Public Safety 911 Emergency Dispatcher

Closing Date: February 7, 2025

SALARY RANGE: $26.83 to $35.34 per hour

JOB TITLE: PUBLIC SAFETY 911 EMERGENCY DISPATCHER

DEPARTMENT: SHERIFF’S OFFICE

SUPERVISOR: DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Responsible for all department voice, radio, and teletype communications. Telecommunicators are responsible for receiving, screening and dispatching emergency 911 and non-emergency calls for Police/Fire/EMS response within Chisago County. Operates a multi-channel radio and computer-aided dispatch system, playback audio recorder system, video surveillance system, TDD/TTY device, security devices, state teletype system, and completes computer entry/query in national, state-wide, and local records systems. Telecommunicators work in the Communication Center and have frequent contact with multiple public safety agencies, city departments and the public, while performing public safety dispatch activities. Contacts frequently cover material that is confidential, sensitive, or urgent in nature. Contacts require extreme tact, courtesy, and mature judgment.

If selected from the applicant pool, mandatory written testing by invitation will be scheduled.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

Type 40 wpm; Willingness and ability to work rotating shifts; including nights, weekends, and holidays. Subject to emergency callout(s). Ability to communicate effectively. Ability to evaluate emergency situations and make timely decisions under stress. Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as excellent listening skills. Ability to follow instruction. Ability to maintain data in a highly confidential manner. Must have excellent multi-tasking ability. Must possess good map reading skills. Must be detail oriented.

SALARY RANGE: $26.83 to $35.34 per hour

HIRING BONUS:
Entry Level Hiring Bonus: $5,000
Lateral Hiring Bonus: $7,500 (minimum 12 months full-time service as a Corrections Officer. Current employment preferred).
***Paid in three installments***

JOB TITLE: PUBLIC SAFETY 911 EMERGENCY DISPATCHER

DEPARTMENT: SHERIFF’S OFFICE

POSITION STATUS: FULL-TIME, APPOINTED, UNION

REPORTS TO: DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

Works under the general supervision of Director of Emergency Communications

SUPERVISION EXERCISED: None.

POSITION OBJECTIVE:

Performs difficult work receiving, recording, and responding to emergency and non-emergency calls; dispatching and coordinating law enforcement, fire, and medical personnel to caller locations, operating multi-line phone systems and enters data into a database; monitors and transmits on local, regional, and statewide radio resources; completes required reports and other related work tasks. Work is performed under the limited supervision of the Director of Emergency Communications.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Public Safety 911 Emergency Dispatchers shall demonstrate proficiency in performing the following duties:

• Receives incoming emergency police, fire, and medical calls for eleven cities and ten townships in Chisago County. This function includes answering the phones within three rings, determines the nature of the incident; determines the location of the incident; determines the appropriate agency/agencies to respond; obtains caller’s name, phone, number and location; determines priority of the call as it relates to other on-going events; assigns the call to the appropriate agency/unit according to policies and/or procedures.
• Receives incoming non-emergent police, fire and medical calls for the same jurisdictions cited above. Effectively processes all calls. Dispatchers must expediently determine the nature of the calls by virtue of their knowledge of criminal, civil and traffic statutes. If they are unable to satisfactorily process the call, they must be able to refer the caller to the appropriate resources.
• Operates all voice communication equipment. These functions include, but are not limited to, the operation of the telephones, radios, and various electronic equipment. The telephone function involves the operation of answering multiple incoming emergency and administrative telephone lines for both the citizens of Chisago County, as well as anyone passing through the area. The radio communication involves the effective use of multiple two-way voice communication radio resources; all of which are continuously monitored by dispatchers during the normal course of their duties. The radio system also involves the paging of all fire departments as well as civil defense paging.
• Processes data entry for calls for service and other initial complaint reports. Accurately records times, dates, and other pertinent information at various stages of a call for service. Generates any additional forms that must be attached to the initial complaint reports, or other specialized report forms, and makes the appropriate entry of the data via the operation of a data processing terminal. Dispatchers must also be knowledgeable in the manual operation of the terminal and related printers. Knowledge of the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, the National Crime Information Center, the Minnesota Criminal Justice Reporting System and the Minnesota Crime Information System. Accuracy of these entries is of paramount importance due to their value for investigations, locating persons and recovering property, as well as liability consideration attached to accurate reporting and relaying this data.
• Provides information to authorized personnel by accessing hard copy files and electronic data bases. This information is strictly confidential, and the dispatcher must have Hot File certification to request this information. Certification must be renewed every 2 years by testing process.
• Takes calls and messages for all Sheriff’s Office personnel, 24 hours a day. Dispatchers are responsible for receiving and processing all telephone calls that are dialed into the Sheriff’s Office main telephone numbers.
• Maintains dispatch center work area and equipment in clean and working condition.
• Monitors internal on-site intrusion and fire alarms for Government Center and Public Safety Center.
• Records the on-duty and off-duty times for all Sheriff’s Department deputies, city police officers and fire departments.
• Provides training to new employees as needed and may have limited supervisory duties when necessary.
• Acts as secondary Master Control for the Jail, monitoring and allowing access into the secured areas of the Public Safety Center.
• Provides effective and credible testimony in legal proceedings when necessary.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience:

High School diploma or GED and experience, or a combination of equivalent education and experience. Valid driver’s license.

Type 40 wpm; Willingness and ability to work rotating shifts; including nights, weekends, and Holidays. Subject to emergency callout(s). Ability to communicate effectively. Ability to evaluate emergency situations and make timely decisions under stress. Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as excellent listening skills. Ability to follow instruction. Ability to maintain data in a highly confidential manner. Must have excellent multi-tasking ability. Must possess good map reading skills. Must be detail oriented.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to type 40 wpm accurately
• Ability to work with alphabetical and numerical filing systems
• Ability to communicate effectively with others face to face, via telephone and two-way radios
• Ability to use acceptable grammar, sentence structure and spelling
• Ability to pay close attention to details and to remember details
• Ability to perform complicated functions while under stress
• Ability to hear voice communication within normal audible ranges
• Ability to remain calm during stressful situations
• Ability to listen effectively
• Ability to prioritize functions
• Ability to make decisions under duress
• Knowledge of computers and electronic equipment
• Knowledge of modern office practices and procedures
• Ability to communicate with the public verbally.
• No felony charges or convictions.
• Must be able to follow all policy and procedures
• Must be able to pass a criminal history background investigation.
• Must be able to pass a psychological examination.
• Must be able to work various shifts including weekends and holidays.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED

Computer Aided Dispatch computer system, Records Management System, various 800MHz and 2-way radio systems, electronic paging systems, electronic door access, E-911 computers, copy machines, fax machines, audio recorders, state and federal computer systems, car/van, and alarm monitoring systems.

Working Conditions

The characteristics listed below are representative of the physical demands, physical agility, sensory requirements, and environmental exposures required by an individual to successfully perform the essential duties of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• This classification occasionally involves physical agility requirements such as: climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, pushing, pulling, repetitive motions and manual dexterity.
• Sensory requirements include standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing ideas by means of the spoken word; and hearing is required to receive detailed information through oral communication and/or to make fine distinctions in sound.

Applicants for appointment to this position will be required to submit a formal application and may be subject to rating of education and experience, oral interview and/or reference check, background investigation, criminal history check, drug testing. Job related tests may be required of any applicant.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee as is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.