Fire/EMS Dispatcher

City of Bellingham (WA)•Bellingham, WA

37d•$30 - $38•Onsite

About The Position

Are you calm under pressure, a quick thinker, and passionate about helping others? The Prospect Communication Center (PCC) is looking for dedicated individuals to become the vital link between the public and emergency responders. As a Fire/EMS Dispatcher, you'll be the first voice people hear in their moment of need - guiding them through emergencies and coordinating life-saving responses. Apply today to join our team! The Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Dispatcher processes and dispatches all requests for Fire and EMS response. Receives transferred calls from What-Comm Communications Center, various other agencies and directly from the public for Fire/EMS, public assistance, and hazmat responses. Gathers information from calling parties; prioritizes and triages emergency and non-emergency requests for various types of assistance. When appropriate, transfers the caller to another appropriate agency. Fire/EMS Dispatchers located in the Prospect Communication Center (PCC) dispatch fire, rescue, medical, hazmat and other support units according to established policies, procedures and training. PCC dispatchers use a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system and Medical/Fire triage platform to triage information from the caller to determine the most appropriate apparatus to send, the level of coverage required and manage deployment of available units. PCC dispatchers monitor current status of Fire/EMS Department resources and assist in making recommendations for temporary or permanent changes to fire response standards. PCC dispatchers are responsible for protecting and upholding the Washington State HIPAA/Confidentiality Laws as they relate to the dispatch work. PCC is the primary answering point for the City's Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Whatcom County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and dispatches all hazmat incidents. As the secondary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in Whatcom County, PCC has the capability and equipment necessary to receive all 911 calls directly in the event that What-Comm Communications Center needs to be evacuated.

Requirements

Physical ability to perform the essential functions of the job, including:
Frequently remain stationary for long periods of time;
Frequently operate a computer and other office machinery such as a keyboard, mouse, phone and fax;
Receive and communicate accurate information in a stressful or confrontational environment;
Visual acuity (correctable) to accurately read information from a computer screen and printed materials at varying distances, while multi-tasking.
Hearing within (or correctable to) normal limits across the speech frequencies and recognition of speech in the very good to excellent range.
Minimum of one year of experience in a position with intensive public contact.
Minimum keyboarding skill of 40 wpm net.
Must obtain Washington State EMT Certification during training period and maintain throughout employment.
Must obtain EMD, EFD, certification within one year of hire or the time period specified by policy or contract.
Must obtain and maintain Telecommunicator I & II certifications within twelve (12) months of hire.
Must have a telephone at place of residence or a cell phone.
Must pass a hearing evaluation prior to hire.
Employment contingent upon passing a criminal background check and child and vulnerable adult abuse records check.
Must pass a pre-employment drug screen.
Willingness and ability to work 12 hour shifts, weekends and holidays, including responding to callouts and overtime needs.
Verification of ability to work in the United States by date of hire.

Nice To Haves

Experience or training in the use of computer software such as word processing, spreadsheets, database management or other business/educational software preferred.
Experience using multi-line phone systems preferred.
Previous experience in public safety dispatching preferred.

Responsibilities

Receives, prioritizes, and routes emergency and non-emergency calls from the public, transferred calls and calls received directly from other agencies.
Based on established procedures, enters non-emergent caller's information and dispatches according to priority or transfer/refers to the appropriate agency.
Gathers information from calling parties and enters the type, location, source and all information for emergency calls into CAD.
Triages emergency requests for assistance, and dispatches fire, rescue, medical, hazmat and other support units based on established protocols.
Relays pertinent information between responders via radio.
Provides pre-arrival emergency and non-emergency instruction to the caller, including but not limited to, CPR, childbirth instruction and other life-saving instructions.
Continually updates the status of patients and responders to apparatus responding to the incident.
Retrieves and evaluates information from computers based on knowledge of dispatch and emergency response protocols, status of available apparatus and familiarity with county and city geography.
Dispatches and relays call information to responding personnel and apparatus.
Manages multiple radio frequencies and radio communications simultaneously per established policies and procedures.
Communicates and coordinates closely with field units and command officers to support and meet the needs of the incident and to accurately monitor incident status and unit response availability.
May work closely with other fire service personnel assigned to assist dispatch operations.
Checks the Fire/EMS dispatch consoles on a scheduled basis by running maintenance tests and monitors all other dispatch equipment as needed.
Reports problems to the Fire/EMS Dispatch Supervisor or Communications Division Chief for facilitation of repair service for malfunctioning system components.
Provides vehicle routing information to responding units as needed.
Establishes and maintains current road closure information in a local database.
Appropriately monitors city-wide webcams, weather, local and national news during active incidents or weather-related emergencies for safety and scene information and relays that information to responders and other agencies as staffing and workload allows.
Generates routine reports daily such as the incident history reports, incident shift summaries, informational reports, etc.
In specifically defined situations, provides and/or coordinates on-site radio and telephone communications at the scene of an incident.
Faxes and mails daily reports and information reports to appropriate agencies.
Maintains various files, such as premise information, location information, reference maps, business phone numbers, personnel phone numbers, etc.
Assists in the evaluation of dispatch systems, operations and practices.
Regularly participates in fire service drills, training and emergency ride-alongs.
Participates in the training of probationary Fire/EMS dispatchers.
Performs other duties within the scope of the classification.

Benefits

8 hours of vacation leave per month, with increased accrual over time
12 paid designated holidays + 2 floating holidays per year
8 hours sick leave accrued monthly
Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families
Life insurance and long-term disability coverage
Flexible spending accounts and medical insurance opt-out program
Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Washington State Retirement plan (LEOFF) for retirement security
Optional 457 deferred compensation (Retirement Savings Plan) with employer match

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