Public Safety Emergency Telecommunicator I

The City of Virginia Beach is seeking a reliable and detail-oriented Public Safety Emergency Telecommunicator I to support emergency services by responding to critical calls and coordinating with first responders. This position is essential to maintaining the safety and efficiency of emergency communication within our community. Join our team and answer the call to make a difference.

This is an entry-level position working under supervision and will include receiving, processing, and relaying requests for police, fire, or emergency medical services; working on an assigned/rotating shift and working overtime when operations necessitate; attending and successfully completing the Emergency Communications and Citizen Services (ECCS) 911 academy and on-the-job training, to include achievement of certifications and progression to the Telecommunicator IV position.

Alpha I employee - subject to immediate recall during major and/or emergency situations.

Public Safety Emergency Telecommunicator I duties may include: Handling emergency and non-emergency calls for Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services using telephone and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) equipment; quickly assessing both emergency and non-emergency situations and providing appropriate assistance to citizens; utilizing good judgement in applying policies and procedures while functioning in a stressful environment; communicating and carrying out instructions and coordinating calls for service between citizens and service providers; often multitasking, prioritizing, and making quick decisions.

Up to a $5,000 sign-on bonus is being offered for this position.  The sign-on bonuses shall only be for new hires of original employment or re-employment as defined in Human Resources Policy No. 2.01 and within the bonus guidelines as set forth in Human Resources Policy 5.0.

* The first sign-on bonus disbursement:  $2500 will be awarded upon successful completion of Call Taker and Dispatch Support Training or Police Radio training whichever occurs first. 

* The second and final sign-on bonus disbursement:  $2500 will be awarded upon mastering all-training phases to include Call Taker and Police, Fire, and EMS radios AND receiving a rating of "meets expectations" on the one-year probationary performance appraisal. 

* All sign-on bonuses will only be awarded if performance is rated acceptable by the department.

PLEASE NOTE this position has AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFIERS as specified below:

Criminal History:

• Conviction of any felony.
• Conviction of any offense involving moral turpitude (lying, cheating, stealing), or gross misconduct (generally crimes against a person) or any derivation of these types of crimes.
• Conviction of any Class 1 or Class 2 misdemeanor (excluding traffic violations which are discussed separately) or Virginia State Law. (Note: Some minor offenses   are classified as Class 1 misdemeanors (e.g. littering), but would not result in automatic disqualification.  Convictions of this nature would be evaluated on a case- by-case basis in the context of the full investigation/review.)    
• Adult commission of undetected crimes of a serious or repetitive nature.

Traffic Violations:

• Two or more convictions of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Drugs: (NOTE: Illegal drug is defined as set forth in the Federal Controlled Substance Act, 21 U.S.C. 800 et al, and by the Code of Virginia.)

• Conviction or admission of illegal possession (touched), use, sale, manufacture, distribution or intent to sell/distribute illegal drugs and/or controlled substances, including but not limited to heroin, cocaine hallucinogens, methamphetamine, etc., or any derivative thereof (except marijuana which is discussed separately).
• Conviction or admission of illegal possession (touched) and/or use of marijuana or a derivative thereof within the previous 12 months.

Others:

• Any punitive discharge from the military, including Bad Conduct and Dishonorable discharge; from any military service.
• Untruthfulness and/or the intentional withholding of information on any application, interview, or paperwork associated with the position.  Examples of      intentional withholding of information would include deliberate inaccuracies or incomplete statements.
• Intentional failure to follow the directions outlines in the testing process or relying on others to complete any portion of this testing process.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive listing of background disqualifiers.  

Applicants who are successful in the initial testing will undergo a thorough background investigation, including polygraph examination.  Areas of concern will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis within the context of the full investigation/review. 

 Examples of areas of concern may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Reduction of charges as a result of a plea agreement or other form of sentencing disposition prior to a conviction in any of the aforementioned criminal and driving history categories.
• Crimes committed as a juvenile, including undetected crime. 
• Patterns of reckless and/or irresponsible driving.
• Multiple convictions of driving under the influence.
• Illegal drug possession that does not fall within the parameters defined above.
• Less than honorable military discharge, erratic work record, or unfavorable employment references.
• Pending litigation or prosecution for criminal offenses must be resolved prior to consideration for employment.