911 Public Safety Telecommunicator III (Dispatcher)

City of Minneapolis • Minneapolis, MN

1d • Onsite

About The Position

911 Dispatchers for the City of Minneapolis answer calls for emergency assistance involving Police, Fire or EMS as well as answer other public service requests. As a 911 Dispatcher, you will prioritize and dispatch calls received at the Minneapolis Emergency Communication Center (MECC). MECC employees work in a well-equipped dispatch center. MECC is the busiest facility of its kind in the entire Midwest (outside of Chicago) and is one of a very few entirely civilian professional facilities. As a 911 Dispatcher, you are a critical link in the City's Police, Fire and EMS delivery system. You are the first and most important contact citizens have for help.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum two years Dispatch/Call Taker experience in a fast-paced, 911 environment.
• Ability to obtain as well as maintain Minnesota Criminal Justice Data Network Certification or must pass CJIS Competency Exam within 6 months of employment.
• Candidate must be able to type 45 words per minute or a keystroke equivalent.
• Applicants must take the tests and obtain passing scores on each to move on to the next step in the hiring process.
• Applicants must obtain a passing score on the typing test in order to move forward in the hiring process.
• Applicants may be required to sign an informed consent form allowing the City to obtain their criminal history and/or verify their qualifications in connection with the position sought.
• Applicants will be required to sign a notification and consent form prior to undergoing drug and alcohol testing.

Nice To Haves

• Good knowledge of the procedures and operations of the 911 Call Center, including dispatching procedures.
• Ability to relate and work effectively with people from diverse cultural, economic and ethnic backgrounds.
• Good knowledge of the geography of the City of Minneapolis.
• Base of knowledge in City government and operations.
• Good knowledge of services provided by city, county, state, and Federal emergency response and law enforcement agencies.
• Knowledge of police and fire field operations and procedures.
• Strong verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work in stressful and fast paced environment.
• Strong listening skills and ability to deal with emergency situations.
• Ability to assist in training others in dispatching and phone answering techniques.
• Ability to mentor coworkers and new employees.

Responsibilities

• Use the 911 telephone and Computer-Aided-Dispatch (CAD) systems to answer and process emergency and non-emergency requests for service from the public and other sources, classifying requests by following department procedures and policies.
• Dispatch Police, Animal Control, BCR, and Fire units appropriately according to MECC policy.
• Provide on-going updates to responding field personnel in real time.
• Alert appropriate supervisory personnel when necessary.
• Initiate emergency phone tracing using special procedures for landlines and cellphones.
• Monitor and stay apprised of updates to 911 calls and responder status.
• Contact other emergency service organizations, public works crews, utility companies and others as necessary.
• Assist in training, monitoring, testing and evaluation of new MECC Call Takers; may provide classroom training to small groups of new employees; may work with new employees and provide coaching and advice on job performance.
• Host and explain operations to visitors and observers.
• Attend community meetings and represent MECC as a member of internal and external committees and on special projects as required.
• Maintain necessary records.
• Continue employment will be contingent on passing satisfactorily all of an extensive simulation and on-the-job training program in Fire, Police and EMS procedures and methods of operation for computer assisted dispatch provided after hire.
• Completion of FEMA incident systems courses 100, 144, 200, 700 and 800.

Benefits

• Union Representation: This position is represented by a collective bargaining agreement between the City of Minneapolis and Minnesota Public Employees Association (MnPEA).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED