COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST I- MIDNIGHT SHIFT 10 PM- 6 AM

Orange County Public Schools•Orlando, FL

17h

About The Position

The Communications Specialist I works in the Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) District Police Communications and Records Unit (CRU), which coordinates district-wide police and public-safety communications and administers law-enforcement records. The Communications Center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round. The position monitors security applications, systems, and technologies and coordinates responses to observed security-related incidents. The employee must obtain Florida Department of Health 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator certification within one year of employment and maintain required certifications.

Requirements

Associate degree from an accredited college or university, with emphasis in a relevant area of study, and one year of customer-service or telecommunications-center experience; or an equivalent combination of related education, training, and experience.
Obtain Florida Department of Health 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator certification within one year of employment, including completing training and passing the Florida State test; maintain certification through recertification every two years.
Complete FCIC and NCIC Level 2 User certification training and pass the comprehensive final examination within six months of employment; maintain certification through recertification every two years.
Successfully pass a comprehensive background assessment, including applicable FDLE pre-employment requirements, Board policies related to policing, and department standards.
Type at least 25 words per minute error-free under stressful and time-sensitive circumstances.
Ability to communicate clearly with diverse populations, including people who are agitated, distressed, or under extreme mental duress.
Ability to operate police and public-safety radio communications equipment, safety and security monitoring equipment, computers, standard office equipment, telephone and pager systems, and other communications media.
Ability to make critical decisions and exercise judgment in hazardous, stressful, and potentially life-threatening situations.
Ability to work assigned shifts, be held over or called back, and support minimum staffing requirements.

Responsibilities

Respond to internal and external customers promptly, accurately, courteously, and empathetically.
Answer radio and telephone calls, determine the nature and location of calls, assess required responses, dispatch field units, and coordinate with external agencies and district business units.
Assist with the security channel and coordinate emergency responses, including assessing incidents, guiding callers until emergency services arrive, reassuring callers, and relaying pertinent information to responding units.
Coordinate communications and resources among agencies, internal business units, and responders; ensure timely and accurate notifications to department and district leadership.
Maintain communications with department field units, monitor personnel status for safety, support field activities, and update leadership about emerging events and incidents.
Enter, retrieve, and compile information from databases; use NCIC, FCIC, and related criminal justice information systems to support field inquiries.
Distribute criminal justice system teletypes, including officer-safety information, nearby crimes, warrants, and BOLOs.
Operate the computer-aided dispatch system, enter calls and information accurately, code incidents, query the system, track events, and assign case numbers and related records.
Use mapping software and knowledge of the district's geography to support field units and coordinate resources.
Maintain police records in accordance with applicable policies, procedures, rules, statutes, and agreements; ensure records are accurate, complete, and available for authorized use and dissemination.
Monitor fire-safety, life-safety, security, and weather-warning systems; take appropriate action and make notifications regarding emerging risks.
Communicate with third-party fire and security alarm monitoring centers and respond appropriately to alarm activations.
Use electronic security systems, including AMAG Symmetry software, to provide remote access to emergency responders in accordance with department procedures.
Maintain awareness of district events, facilities, schools, and county-wide events that could disrupt operations or pose risks, and make appropriate notifications.
Preserve the physical security of the Communications Center and comply with criminal justice information system and other information-security requirements; report violations.
Follow policies and protocols for handling law-enforcement-sensitive, confidential, and restricted information.
Participate in shift briefings, unit meetings, trainings, and other department activities as required.
Perform other related duties as assigned.