lisa C. Signori. The duties and required experience vary among the departments. Fire alarm operators must pass a civil service exam. EMS operators, who are paid $50,193, must be certified EMTs who complete 19 weeks of training with the computer-operated dispatch system and mass casualty coordination. Police call takers, who are paid $39,218, must have two years of switchboard experience in a customer-service position. Ralph Dowling, a chair officer for the Boston firefighters union, noted that fire operators also are responsible for troubleshooting problems with 4,000 fire alarms and master boxes and handling support communications for major fires in 34 communities. Consolidation is “something we’ve got to take on in the future, but it will take a little longer,” Menino said. LOAD-DATE: May 11, 2009 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH GRAPHIC: DISSED DISPATCHERS: Kathy Higgins works the phones for Boston EMS. STAFF PHOTO BY MARK GARFINKEL PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper Copyright 2009 Boston Herald Inc. --- Attachments- [ picture\_as\_pdf The Boston Herald 2009.pdf ](/sites/g/files/omnuum12421/files/2026-02/The%20Boston%20Herald%202009.pdf) --- Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)