Measuring What Matters: Alternative Response Programs

Authors: Marianna Yamamoto, Gabriela Solis Torres, Nya Anthony

Across the country, 911 and alternative response program managers need to be ready to answer these questions from mayors, city councils, and communities:

  • How is our alternative response program performing?
  • What percentage of eligible calls is our team handling?
  • What actually happens when our teams arrive on scene?
  • Are our teams helping people get connected to additional services?

Oftentimes, program managers struggle to answer these questions because the data they rely on is unclear. Key information is spread across systems, defined differently in 911 computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software and alternative response records management systems (RMS), or not captured at all. Program managers often describe data work as time-consuming, frustrating, and prone to misinterpretation. When stories about these programs are incomplete or inconsistent, public trust and support can erode.  

Despite rapid growth in alternative response models, there are still no shared standards for the field on what data programs should collect or how they should calculate these metrics.

This toolkit fills that gap by providing a: 

  • Data Dictionary 
  • Guide for Calculating Essential Metrics 
  • FAQ for Troubleshooting Common Data Challenges 

Taken together, these resources help programs use existing data systems to generate clear, reliable, and accurate metrics. The goal of this toolkit is to create a shared data language spoken across jurisdictions that works for alternative response teams, allowing them to compare outcomes and tell compelling stories about their impact.  

We encourage you to join a new field standard and adopt this toolkit to strengthen your program’s operations, accountability, and case for investment. 

The Toolkit for Measuring What Matters in Alternative Response

Data Dictionary

A detailed list of 54 data fields collected across four main data sources within the 911 and alternative response systems to help you set-up or modify your data collection processes.

This tool includes:

  • Definitions for each data source and data field
  • Common locations for each data point
  • Suggested answer options for each field
  • Explanations for how data fields interact, where applicable

Guide for Calculating Essential Metrics

An updated set of 33 metrics essential to running an alternative response program across operating in the emergency response system, functioning as a first responder,  engaging with individual residents, and managing program administration.

This tool includes:

  • Definitions for each metric
  • A list of the data fields required to answer this metric
  • A formula to support calculating this metric that can be adapted to your preferred data analytics software

FAQ for Troubleshooting Common Data Challenges

A resource answering common data questions and guidance drawn from examples from real jurisdictions, such as:

  • What to do if the incident dispositions available in the CAD are different from what this tool recommends?
  • What if my team follows emergency medical (EMT) protocols for reporting?
  • How can contracted service providers for my program to follow these data collection procedures?

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