Identifying the problem

Yesterday I asked about how we improve service from government agencies. Today I want to discuss the first step in solving any problem.....identifying it. Many of us are not even aware that we can be (and in many cases, should be) treated to better service. The only way to discover this is to change localities and note the differing levels of service.

Here in New Jersey, much of the emergency services (fire and ems) have been provided by volunteers. This is slowly changing due to the fact that the number of volunteers has been steadily dropping (read tomorrow for that entry). The public has been very slow to address the issue of the change in service resulting from fewer volunteers.

Here is an example. The local ambulance corps' daytime membership drops to the point where they cannot guarantee a crew and have to rely on whomever happens to be in town at the time they receive a call. This means that there may be an ambulance on the road within 5 minutes of the call, or they may have to call to some of the surrounding towns (who are in the same situation) for assistance. The result can be up to a 45 minute delay in response. Unless you are the poor person needing an ambulance and waiting 45 minutes, you don't realize the danger that you are in. All you know is "those nice volunteers" are taking care of your emergency medical needs, but they really aren't.

This feeling results from the fact that some of your neighbors, who you are friendly with, have been volunteers for years and are really devoted to it. They do, in fact, devote hundreds of hours a year to training and response. They are committed and enjoy what they do. They also can't guarantee you an ambulance when you need it.

The same can be true of your police department, your building department, or whatever agency you name. It's always been that way and you've become used to it. The agency serves your needs adequately (maybe) during the limited times that you need it, so it doesn't occur to you that maybe the building department could put permitting on-line so you can apply for and receive a permit any time of day or night, or maybe your police department should have a fitness requirement so they don't look like they would collapse if they had to run after a fleeing felon. None of this would occur to you until you go to another jurisdiction and see what services THEY take for granted.

So, how do you correct this situation because you aren't aware that it exists? I don't have an answer, I merely pose the question. Perhaps we look to our state governments to provide specific service guidelines (ie an ambulance MUST be on the road within 10 minutes of the intial 911 call, the building department MUST issue non-contested permits within 24 hours of receipt, etc). Then the question is, who develops those guidelines and how do we keep them from being influenced by special interest groups? Perhaps we make all government agencies semi-private, they must answer to an elected board of directors, much the way corporations do.

Thoughts anyone?

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