Emergency Communication Specialist I

City of Aurora•Aurora, CO

15h•Onsite

About The Position

The City of Aurora is seeking dedicated and collaborative individuals to join their team. This role is an exciting opportunity to make a difference in the lives of real people every day within a diverse community. The City of Aurora offers a competitive total compensation package, a well-funded General Employees Retirement Plan, and is conveniently located near a light rail station. Employees benefit from an on-site fitness center, employee well-being programs, and internal educational programs for career advancement. Aurora911's mission is to 'get the Right Resources to the Right Place at the Right Time, for Everyone, Every Time.' Their vision is to 'ignite a worldwide transformation in public safety communications, fueled by innovation and heartfelt compassion.' Aurora911 is staffed by public safety professionals trained to handle 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls, and dispatch police, fire, paramedic, and alternative response resources. They work in partnership with various city departments to ensure the safety and quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors. Aurora911 processes over 600,000 calls annually, with the majority resulting in the dispatch of emergency responders. The Emergency Communications Specialist I (ECS-1) is the entry-level 9-1-1 operational position, requiring successful completion of the Aurora911 Basic Training Program and introductory period to independently process emergency and non-emergency calls for Police, Fire, and Ambulance services. This role involves operating multi-line telephone and computer systems to expedite information to public safety agencies. The ECS-1 must be willing to work in a 24-hour environment, including shifts, weekends, holidays, overtime, and on-call duties. This is a life safety-sensitive position that handles confidential information.

Requirements

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of employment
High School Diploma or GED
Successful Completion of Aurora911 Basic Training Program, to include all relevant certifications (CCIC/NCIC, EMD, EFD, CPR)
Successful completion of basic training and introductory period with the Department, maintaining a “successful” performance rating in all anchors of job performance
Required through training throughout employment: NCIC/CCIC Certification, NIMS 100, 200, 700 Certification, Certification in CPR and First Aid, Crisis Intervention, Emergency Medical Dispatcher (MPDS) Certification, Emergency Fire Dispatcher (FPDS) Certification, Emergency Police Dispatcher (PPDS) Certification.
Communications Training Officer (CTO) Certification will be required for those who serve the department in a training capacity.
Knowledge of: Operations, services and activities of the Aurora911 Emergency Communications Center; Operational characteristics of the department’s public safety telecommunications technology; Techniques of questioning for both emergency and non-emergency calls; Principles and application of diversity awareness, to include implicit/explicit biases; Principles of de-escalation and interacting with people in crisis; Customer service principles and problem resolution techniques; Applications of various City and Department policies and procedures; Principles and practices of record keeping and documentation; Geographic features and locations within the area served; English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation; Modern office technology and equipment, including computers and related software applications; Applicable tools and equipment operations; Applicable Federal, State and local laws, codes and regulations.
Abilities: Promotion of a positive workplace environment based on open communication, recognition, and modeling the desired, in-bounds behaviors of Aurora911’s Foundational Four Values; Work independently without the need for close supervision; Demonstrate effective time, task, and goal management; Demonstrate excellent confidentiality, integrity, accountability, and transparency in work activity; Interact with others with professionalism and emotional intelligence; Exhibit emotional self-regulation in a frequently high-stress environment; Speak, write, comprehend American English language; Respond to and resolve complex and sensitive citizen inquiries and complaints; Effectively communicate and elicit information from emotionally elevated callers; Establish priority of emergency situations; Perform multiple tasks concurrently, though effective task prioritization; Protect sensitive and confidential information acquired during the course of business; Maintain composure, alertness and concentration while working under mental and physical stress for extended periods of time; Work in an environment that requires rapid multi-processing; Adapt instantaneously to changes in call events; Work a non-traditional schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays to ensure high quality service delivery to the residents and visitors of Aurora; Remain subject to callback and holdover as essential personnel; Operate a variety of telecommunications receiving and transmitting equipment; Read and interpret maps and other navigational resources; Establish and maintain accurate records, logs, and files; Work under pressure, exercise good judgment, and make sound decisions in emergency situations; Interpret and apply Federal, State and local policies, laws and regulations.
Incumbents must possess and demonstrate emotional, psychological and behavioral resiliency, self-awareness and self-regulation.
Members of Aurora911 are considered essential personnel and are subject to call back, extended shifts and other forms of mandatory overtime to ensure continuity of emergency services to the city.
Light physical activity requiring lifting, pushing, or pulling up to 10 pounds with or without assistance
Occasional lifting, carrying, walking, and standing
Sitting for length periods of time
Use of a headset and radio to communicate for the entire work shift
Frequent hand/eye coordination to operate computer screens and keyboard
Frequent use of hands and fingers to handle, feel, or operate computer and radio
Vision with normal color vision to read computer screen
Clear speech communication to effectively communication with citizens and public safety organizations
Hearing and listening to maintain communication to handle and dispatch emergency calls
Vision to read reports and other written material
Frequent speech communication and hearing to maintain communication with employees and citizens

Nice To Haves

Lateral candidates are highly encouraged and welcome! We will honor your experience and certification level to determine your basic training salary and position in our career progression on an individual basis.
Qualified team members may become certified as a Communication Training Officer (CTO) and will earn an additional 5% salary per training hour while certified as a CTO for Aurora911.
Bilingual team members may also qualify for additional compensation.

Responsibilities

Receive and prioritize emergency and non-emergency calls and digital requests for emergency assistance from the public requesting police, fire, ambulance, and other emergency services; gather, analyze, and report critical information during life-or-death situations such as crimes in progress, medical emergencies, and fire/rescue incidents.
Administer care by providing pre-arrival medical instruction or directing callers through lifesaving procedures such as CPR, childbirth, or controlling of blood loss while emergency medical services are in route.
Operate a variety of public safety communications equipment including (but not limited to) 911 emergency call handling system, text-to-911, advanced location systems, computer aided dispatch systems, instant recall recorder and paging and intercom systems.
Initiate public safety response requests into computer-aided dispatch system via keyboards to provide needed data to dispatchers and responding units/agencies.
Provide emergency aid, information and directions to non-emergency callers; refer and/or transfer calls to outside agencies as appropriate.
Read/interpret maps for the public, field personnel, and other agencies in order to assist in locating certain geographical areas; interpret telephone call locations from maps by applying knowledge of local geography in order to provide appropriate and timely assistance.
Perform various computer checks, input and retrieval of information to assist dispatchers and emergency services staff.
Enter automated records of activity into the computer; maintain a variety of logs relating to public safety telecommunications activities; compile statistics on calls received.
May provide backup to dispatchers for computer queries, processing documents and telephone notifications during busy periods and/or critical incidents.
If eligible and certified to serve in a training capacity; review policy and procedures with trainees; work directly with trainee on shift to ensure proper techniques, call routing, and appropriate level of response; document training activity, and provide input to supervisors on trainee progress as requested.
As assigned and upon completion of additional training, provide support to police dispatchers via the “Services” channel.
Perform other duties of a similar nature or level.

Benefits

Competitive total compensation package
Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs
Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
Access to innovation workspaces
Annual cost of living increases (averaging 3% per year)
Annual high-performance bonuses
Direct access to psychological services and wellness/resiliency resources, at no cost to the employee.
Peer Support
Formal Mentoring opportunities
Free, Secure Parking
Free electric vehicle (EV) charging
Generous tuition reimbursement program for employees
Robust employee learning system which offers a variety of in-person learning and thousands of on demand virtual learning sessions for a wide variety of topics.
Continuing education and development for technical and human skills, including leadership development and access to industry-specific professional certifications.