Emergency Dispatcher

Chicago Housing Authority•Chicago, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Emergency Dispatcher works in the Chicago Housing Authority’s Emergency Services Operational Center (ESOC), a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week communications center. ESOC provides information, communications, and support to CHA residents and personnel, management teams, partner agencies, and the Office of Emergency Management Communication, with the goal of responding quickly and efficiently to emergencies. The Emergency Dispatcher reports to the Supervisor of Emergency Services Operational Center and the Director of Safety and Security. The dispatcher receives and responds to emergency calls, assesses the nature and severity of incidents, and ensures that appropriate personnel are notified or dispatched. The role also monitors CHA properties and building-system alarms, coordinates with city services and partner agencies, tracks calls and work orders, and prepares reports. The permanent work location is 4859 S. Wabash, Chicago, IL 60615. This is a union position.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
At least two years of related experience.
Ability to articulate clearly, understand transmitted information, and record messages quickly and accurately.
Computer literacy, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
Fast and accurate typing skills.
Flexibility and ability to work various shifts.

Nice To Haves

College-level coursework preferred.

Responsibilities

Receive and respond to emergency calls from residents and non-residents and ensure that appropriate personnel respond to incidents.
Determine the nature, severity, and extent of problems by obtaining essential information.
Notify key personnel about extremely serious situations and share relevant information with management about elevator outages, heat and hot water problems, flooding, water backups, and other emergencies.
Contact city services, including law enforcement agencies, to request assistance for residents with issues such as out-of-service streetlights, gas leaks, and broken water pipelines.
Track and monitor emergency calls using HelpSTAR 2010 and Cisco Agent Desktop.
Proactively monitor CHA properties using cameras, electronically capture information, and report criminal or problematic behavior to necessary personnel, security, and the Chicago Police Department.
Monitor building-system alarms, including smoke, water, temperature, carbon monoxide, and elevator alarms.
Coordinate with asset management, private management, and OEMC during extreme weather to conduct well-being checks, particularly for at-risk, elderly, and disabled residents.
Use the Yardi database to determine whether city-wide emergencies affect CHA or HCV properties and share relevant findings with necessary personnel.
Prepare reports on call volumes, unusual incidents, faulty elevators, and security-related issues, including morning reports.
Follow up on open calls and work orders in the HelpSTAR 2010 database.
Perform other assigned duties and projects.

Benefits

Vacation, sick, and personal leave as part of a competitive paid-time-off package.
Medical insurance options, including HMO, PPO, and a no-employee-cost high-deductible PPO.
Dental, vision, and life insurance.
Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
Long-term care insurance.
Pet insurance.
Parking and transit benefits.
Prepaid legal services.
Brightstar 529 College Savings Plan.
Identity theft protection.
Hospital indemnity insurance.
Voluntary critical illness insurance.
Deferred Compensation Plan: Empower 457/401(a) with a 3% employer match.
Pension plan contributions, including employee contributions, with 100% vesting after six years of continuous employment; alternatively, employees may opt out of CHA's retirement plan and continue participation in the Municipal Employees Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago.