Emergency Communications Dispatcher

Emergency Communications Dispatcher

Largo Police Department Emergency Communications Dispatchers serve the department and the citizens of Largo during non-emergency/emergency calls for service and many times interact with people who are in crisis. Successful public safety Emergency Communications Dispatchers are characterized by their professionalism and sense of duty to the public. An Emergency Communications Dispatcher must be very adept at multitasking in a constantly changing environment. Dispatchers will participate in classroom instruction, complete on the job training in addition to successfully passing various written/practical testing requirements with the goal of obtaining a state certification to work as a Public Safety Telecommunicator within the state of Florida. Work Assignment: As a requirement of the position, employees should be prepared to work any/all shift assignments. Shift assignments include work on days, evenings, nights, including weekends and holidays, and may require overtime. A 7% shift differential is applied for night shift.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities:

Leadership:

• Demonstrates an understanding and reflection of the City's mission, vision, and values and a commitment to achieve organizational goals aligned with the City's strategic plan
• Champions a high-performance work culture that encourages and embraces new ideas, develops individuals, and welcomes and encourages diverse perspectives
• Articulates strategic and innovative thinking and provides clarity to deliver superior services
• Approaches the job with enthusiasm and curiosity to promote a solutions-oriented work culture

Management:

• Effectively manages assignments and priorities to ensure the fulfillment of projects, tasks, and responsibilities
• Follows suggested procedures to assure the highest standards of risk management, employee safety and risk avoidance

Technical:

• Obtains and inputs critical information from phone calls to be used by dispatchers and officers
• Answers emergency and non-emergency telephone calls
• Transfers emergency and non-emergency telephone calls
• Researches addresses for jurisdiction
• Answers and directs phones for other agencies calling into the call center
• Dispatches officers or others to calls for service
• Records the self-initiated activities of the officers in the computer
• Runs criminal justice information in the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC)/National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
• Enters stolen property, missing persons, and teletypes into FCIC/NCIC
• Monitors several radio channels at once including other departments or agencies
• Calls other departments or agencies to assist the department for various tasks
• Calls for outside services to respond to calls for service
• Provides limited law information for citizens which includes local city and county ordinances and Florida laws
• Researches computer data for citizens, officers, and other agencies

Team Skills:

• Supports honest and transparent decision-making
• Collaborates with all team members in a way that builds upon ideas and takes personal accountability and ownership of projects, roles, and assignments
• Openly exhibits a positive attitude, in word and action, and encourages others to do the same

Performs related duties as required.

Emergency Response Status: As a condition of employment, City of Largo employees will be required to work as directed during an undeclared and/or a declared emergency. All employees are subject to recall around the clock for emergency response operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the normal work location, and may include duties other than those specified in the official job description.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or general education diploma (GED)
• Previous public safety dispatching experience (police, fire, EMS) and some college coursework is preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Pass a strict and comprehensive background investigation
• Must be able to successfully obtain and maintain required certifications including but not limited to; Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Full Access Certification and Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) Level 2 CJIS Security Awareness Certification.
• Must be able to successfully complete training course and pass the State of Florida Public Safety Telecommunicator Certification Examination within 12 months of hire.
• Must possess a valid Florida Driver's License or be able to obtain one within 30 days of hire

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of city and county geography, roadways and facilities preferred.
• Knowledge of legal terminology, grammar, spelling, and math preferred.
• Knowledge of automated office equipment, practices, and procedures. Must possess good auditory acuity, vision, and have good diction and a clear speaking voice with an excellent command of the English Language
• Ability to work in a team environment
• Ability to perform recurring tasks independently, accurately, and quickly
• Ability to react quickly and calmly in emergency, life threatening, and stressful situations
• Ability to perform a variety of clerical tasks
• Ability to operate multi-key telephones and perform data entry at 2900 keystrokes per hour (KPH)
• Ability to input, access, and retrieve data from a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system correctly
• Ability to obtain FCIC Certification after employment

Work Environment & Physical Requirements:

Work Environment: 100% inside a climate-controlled building. Physical Requirements: The essential functions of the job require sitting for eight (8) to twelve (12) hours per day. The job also requires frequent fine manipulations, reaching, and repetitive motion with occasional: bending/stooping, grasping, and lifting/carrying of objects weighing less than 15 pounds. On rare occasions the work requires: pulling/pushing and lifting/carrying objects weighing 15 to 44 pounds. Sensory Requirements: Hearing: Enough to understand a low volume voice transmission over a static-laden radio line and multiple conversations at once. Speaking: Enough to answer phones, talk on radios, and communicate with co-workers. Seeing: Enough to see and read maps, and computer monitor screens. Driving Requirements: The work requires driving on rare occasions and possession of a valid Florida Driver's License. Technology: The work requires the ability to operate the following machines: telephone, computers, video recording devices, television, radio transmitter/receiver, and other communications equipment.

Important Information:

Yes - DRUG TESTING (Safety Sensitive)

No - CHILDCARE FINGERPRINTING

No - CREDIT CHECK

Yes - FDLE AND CJSTC SECURITY CLEARANCE: As mandated by the FDLE, CJSTC and the Largo Police Department, this position may be subject to additional security clearances due to access to the police department facility or police department's electronic data.

Elements Of Selection Process:

1. Review of applications for selection of those to proceed in the process

2. Schedule selected applicants for Criticall Testing

Criteria for moving forward in the process:

• Required Overall Data Entry Scores of 2900 kph (Keystrokes Per Hour)
• Required Overall Non-Data Entry Scores of 80%
• Preferred scores of 30 wpm (Words Per Minute) or higher and a minimum of 80% in Criticall Categories; Keyboarding, Data Entry, Call Summarization, Memory Recall, Map Reading, Spelling, Sentence Clarity, and Reading Comprehension

3. Selected applicants will be scheduled for a "sit-along" in the Communications Center to observe various elements of the position

4. Selected applicants will be scheduled to interview with a hiring panel

5. Schedule comprehensive criminal background check through the Police Applicant Screening Service (PASS) for selected top applicant(s)

6. Schedule polygraph for selected top applicant(s)

7. Schedule physical for selected top applicant(s)

8. Verification of three (3) personal references

9. Schedule applicant(