911 Telecommunicator

City of Fairborn; Fairborn (OH); On-site; USD 28,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Fairborn is seeking a dedicated Public Safety Dispatcher to answer Enhanced 9-1-1 calls and dispatch police, fire, and EMS units within Fairborn and Bath Township. You will operate radios, phone systems, and computer terminals, while handling high-stress situations with professionalism.

Shifts can be long and require alert, accurate information processing, top-tier communication, and strict adherence to safety protocols.

Qualifications

• Must stay alert during long shifts and emergencies.
• Ability to communicate clearly under stress.
• Ability to work in a team-based public safety environment.

Responsibilities

• Receive and dispatch police, fire and EMS calls.
• Operate two-way radios, telephone equipment and PCs.
• Monitor live video feeds and weather alerts.
• Handle walk-in traffic at police headquarters.
• Maintain and update warrants and incidents.
• Coordinate tow requests and ambulance/dispatcher duties.
• Provide Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD) when needed.

Skills

Public safety dispatch

Multitasking

Stress management

English proficiency

Tools

LEADS network

Dispatch computer systems

Job description

• This is responsible, time sensitive work involved in receiving Enhanced 9-1-1 calls for the City of Fairborn and Bath Township for law enforcement, fire and EMS calls within its boundaries.
• The employee will be required to deal with sensitive information in a discreet and professional manner.
• The employee is involved in dispatching, fire, emergency medical, and law enforcement units in accordance with the location and nature of the call for assistance. Dispatchers operate two-way radios, and state of the art telephone equipment, and computer terminals in receiving and transmitting calls.
• Work is performed within prescribed rules and regulations. Performance is evaluated by the Supervisor(s) through observation of daily activities, logs and interaction with the individuals assigned.

• Shall be particularly charged with taking citizen complaints and dispatching police assistance, as needed.
• Shall constantly be mindful that their position is primarily one of public relations. It shall be the Dispatcher’s duty to perform assigned duties to best serve the public and other sections of the department to the best advantage.
• Shall keep their immediate superior officer informed on all matters that might require special attention.
• Handle all incoming telephone calls.
• Radio dispatch of all Fairborn mobile units and communications with all area law enforcement and Fire Department agencies tied into the Dispatch Center.
• Handle walk-in traffic at police headquarters.
• Use the Dispatch computer systems, operate the LEADS network, and act as weekend liaison for City Services.
• Receive bond from arrested persons and receive payment for parking tickets.
• Serve as Deputy Clerk of Courts.
• Monitor the live video feeds and report discrepancies.
• Maintain active warrant file.
• Summon tow trucks at an officer’s request.
• Monitor alarm systems and weather alerts and dispatch officer accordingly.
• The above duties will be performed in accordance with the Radio Communications Manual and as specified for the designated dispatcher.
• Perform Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD).
• Shall perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Reporting Relationship:

Reports to the Dispatch Supervisor and Special Services Captain through the chain of command; functionally supervised by the on-duty/on-call Supervisor and Dispatch Supervisor.

• Individual must remain alert and responsive to emergencies while observing computer display screen under low lighting conditions for long, uninterrupted periods of time, generally from a sitting position.
• Individual must have adequate hearing, visual acuity, manual dexterity, and mental disposition to successfully perform all essential duties. Hearing loss shall be corrected to no greater loss than 40 decibels at 50 hertz, 1000 hertz and 2000 hertz.
• Ability to speak and write the English language clearly and coherently under stress.
• Individuals must be free from impairments that with or without accommodations would interrupt continuous performance of a shift lasting twelve (12) hours.
• Individuals must be free from impairments that, with or without accommodation, would not achieve attendance reliability sufficient to assure delivery of uninterrupted emergency services.

Working Conditions:

• Must be prepared to stay at Center for a full scheduled shift.
• Work can be performed in a low-light, confined environment under high stress and plays a critical role in public safety service delivery.
• Must take information from callers who may be excited, abusive, foul-mouthed, incoherent, drunk, hysterical, a combination of the above or other variant of human condition.
• Must be able to work in a confined environment for twelve (12) hours at a time.
• Must wear lightweight telephone headset for duration of shift.
• May be required to participate in law enforcement, fire and emergency medical ride-along.
• Must be able to work shifts encompassing a 24-hour day, seven-day week, inclusive of days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.
• The employee is subject to "call back" on short notice, according to departmental policy & procedures.
• Punctual, regular and consistent attendance is a condition of continuing employment.

• Ability to speak English clearly, possesses an excellent vocabulary and verbally communicates at a rapid speech rate under stressful, confused and/or hectic circumstances.
• Ability to deal effectively with people in a multi-cultural society under extremely stressful situations.
• Ability to record names and numbers rapidly and accurately and to quickly recall details and essential information.
• Ability to work multiple time-sensitive tasks and issues in response to visual and sound stimuli with a high degree of accuracy.
• Ability to work up to twelve (12) hours at a time continuously wearing a communications headset that will cover one ear or fit within the ear canal of one ear, and be able to still hear and understand other outside sound sources not coming through the earpiece.
• Ability to read and discern visual images on a variety of media, including small liquid crystal displays offering very little brightness/darkness contrast, standard monochrome or color CRT display screens, printed matter that has been reduced to less than normal size type, multi-colored indicator lights which have differing flash rates and color which indicates the status of electronic function.
• Ability to consistently think clearly and respond quickly in a wide variety of emergency situations, connecting events otherwise potentially unrelated, received from multiple sources and relaying information to recipients in need of the information.
• Ability to work as a "team" member and establish and maintain good working relationships
• Skill in remaining calm, showing empathy, conveying reassurance and instilling confidence in the caller by maintaining an appropriate professional demeanor that a proper response, meeting their needs, will occur.
• Skill in accurately condensing large amounts of information into readable, sensible typed remarks and recollection of numerous acronyms and codes essential to effective public safety functions by multiple agencies, each with different codes and acronyms.
• Possess good moral character and good common sense.