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In emergency communications, there’s no such thing as “good enough.”
Every call matters. Every decision matters. Every missed opportunity to improve performance carries a cost, one that’s often invisible until it’s too late.
In the most recent episode of Level Up with Tipi, Director Heather McGaffin of Washington DC’s Office of Unified Communications pulls back the curtain on what’s really at stake when Quality Assurance (QA) is inconsistent, or worse, absent, in a 9-1-1 center.
Too often, QA is viewed as a checkbox requirement or a “gotcha” process.
But as Director McGaffin explains, that mindset misses the point entirely.
QA is the safety net that ensures:
Without it, even well-intentioned professionals can drift off course, and no one notices until something goes wrong.
When QA is inconsistent, so is performance.
Different shifts begin operating under slightly different interpretations of protocols. Reviews fall behind. Feedback becomes sporadic. And over time, trust in the system begins to erode, internally and externally.
Not because people don’t care, it’s because the system lacks consistency.
In public safety, inconsistency isn’t just inefficient, it’s dangerous.
Director McGaffin describes performance issues like “cracks in a windshield.”
At first, they’re small:
But without QA, those cracks spread.
Eventually, they don’t just impact one call taker, they affect the entire team, the culture, and ultimately, the outcomes.
By the time leadership notices, the damage may already be irreversible.
The cost of skipping QA isn’t just operational, it’s financial.
At OUC:
That’s up to $20,000+ invested per person before they’re fully operational.
Without QA:
And suddenly, agencies are forced to start over, spending tens of thousands of dollars again.
Perhaps the most overlooked cost is the human one.
When QA is missing, employees often:
And when one person struggles, the entire team feels it:
QA, when done right, isn’t punitive, it’s protective. It gives people the feedback, tools, and confidence they need to succeed.
One of the most powerful takeaways from the conversation is this: QA shouldn’t just identify problems, it should prevent them.
With the right approach (and the right tools), agencies can:
It shifts the focus from finding what went wrong to helping people get it right.
Skipping QA doesn’t save time.
It doesn’t reduce workload.
And it certainly doesn’t reduce risk.
It simply delays the consequences, and increases the cost when they arrive.
This blog only scratches the surface.
In the full interview, Director McGaffin shares real-world examples, leadership insights, and practical strategies for building a stronger, more resilient QA program.
Watch the full episode of Level Up with Tipi and learn how your agency can move beyond compliance, and truly level up.
