Dispatcher

JEFFERSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

County Office Building - 175 Arsenal Street

Watertown, NY 13601

www.co.jefferson.ny.us

Valerie M. Nugent

Director of Human Resources

*A NON-REFUNDABLE APPLICATION FEE OF $15 MUST ACCOMPANY YOUR APPLICATION

PLEASE COMPLETE APPLICATION IN ITS' ENTIRETY - DO NOT SEND RESUME.

OPEN COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION

FOR

NO. 62-584 DISPATCHER

VACANCIES: This list will be used to fill future vacancies, as they occur, with the Jefferson County Fire and Emergency Management Services

SALARY: $21.38/hr.

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST.

LAST FILING DATE: January 6, 2023

EXAMINATION DATE: February 25, 2023

Disabled Persons and Persons needing Religious Accommodation: If special arrangements for testing are required, indicate this on your application form.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must meet the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma.

NOTE: Finger printing may be required for this position. Any fee will be paid by the applicant.

EXAMPLES OF WORK: (illustrative only)

Operates radio equipment to dispatch police officer, fire personnel, E.M.S. personnel, animal control officers, and other emergency vehicles to scenes of crimes, accidents, fires, or other emergencies;

Answers incoming telephone calls and provides information or receives complaints from the public;

Maintains continuous status and location records of police, fire, and emergency vehicles;

Maintains security and order of the control area;

Keeps listings of telephone numbers and other necessary information up-to-date;

May operate teletype machine and computer-aided equipment to secure and transmit information;

May monitor police, fire, and citizen band frequencies;

Records and files complaints and accident reports and additional routine clerical duties;

Periodically checks correct operation of radio and telephone equipment to insure continuity of service;

Maintains a daily log of calls received and transmitted;

May type a variety of routine correspondence and reports.

SCOPE OF EXAMINATION: Written test will cover knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

Coding/decoding information

These questions test for the ability to follow a set of coding rules. Some questions will require you to code information by converting certain information into letters or numbers. Other questions will require you to decode information by determining if the information that has already been converted into letters or numbers is correct. Complete directions will be provided; no previous knowledge of or training in any coding system is required.

Name and number checking

These questions test for the ability to distinguish between sets of words, letters, and/or numbers that are almost exactly alike. Material is usually presented in two or three columns, and you will have to determine how the entry in the first column compares with the entry in the second column and possibly the third. You will be instructed to mark your answers according to a designated code provided in the directions.

Understanding and interpreting written material

These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.

Following directions (maps)

These questions test your ability to follow physical/geographic directions using street maps or building maps. You will have to read and understand a set of directions and then use them on a simple map.

Retaining and comprehending spoken information from calls for emergency services

These questions test your ability to retain specific information that is heard in calls for emergency service, such as a street address, or to comprehend spoken information from emergency service calls, such as determining the location of a site in relation to landmarks. Simulated 911 calls will be played on audio CD. Immediately following each call, candidates are given audio instructions identifying which questions they are to answer within the test booklet. The questions that candidates are directed to answer for each simulated call will not be in sequential order. Candidates will need to retain and comprehend the information and instruction provided in this portion of the test to respond appropriately to the questions asked and to determine which questions to answer. The time allotted to answer these questions will be limited. At the end of each answer period, the CD will automatically play the next call. Note paper will be provided. Candidates will be permitted to take notes to refer to them when answering questions.

SCOPE OF EXAMINATION - PERFORMANCE TEST:

Performance Test: A performance test will also be held at a later date, to be announced. The written test will be a ranking test and the performance test will be a qualifying (pass/fail) test. You must pass both the written and performance tests to be considered for appointment. You will not be called to the performance test unless you have passed the written test. Since the performance test is qualifying (pass/fail), if you pass the performance test your final score for the examination will be the score that you achieve on the written test.

Candidates may be invited to the performance test in the order of the scores they achieve on the written test. The County [or City or Town] reserves the right to give the performance test to only as many candidates as are needed to fill available vacancies.

The test will be administered on a conventional personal computer (PC). You will be using a conventional PC keyboard, but you will not be using a mouse.

Subject: The test consists of three parts, each preceded by a separate practice session. It will test your ability to enter the kinds of information that dispatchers and related personnel must process for fire, police, and emergency medical services. You will not need any specific information prior to the test; rather, complete on-screen instructions will tell you all that you need to know in order to take the test. In order to pass, you must enter the data at a rate of at least 6,000 keystrokes per hour (which is equal to typing approximately 20 words per minute), with an accuracy rate of at least 97.5%.

Performance Test WAIVER POLICY

Candidates who have passed a qualifying 911 keyboarding performance test may request a waiver of the performance test. The candidate must have passed a performance test administered by the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources, New York State Department of Civil Service, or local civil service agency located in New York State within three years of the date of the written exam. The candidate must request the waiver in writing and submit verifiable documentation from the testing agency including: the name and address of the agency, the passing speed, and the date of the performance test. All waiver requests must be submitted by the date of the written exam.

Test guide:

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information in the publication 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available online at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

This examination is being prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23-2 of the Civil Service Law. The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Rules and Regulations dealing with the rating of examinations will apply to this written test.

JEFFERSON COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

NOTE: Candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand-held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, Spell Checkers, Personal Digital Assistants, Address Books, Language Translators, Dictionaries, or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books, reference materials, devices, or calculators which provide assistance beyond simple numerical computation.

MULTIPLE EXAMINATIONS SCHEDULED FOR THE SAME DAY: With the exception of written tests announced by New York City, if you have applied to take a written test announced by New York State or any local jurisdiction (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must indicate all pertinent examination (exam number, title, and location/jurisdiction) information on a separate piece of paper and submit it with your application.

CANDIDATES WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE PLACE OF THE EXAMINATION.

*A NON-REFUNDABLE fee of $15 is required for each separately-numbered examination for which you apply. The required fee must accompany your application. Send check or money order payable to the Jefferson County Treasurer and write the examination title(s) and number(s) on your check or money order. DO NOT SEND CASH. File only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified. An exception to the fee requirement will be made only for persons who provide proof that they are unemployed and are primarily responsible for the support of the household; or who are receiving Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, or Public Assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/Family Assistance or Safety Net Assistance) or are certified Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act eligible through a State or local social service agency. Individuals wishing to claim this waiver of fee must complete an Application Fee Waiver Request and Certification Form. This form is available at the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources office. Such claims are subject to later verification and, if not supported by appropriate documentation are grounds for barring appointment.

Issued: 12-7-22

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $21.38 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Evening shift
• Holidays
• Night shift
• Overtime
• Weekend availability

Work Location: One location

Salary : $15 - $21