Estimated Financial Savings/Cost Avoidance uses two formulas to calculate based on the ending level of a call (see call levels below). For calls ending with a Level 2 or lower, EMSA and Fire are set to 0, and Police is the estimated total cost for 2 units to respond for 30 minutes.

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Calls ending with a Level 2 or lower are calculated as:

• EMSA = 0

• Fire = 0

• Police = ($106,000 / 52 / 40) * 2 * 0.5

 

Calls ending with a Level 3 or higher are calculated using the estimated hourly cost of each type of first responder multiplied by the total responders per unit multiplied by the average length of time for an initial mobile response.

 

• EMSA = (EMSA units released * 2) * ($42,000 / 52 / 40)

• Fire = (Fire units released * 3) * ($100,000 / 52 / 40)

• Police = (Police units released * 1) * ($106,000 / 52 / 40)

 

The estimated hourly cost of a police offer was determined using figures from Captain Shellie Seibert: a range of $84,667-$133,151. We used the middle of the range and rounded down to $106,000. This estimation does not factor in the $1,350-$9,000 increase added to base pay per year, between 3-20 years, for longevity.

 

The estimated hourly cost of a MIH paramedic is $100,000 including benefits, according to Captain Justin Lemery.

 

The estimated hourly cost of EMTs was determined through web search of EMT job postings with salary data. $36,795 salary + $5,151 for benefits = $41946 - rounded to $42,000 for easy calculation.

 

Hours Saved is calculated using the average length of time for an initial mobile response or 30 minutes for call levels less than or equal to 2. On average, an initial mobile response is 1 hour. This metric estimates the total staff time conserved by resolving lower-level calls through phone triage or brief interventions, allowing mobile teams to remain available for higher-acuity cases requiring in-person response.

 

Call Code Levels:

Level 1, Crisis prevention: Phone resolution only

Level 2, Crisis Remote : COPES Mobile response

Level 3, High Risk, Medical/Fire: COPES and police

Level 4, Public Risk, Medical/Fire: Police primary and COPES

 

Calls Diverted from First Responders is calculated based on the final call level. Calls that conclude with a level of 2 or lower are considered diverted, meaning they were managed entirely by COPES without requiring dispatch of police, EMS, or other first responders.

 

Total Cases reflect the overarching situations or incidents that may involve multiple calls. A single case may span several days or even weeks and can include multiple contacts or follow-ups. While Total Calls capture the volume of incoming interactions, Total Cases represent the number of unique crises or client situations COPES responds to.