Emergency Communications Dispatcher

Largo•Largo, FL

17h•Onsite

About The Position

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.

Requirements

High school diploma or general education diploma (GED)
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 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
Sitting for eight (8) to twelve (12) hours per day.
Frequent fine manipulations, reaching, and repetitive motion
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.
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.
The work requires driving on rare occasions and possession of a valid Florida Driver’s License.
The work requires the ability to operate the following machines: telephone, computers, video recording devices, television, radio transmitter/receiver, and other communications equipment.
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.

Nice To Haves

Previous public safety dispatching experience (police, fire, EMS) and some college coursework is preferred
Knowledge of city and county geography, roadways and facilities preferred.
Knowledge of legal terminology, grammar, spelling, and math preferred.
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

Responsibilities

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
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.
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 require duties other than those specified in the official job description.