Public Safety Telecommunicator (Formerly 911 Dispatcher)

Washington County (MN); Minnesota; On-site; USD 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota is seeking a Public Safety Telecommunicator. This role handles 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls, uses CAD and radio consoles, and dispatches police, fire, and EMS with sound judgment and efficiency.

Ideal candidates have dispatching experience or strong customer service skills, typing at 45 WPM, and the ability to work varied shifts including days, mids, and nights. Training lasts several months with bid-based shift selection after completion.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Typing at a minimum of 45 words per minute is required.
• Two or more years in public safety dispatching or two years of customer service in a fast-paced environment, or an associate's degree in a law enforcement related field.

Responsibilities

• Answer a multi-line phone system and provide information, referral, or response to the public and public safety responders.
• Receive and prioritize emergency and administrative calls and dispatch law enforcement, fire, and EMS when required.
• Operate CAD and radio equipment, monitor information systems, and document caller data.

Skills

Typing 45 WPM

Public safety dispatching

Customer service

Education

Associate's degree in law enforcement related field

High School diploma or equivalent

Tools

CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch)

Two-way radio

Job description

The Washington County Sheriff's Office is currently accepting applications for Public Safety Telecommunicator. This highly technical position is responsible for answering a multi-line phone system, providing information, referral or response as required to the public and public safety responders by applying extensive procedures and using sound judgment. Answer 9-1-1 emergency and non-emergency calls from the public, the interdepartmental calls from police, fire and ambulance services, and calls from other public safety agencies. Monitor computer screens, while efficiently gathering, prioritizing, and documenting caller information. Provide callers with the appropriate advice or referral, or initiate police, fire, and/or emergency medical (EMS) services to the caller. Dispatches law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel by Operating Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), two-way radio, and other sophisticated communications equipment systems.

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DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE

• Prior experience in public safety dispatching (lateral pay for current dispatchers will be considered); or two years of customer service experience in a fast-paced environment, or an associate's degree in a law enforcement related field of study.
• Desired keyboarding ability of 45 WPM or better. (Invitation to complete the typing assessment will be sent during application review process)

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

High School diploma or equivalent. The ability to type at a minimum of 45 words per minute is required.

A typing test will be administered to all candidates chosen for an interview.

CONDITIONS OF OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT

Conditions for employment include passing a thorough background investigation, including FBI fingerprints search, passing a psychological examination, physical examination, hearing test, and drug test conducted at county expense at the time an appointment is offered. Must pass EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatching) and CJIS (Criminal Justice Information System) Certification tests within the probationary period.

SELECTION TECHNIQUE

Your training and experience will be rated based on the required application material submitted and the top-scoring candidates will be forwarded to the hiring department for further consideration.

HOURS / DAYS

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Response Center staff schedule is currently a 4-2/5-2 pattern for DAYS and MIDS, and a 5-3 pattern for NIGHTS, which is a mix of 10-hour and 8-hour shifts.

DAYS SHIFT

• 8-hour: 0700-1500
• 10-hour: 0700-1700

MIDS SHIFT

• 8-hour: 1500-2300
• 10-hour: 1300-2300 or 1500-0100 (have a choice)

NIGHTS SHIFT

• 8-hour: 2300-0700
• 10-hour: 2100-0700

Training which takes 8 to 9 months, is typically done on the DAYS or MIDS shifts. Once off training, you will be able to "bid" a shift according to seniority ranking (i.e. more senior bid first).

ANTICIPATED HIRING RANGE

$30.24 per hour

Lateral Pay Scale is based on previous dispatch experience and specialty assignments. $30.24 - $36.44 per hour

CORE COMPETENCIES, JOB SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED FOR SUCCESSFUL JOB PERFORMANCE

• Promote a diverse, culturally competent, and respectful workplace;
• Demonstrates ability to enter data into CRT while simultaneously talking
• Demonstrates ability to operate CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) and radio console equipment
• Demonstrates ability to speak and enunciate while maintaining order and calmness in stressful conditions
• Demonstrates ability to handle situations firmly, courteously, and tactfully
• Demonstrates the ability to make rapid decisions and sound judgments in emergency situations
• Demonstrates the ability to interpret and apply communication policies and procedures

RESPONSIBILITIES

Answer a multi-line phone system, providing information, referral, or response as required to the public and public safety responders by applying extensive procedures and using sound judgment.

Receive, prioritize, and handle multiple, simultaneous emergency and administrative phone calls for assistance, evaluates and prioritizes the calls received and takes necessary action;

Process complaints and make appropriate referrals on a broad variety of public safety matters, that often require referring to or memorizing detailed reference materials and standard operating procedures, including databases, maps, telephone listings, and other resources;

Identify, through appropriate and timely questioning of the caller, the nature of the problem; summarize the critical information for public safety first responders in the CAD (computer-aided dispatch) system using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and refer and classify calls for police/fire/EMS assistance according to the level of response required;

Access and operate local and state database systems to verify information as requested;

Dispatches patrol officers, firefighters, paramedics, ambulances or emergency vehicles in response to calls throughout the County and municipalities, focusing attention on the handling of requests for emergency service, departmental jurisdiction and officer safety; Maintains locations and status of responding units;

Processes requests, enter inquiries, and monitors data and messages from local, state, federal and international computer systems and relays information as necessary to the appropriate authority; operates the County computer systems through CAD and the Records Management System (RMS).

Monitors weather broadcasts for emergency conditions so that proper preparations can be made; activate severe weather sirens and notify surrounding agencies; when called upon in a time-sensitive manner;

Provide administrative public safety information, such as but not limited to, how to file accident reports, report a crime, find a towed car, etc.

Processes warrants;

Perform other related duties as assigned.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This is a semi-sedentary in nature position performed within the Communications Center. Acute hearing and vision, memory recall, manual dexterity, ability to distinguish colors used on maps and consoles, and clearly articulate speech are needed to perform the essential duties of this position. Frequent turning/twisting, reaching, grasping, and pinching. Incumbents will be working on equipment such as 911 systems, 2-way radio, headsets, telephones, copy and fax machines. Decisions must be made quickly with little margin of error and consequences are usually seen immediately. Work involves the operation of multiple computer terminals, requiring doing several things at once, without getting confused or forgetting an important piece of information. Constant attention to the workstation and its communications equipment limits mobility, except for work breaks.

Incumbents function in a stressful environment in shifts that may include nights, weekends, and holidays. Operators must conduct themselves with a high degree of professionalism despite frequent contact with individuals who are distraught, angry, and sometimes disrespectful. The content and nature of many calls are traumatic and disturbing. Work is carried out in a secured 9-1-1 emergency call center in a controlled, closely supervised, and highly structured work environment.

Additional physical/mental requirements that occur may not be listed above, but are inherent in performing the position's essential functions.

JOB DESCRIPTION NOTICE

This job description is intended to describe the kinds of tasks and levels of work difficulty being performed by people assigned to this classification. The list of responsibilities is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. The County retains the discretion to add or change the contents of this job description at any time.