Telecommunicator

Johnston County•Johnston County Public Safety Center, NC

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Johnston County Communications Department has a full-time 911 Telecommunicator (Dispatcher) position available. Initial Telecommunicator candidates will receive an invitation to complete an online test assessment from a third party; so please monitor your email for "TestGenius". The employees receive incoming routine and emergency calls related to the fire departments, law enforcement departments, rescue squads, emergency management, Red Cross, highway patrol, and animal control. Employees dispatch the proper personnel for assistance and maintain contact with units until the incident is resolved. Work also involves assisting the public with directions and general information. Work involves frequent public contact which requires tact, firmness and decisiveness in obtaining necessary information from people who are under extreme stress. Work is performed in accordance with departmental policy and state and federal law, supplemented with specific directions from sworn personnel. Work is often performed under stressful emergency conditions. The employee must be alert and possess the ability to make split second critical decisions regarding citizens lives and property. The employees are subject to inside environmental conditions. Work is evaluated through observation, discussion and review of reports by the Telecommunications Supervisor through feedback from officers and emergency management personnel.

Requirements

Good computer skills
Ability to multitask
Ability to work under pressure
Ability to work a rotating 12 hour shift
Considerable knowledge of the operation of a law enforcement and emergency communications system and related Federal Communications Commission regulations.
Considerable knowledge of the geographic layout of the County, and the locations of streets, important buildings, and other landmarks.
Working knowledge of the functions, practices and procedures of the Sheriff's Department.
Working knowledge of various emergency situations in order to provide standing order advice to victims.
Ability to accurately receive and transmit radio communications.
Ability to assess people and situations, to apply sound judgment, to remain calm under stressful conditions and to elicit sufficient and essential information for dispatching and assisting field personnel.
Ability to type.
Ability to speak clearly and distinctly.
Ability to follow oral and written instructions.
Graduation from high school or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Must be able to physically perform the basic life operational functions of reaching, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, talking, hearing, and perform repetitive motions.
Must be able to perform light work exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and 10 pounds of force frequently.
Must possess the visual acuity to perform extensive reading and computer terminal work.
Must possess the auditory ability to quickly and accurately receive and process auditory information in an environment that includes various background noises such as telephone ringing, multiple frequency radio traffic, and general conversation.
Certification or ability to obtain, within 12 months, the Certified Telecommunicator certification required by the North Carolina Department of Justice.
Certification or ability to obtain certification by the State of North Carolina as a DCI operator.

Nice To Haves

Highly experienced and trained with DCI, EMD, EFD and/or EPD certifications.
Prior 911 dispatch experience.
Prior 911 Telecommunication experience.
Some related communications, dispatching or reception work experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Answering 911 emergency phone and administrative phone lines, dispatching law enforcement, fire and EMS to emergency and non-emergency situations by two-way radio.
Receiving routine and emergency telephone calls and personal requests for assistance concerning crimes, fire, animal control, home health, or general information concerning addresses and nature of problems.
Operating equipment to maintain contact with law enforcement personnel and other law enforcement units; dispatching deputies to answer requests for assistance; receiving and transmitting information and messages.
Operating equipment to maintain contact with various personnel in dispatching fire departments, rescue squads, police departments, social services, juvenile officers, wrecker services, Red Cross, highway patrol, and emergency management personnel.
Operating Division of Criminal Information (DCI) terminal to send and receive messages regarding criminal histories, vehicle identification, NCIC hot files, missing persons, license plate records, driver histories, and query system for pawn shop transactions, and related work.
Maintaining an in-house computer database and communications logs and reports including the nature of calls, actions taken and the times involved; and generating reports for recovered or stolen property, missing persons, and residence checks.
Providing information to the public in person and over the telephone concerning a variety of County services.
Performing related duties as required.