Emergency Medical Dispatcher FT

Armstrong Ambulance•Arlington, MA

110d•$21 - $34

About The Position

Armstrong Ambulance Service is seeking an Emergency Medical Dispatcher to join its Communications team. The role evaluates incoming calls to determine the appropriate level of emergency medical service assistance, dispatches units, and transmits information and messages as requested or according to established procedures. The dispatcher assists with operational aspects of the Communications Center, including preceptor programs, data entry, ongoing training and staff meetings, vehicle utilization, customer service issues, and interaction with field and management staff. The position requires providing professional service to callers, coordinating field units and resources, maintaining incident records, and operating communications equipment and computer systems. The dispatcher works evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays to maintain 24-hour emergency dispatch coverage.

Requirements

Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certification.
One-year certificate from a college or technical school; or three to six months of related experience and/or training; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Ability to remain calm and effective under heavy workloads and in emergency situations.
Ability to exercise good judgment, determine emergency priorities, and obtain and act on information quickly and accurately in emergency situations.
Ability to work evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays to maintain 24-hour emergency dispatch coverage.
Ability to comprehend written materials such as operations manuals.
Ability to learn job-related material through instruction, observation, and reading in an on-the-job training setting.
Ability to learn street and station locations and the geography of the areas served.
Ability to learn to operate communications equipment, including multi-button telephones, base radios, and computer terminals.

Responsibilities

Receive public and public-safety-entity calls for emergency and non-emergency assistance; control calls and gather information to determine the appropriate response and priority.
Dispatch appropriate units based on acuity, availability, and location, while maintaining radio contact with and monitoring field units.
Prioritize and dispatch resources for non-emergency transports based on customer relationship.
Maintain accurate incident records, including incident address, times, response type, unit number, EMT/paramedic names, patient name, and disposition.
Track field-unit status and location and help coordinate field-unit activities.
Monitor public-safety radio frequencies, hospital diversions, and video surveillance screens; operate communications equipment and computer systems.
Communicate with public-safety agencies, hospitals, public works departments, support services, and other entities to request or forward information.
Send, receive, enter, update, and distribute information using computers, telephones, cellular telephones, facsimile, or other methods.
Assist visitors in person and by telephone; receive, process, and record requests and complaints and direct individuals to appropriate personnel.
Manually activate interior and exterior doors from the dispatch office.
Test and inspect equipment as required.
Assist with Communications Center operations, including preceptor programs, data entry, training, staff meetings, vehicle utilization, customer service issues, and interactions with field and management staff.