PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER I

Routt County; Colorado; On-site; USD 68,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Plan

Dental Plan

Vision Plan

Life Insurance

Retirement 401(a)

457 Plan

Paid Time Off

Wellness Funds

Dependent Care Spending Account

Ski Pass Program

Employee Assistance Program

Disability Insurance

Job summary

Routt County in Colorado is seeking a PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER I to learn and perform 9-1-1 and non-emergency dispatch duties under supervision. A six to nine month training program is offered, with potential promotion to Dispatcher II after evaluation.

The role requires handling calls, providing pre-arrival instructions, operating radio channels, and accessing law enforcement databases. Competitive benefits accompany full-time employment.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• One year of experience involving substantial public interaction.
• Must obtain CPR certification within three months of appointment.
• Must obtain APCO Emergency Medical Dispatch certification within six months.
• Must obtain ACPO Public Safety Telecommunicator certification within six months.

Responsibilities

• Receive and respond to 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls, gather critical information, determine call priority, and dispatch services or relay information.
• Verify caller location using mapping tools and dispatch police, fire, or emergency medical services via county/state networks.
• Provide pre-arrival instructions to callers, including basic medical guidance, and calm distressed individuals.
• Operate and monitor radio channels, track unit status, and manage communications across agencies.
• Access and enter information into law enforcement databases to assist responders and investigations.
• Maintain security and integrity of the emergency call center and equipment; report any irregularities.
• May testify in court as required.
• Carry out other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Call handling

Radio dispatch

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Colorado Driver’s License (may be required)

CPR certification within 3 months

APCO Emergency Medical Dispatch certification within 6 months

ACPO Public Safety Telecommunicator certification within 6 months

Job description

Hiring Rate: $32.83 - $44.42/hour

Non-Exempt, Full Time, Full Benefits

Apply by: Open Until Filled – Multiple Job Openings

PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER I

SUMMARY

Under immediate supervision, learns to perform communications and dispatching duties that include receiving and responding to 9-1-1 emergency as well as non-emergency calls for service and dispatching appropriate service providers; learns to dispatch law enforcement, fire, ambulance, or other types of service providers; learns to provide pre-arrival caller instructions to help address the emergency; learns to operate and monitor radio channels; learns to access and enter information in law enforcement databases; and performs other related duties as assigned. A six to nine month Dispatcher I training program is provided. Upon the successful completion of the Dispatcher I training program and passing the performance evaluation, there is a potential for a promotion to Dispatcher II.

JOB DUTIES

• Learns to receive, evaluate, and respond to 9-1-1 emergency as well as non-emergency calls requesting services and to quickly and accurately gather important information from the caller, determine call priority, and decide whether to dispatch services or provide the information to another party.
• Learns to confirm caller location using a computerized mapping system and other map resources and to dispatch law enforcement, fire, ambulance, or other types of service providers using county and state radio networks; learns to disseminate information to appropriate responders via phones and/or pagers, depending on the nature of the call received.
• Learns to provides pre-arrival caller instructions to help address the emergency, including medical instructions while waiting for responders to arrive; learns to calm frightened, angry, hysterical, suicidal, intoxicated, or other types of callers using appropriate techniques.
• Learns to operate and monitor radio channels for various user agencies and track their status and interpret user agency schedules; learns to redirect phones and radios for emergency relocation, monitor computer system information, and read/edit incoming and outgoing computerized messages.
• Learns to access and enter information in law enforcement databases and obtain information of interest to the county such as warrants, stolen vehicles, weapons, missing persons, sex offender status, and criminal histories; learns to track and provide information to officers to assist with field situations.
• Learns to assist in maintaining the security and integrity of the emergency call center and its equipment by monitoring the camera system and reporting irregularities in the network to a supervisor.
• May testify in court as required.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Any combination of experience and education that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education

Possession of a high school diploma or equivalent.

Experience

One year in a job that required extensive interaction with the public.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES

• Valid Colorado Driver’s License may be required to operate a County vehicle.
• Must obtain CPR certification within three months of appointment.
• Must obtain APCO Emergency Medical Dispatch certification within six months of appointment and maintain such certification during employment.
• Must obtain ACPO Public Safety Telecommunicator certification within six month of appointment and maintain such certification during employment.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Background checks may be required.

CURRENT 2026 BENEFIT PACKAGE

Full-Time employees that work 30+ hours per week are eligible for the following benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical Plan
• Air Academy Credit Union
• Life/Long Term Disability Benefits
• Supplemental Insurance
• 401(a) 6% match, 457, 457 Roth and Roth IRA
• Wellness Funds
• Pre-Tax Medical Spending Account
• Merchant Ski Pass Program
• Pre-Tax Dependent Care Spending Account
• Paid Sick, Vacation, Holiday and Personal Time Off
• Voluntary Comprehensive Dental Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Voluntary Vision Program
• Worker’s Compensation

Routt County will provide reasonable accommodation to all applicants who require assistance completing the online application process. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are limited in the ability or unable to access or use this online application process, and need an alternative method for applying, please email [e-mail] for assistance or call 970-870-5360.

Routt County is an equal opportunity employer and political affiliation, age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or any other applicable status protected by federal, state or local law, are not taken into account in any employment decision. It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job related factors.

HIRING RANGE: $32.83 - $44.42 FULL TIME & FULL BENEFITS