PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER OPEN UNTIL FILLED

Lake Havasu City; Lake Havasu City (AZ); On-site; USD 35,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Rx (Health Savings Plan, HMO)

Dental/Vision

Wellness Program

Employee Assistance Program

Flexible Spending Account/Health

Basic Life Insurance

Optional Additional Life Insurance

Critical Illness Insurance

Holiday Pay

Bereavement Leave

Paid Time Off

Short Term Disability

Long Term Disability

Advancement opportunities

PSPRS retirement participation

Deferred Compensation

Tuition Reimbursement

Service Awards

Job summary

Lake Havasu City is seeking a Public Safety Dispatcher/Trainee to handle 911 and non-emergency calls, prioritize incidents, and dispatch police, fire, or EMS units as needed. The role requires strong customer service, reliability, and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.

Initial trainee pay starts at $20.76/hour with a hiring range of $25.32–$35.71/hour. Candidates will undergo extensive background checks and must obtain ACJIS, APCO PST, EMD, and NIMS certifications on or after

Qualifications

• Strong customer service skills and reliability in high-paced environments.
• Ability to multitask and work well under stress, with a collaborative approach.
• Willingness to obtain required public safety certifications during onboarding.

Responsibilities

• Answer and prioritize incoming emergency and non-emergency calls.
• Gather critical information and determine response needs.
• Dispatch police, fire, EMS, or other services.
• Maintain radio communication with field personnel.
• Enter and retrieve data from CAD systems.
• Monitor incidents and update responding units.
• Use mapping systems to determine locations and routes.

Skills

Customer service

Multitasking

Team player

Communication under pressure

Education

High School diploma or GED

Tools

ACJIS certification

APCO PST certification

EMD certification

NIMS training

CAD systems

Job description

*PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER*

Lake Havasu City, AZ

Closing Date: Open Till Filled

OTF26-288

Public Safety Dispatcher/Trainee Rate: $20.76/Hourly
Public Safety Dispatcher Hiring Range: $25.32-$35.71/Hourly; DOQ

Job Summary

Receives emergency (911) and non-emergency calls and dispatches appropriate police, fire, or medical personnel. Operates radio, phone, and computer systems simultaneously while maintaining communication with field units

The ideal candidate will possess strong customer service skills, will be trustworthy, organized, reliable and self-motivated. They must be team players with the ability to multitask, accept direction well, and be flexible. They should be able to create and maintain a respectful and collaborative working environment as well as develop and maintain effective working relationships with supervisors and co-workers. They must also be able to work well in stressful situations while effectively communicating with the public and coworkers.

Key Responsibilities

• Answer and prioritize incoming emergency and non-emergency calls
• Gather critical information and determine response needs
• Dispatch police, fire, EMS, or other services
• Maintain radio communication with field personnel
• Enter and retrieve data from computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems
• Monitor incidents and update responding units
• Use mapping systems to determine locations and routes

Minimum Qualifications

High School diploma or GED

Minimal Experience (less than 6 months) in customer service in a high-paced environment, preferably in a law enforcement agency, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Special Requirements:

• Ability to pass extensive background investigation.
• Possession of or ability to obtain Arizona Criminal Justice Information Systems (ACJIS) certification of appropriate level at hire.
• Possession of or ability to obtain Public Safety Telecommunicator (PST) certification issued by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) at hire.
• Possession of or ability to obtain Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certification issued by the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch (NAEMD) based on the availability of training.
• National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) training based on assignment.
• Must meet and maintain all training and education requirements for the position.
• Valid Driver License of appropriate class.

Special Note:

Employees are considered "Trainee" until ACJIS Level A, APCO, Telecommunicator Level I, and Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD) certifications are received. Requires non-standard or rotating shiftwork; subject to days, nights, weekends, holidays and call back.

Qualified candidates will be required to participate in online testing, which will consist of a writing assignment and a computerized simulation based on actual tasks associated with receiving and dispatching 911 and non-emergency calls for service. The testing process will be approximately two (2) hours. Qualified candidates will receive separate notification via email or text messaging, following the close of the recruitment, and must complete testing as instructed; no extensions of deadline will be given

Additional Comments

Lake Havasu City is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, including, but not limited, to lactation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

Benefits:

• Employer provided Medical/Rx (Health Savings Plan, Exclusive Provider Organization)
• Dental/Vision
• Wellness Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Account/Health Savings Account
• Employer Provided Basic Life Insurance
• Optional Additional Life Insurance
• Optional Insurance-Critical Illness, Hospitalization Indemnity, Accident
• 11 Paid Holidays Annually
• Bereavement Leave
• Paid Time Off
• Short Term Disability
• Long Term Disability
• Opportunities for advancement
• Sworn Police Officers participate in the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS).
• Optional Deferred Compensation
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Service Awards

Applicants for employment opportunities should be aware of the Lake Havasu City policies concerning the use of drugs and alcohol. These policies have not been altered by the passage of Proposition 207. The use of recreational marijuana is a violation of the City's Drug Free Workplace Policy. All positions within the City are required to submit to a pre-employment drug test. A positive result for drugs tested under the policy, including recreational marijuana, may be grounds for withdrawal of an offer of employment.

The City reserves the right to consider only the most highly qualified applicants. The succeeding examination processes may be required: training and experience, testing, panel interview, employment eligibility verification (EEV) requirements, psychological evaluation, polygraph test, background investigation and alcohol/drug screening test. Appointment subject to successful background investigation and City paid post-employment medical examination after an offer of employment has been made.