Public Safety Telecommunicator I/II - Westminster, United States - City of Westminster

Description

Salary: $62, $92,019.20 Annually

Location : Westminster, CO

Job Type: Full-time Benefited, 40 hours/week (1.0 FTE)

Job Number:

Department: Police

Division: 23 Specialized Services

Opening Date: 05/20/2024

Closing Date: 6/3/2024 8:30 AM Mountain

POSITION PURPOSE / IMPORTANT APPLICATION INFORMATION

Westminster 9-1-1 is a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) responsible for emergency and non-emergency call processing and priority dispatching for law enforcement, fire apparatus, emergency medical services, animal management and other city services. Westminster's Public Safety Communications Center is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and requires shift work by all employees to include holidays, nights and weekends.

The Public Safety Telecommunicator I/II is a professional, technical position that is responsible for answering and triaging 9-1-1 emergency and non-emergency calls and documenting critical information in the integrated computer aided dispatch (CAD) system. This critical role serves as the vital communications link between the public and emergency services. Public Safety Telecommunicators administer care by providing pre-arrival medical instructions while field responders are en route to the scene. Public Safety Telecommunicators manage emergency resources on multiple radio channels, to include police and fire personnel, and assist with incident operations. Public Safety Telecommunicators take protective actions by thoroughly interviewing callers and providing life-safety information. Public Safety Telecommunicators work in a highly specialized, safety sensitive position that requires proficiency in managing multiple internet protocol (IP) based communications and call delivery systems and manipulating a variety of computerized software systems in a fast-paced environment, with the objective of keeping all participants safe.

Hiring for the Public Safety Telecommunicator position involves a lengthy process that includes an online assessment and questionnaire, phone screen, in-person panel oral board, job suitability assessment, psychological evaluation, complete background investigation, and vision, hearing and substance screenings. It may take in excess of three months to complete the hiring process.

The City of Westminster is offering a $5,000 hiring bonus for Public Safety Telecommunicator I/II. All new Public Safety Telecommunicators I and II will receive $2,500 upon successful completion of the communications training program and $2,500 upon successful completion of the one-year probationary period.

The full salary range for this position is stated above. The starting range of pay is dependent on qualifications and experience of each individual candidate. The City of Westminster has a Multilingual Stipend Program to encourage and reward benefited employees who are conversationally fluent in languages other than English. Benefited employees have the opportunity to test their language proficiency skills and qualify for a bi-weekly stipend that will vary based on the employee's level of proficiency and usage.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCIES AND CULTURAL VALUES/GENERAL COMPETENCIES

The City's work culture encourages passionate, positive and enthusiastic employees who, along with our City Council and City Manager, are strong supporters of our mission: Westminster's purpose is to provide core services and foster economic resilience to give our community the opportunity to thrive. Westminster is a city of beautiful, safe, well-maintained neighborhoods and destinations with a vibrant, diverse economy, rich and resilient environment and a strong sense of community belonging. Our core values are embodied in our SPIRIT (Service - Pride - Integrity - Responsibility - Innovation - Teamwork).

This position supports the goals of the Police Department, which is "To Provide Law Enforcement Excellence in Community Safety and Service through Vigorous Policing, Professionalism, Leadership, and Innovation." The Police Department is responsible for enforcement of State Laws and Westminster Municipal Ordinances pertaining to criminal and traffic issues, and to uphold the Constitution of the United States, the State of Colorado, and the Charter of the City of Westminster. The Police Department is primarily focused on public safety, maintaining peace and order, prevention of crime, and the apprehension of criminals. This position also promotes the mission and values of the City of Westminster by supporting the goals of the Fire Department, which is responsible for providing timely emergency response to fire and emergency medical calls; ensuring the safety of personnel, citizens, and visitors to the community; and educating residents and business owners on fire safety, emergency medical prevention, and emergency preparedness.

Every employee is accountable to:

• Demonstrate a high level of customer service; encourage others to focus on the customer; foster an environment where customer service is a priority
• Communicate with customers to ensure that, where possible, they are satisfied, and that their needs are being addressed; solicit and evaluate customer feedback
• Act as an ambassador by understanding and fostering the organization's mission and vision
• Exhibit pride in self, the department, the city, and the community; conduct self in a professional manner
• Demonstrate integrity and build trust through credibility, reliability, commitment, loyalty, and ethical behavior
• Address difficult or contentious issues in a constructive manner
• Support/promote change; demonstrate flexibility, and take calculated risks when appropriate
• Participate in personal growth opportunities, and attend trainings designed to enhance capacity to bring new skills and ideas to the job and the organization
• Work to continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service or product being delivered
• Demonstrate support for team efforts by accepting new roles and responsibilities, and helping others achieve objectives
• Value diversity; demonstrate an awareness of differences; demonstrate sensitivity, and adapt behaviors and communication to accommodate these differences

GENERAL COMPETENCIES

Citywide - Every employee in this position is accountable to:

• Establish effective interpersonal relationships through honest, open communication and follow-through on commitments
• Recognize personal strengths and weaknesses, and target areas for personal self-development
• Demonstrate initiative in performing job tasks
• Exhibit problem-solving skills leading to sound judgment and quality decisions
• Achieve goals, and handle assigned workload and new assignments effectively; demonstrate an ability to work independently
• Communicate effectively with individuals and groups using clear and concise verbal and written communications
• Demonstrate accountability for work, and take ownership in job performance
• Demonstrate concern for the accuracy and quality of work; take steps to correct mistakes and improve the overall product

Job Specific - Every employee in this position must be able to:

• Maintain confidentiality, display a strong work ethic, and be accountable for all duties of this job
• Communicate clearly, concisely, and effectively, both orally and in writing during routine and/or emergency situations
• Answer and triage 9-1-1 emergency and non-emergency calls via telephone, text to 9-1-1, and Teletype Device for the Deaf (TDD)
• Gather, analyze, and document critical information during life-or-death situations such as crimes in progress, medical emergencies, and fire/rescue incidents
• Use geographic information systems (GIS) mapping software and maintain detailed geospatial knowledge of city geography, jurisdictional boundaries, and police and fire response areas including street names, businesses, schools, parks and open spaces
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with customers, peers, supervisors, public safety personnel and city employees
• Demonstrate great attention to detail and empathy towards customer needs and concerns
• Use logic, critical thinking, and reasoning to reach conclusions and solve problems
• Work productively both independently and as a member of a high functioning team during periods of high- and low stress activity
• Perform shift work, including nights, weekends, and holidays

JOB SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS

Essential Job Functions, Duties, Responsibilities, and Tasks

• Administer care by providing pre-arrival medical instructions (EMD) and/or instructing callers through procedures such as CPR, childbirth, or controlling blood loss while emergency medical services are en route
• Manage communications of emergency personnel responding to incidents and assist with incident operations during events such as officer down, active shooter, violent crimes, MAYDAY calls and critical incident responses
• Thoroughly and accurately document all incident activities while maintaining scene awareness
• Analyze conflicting and/or limited location information and access a variety of software and databases to direct first responders to the scene
• Manage challenging calls using appropriate communication and de-escalation techniques with distressed, autistic, hearing-impaired, elderly, angry, and foreign-language-speaking callers
• Apply crisis intervention techniques to negotiate with people in crisis to include suicidal callers or hostage takers
• Provide resources and assistance over the phone to victims of violent crimes, sex assaults, domestic violence, and child callers
• Establish and maintain control over developing, unpredictable and volatile situations using quick, calm, and reasonable methods and decision making
• Interpret automatic number and automatic location data provided by the emergency communications phone system and use advanced geospatial query and mobile location capabilities to verify accuracy and reliability
• Conduct safety status checks of responders and use other available technology to ensure on-scene responders' safety
• Understand criminal classifications and civil situations and effectively apply department, city and section policy, reporting regulations and legal requirements
• Follow established agency policies and procedures, being aware of liability to the agency, and adhering to federal disclosure and privacy laws
• Maintain regular and punctual attendance, regardless of the assigned shift

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Utilize mass community warning and notification software programs to inform the public of impending critical information related to such things as severe weather impacts, potential injury or life safety events
• Use debriefing tools, stress management techniques and critical incident response models to deal with mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances
• Perform basic troubleshooting of public safety related software, hardware, and equipment and report any needed repairs
• Remain flexible and adapt to changing circumstances, be accurate and detail oriented, and maintain a high level of organization and prioritization
• Additional responsibilities may be added at the City's discretion

POSITION REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS/PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

Education, Experience, Skills, Formal Training, Licenses, and Certifications

Required:

• Graduation from high school or possession of GED certificate
• Ability to type a minimum of 4842 data entry keystrokes per hour accurately
• Ability to earn and maintain Emergency Medical Dispatch Certification (EMD), Telecommunicator CPR (TCPR), Blue Card Certification, CCIC/NCIC Certifications, FEMA's National Incident Management System 100, 200, 700 and 800 certifications, and other public safety required certifications
• Ability to be proactive, learn and grow with rapid technological changes evolving to support public safety in our community including Next Generation 9-1-1, CAD 2 CAD multiagency interface, RapidSOS, etc.

Ability to:

• Demonstrate excellent analytical skills, creativity, troubleshooting and proactive problem-solving skills leading to sound judgement and quality decisions
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills to prioritize multiple events based on available resources
• Demonstrate knowledge of Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC) and National Crime Information Center (NCIC); perform records management duties including processing work requests and using CCIC/NCIC to perform inquiries, time sensitive entries, modifications and cancellations to include warrants, missing persons, stolen vehicles and property
• Operate a sophisticated workstation comprised of a variety of public safety related computer software applications, hardware components and equipment, including CAD|RMS software applications and interface software
• Demonstrate knowledge of Microsoft Windows operating systems, Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.), and various browsers
• Demonstrate knowledge of Police and Fire Department organizations, operations, and personnel to include City government structure and council members
• Demonstrate clear and effective communications using active listening, call control, judgment, respect, and empathy with callers that range from calm to panicked
• Obtain information from hostile, confused, and emotional callers
• Learn geography, radio codes, employee numbers, laws, city/department/section policies and procedures, and other resource information

Preferred:

• At least two years of customer service experience, including extensive telephone experience
• Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience, which would provide the required knowledge and skills, may be considered

Physical Requirements:

Work is sedentary in nature and requires sufficient physical stamina and strength for:

• Constant sitting to perform daily tasks; occasional walking through a multilevel facility to retrieve information; frequent standing, sometimes for extended periods
• Frequent squatting, reaching above shoulder, and twisting to file documents and lift supplies and material; occasional bending, kneeling, climbing, balancing, and reaching below shoulder to store documents, material, and supplies
• Constant light grasp, fine manipulation, and handling to perform daily duties; occasional firm grasp to safely use equipment
• Frequent lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of up to ten (10) pounds to move material and supplies; occasional pushing and/or pulling of up to twenty-five (25) pounds with dollies and carts

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work is constantly indoors in a 24-hour emergency communications center. The work environment includes occupying a shared work area for long periods; exposure to periods of high activity, emergencies, and high stress under extremely demanding conditions; exposure to viewing multiple computer monitors, and exposure to noise levels that may cause distractions. The employee handles crisis situations that require them to quickly make major decisions involving people, resources, and property, often with limited direction.

Required Materials and Equipment

Work with over a dozen different computer systems to access and enter information, dispatch, and communicate with public safety units. Operate multiple radio channels using a headset to communicate with Police, Fire, EMS, City departments, and other metro area public safety agencies. Use a multi-line computerized telephone system to include 9-1-1 lines, administrative lines, and direct lines to other agencies, with the use of a headset. Other equipment used or accessed includes overhead paging system, security and video surveillance system, electronic access system, portable and backup radios and fax/scanner/printers.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

• Must be legally entitled to work in the United States
• Background checks including employment references, criminal history, and education verification
• CVSA
• Drug screen/Psychology test

The City of Westminster offers a comprehensive benefit package including:

• Health and Dental
• Flexible Spending
• Pension/ Retirement Plans
• Term Life Insurance
• Long-term Disability
• Survivor Benefits
• Wellness Program
• Education and Training Reimbursement
• General leave that provides vacation, holidays, and illness leave

For a more detailed overview of our General Non Exempt employee benefit package:

The City of Westminster does not participate in the Social Security system. In lieu of social security contributions, the city contributes to a 401(a) defined contribution plan on your behalf.

401(a) Contribution Rates:
Employee Mandatory Contribution: 11% of your base pay. Contributions are pre-tax and fully vested.
Employer Contribution: 11.25% of your base pay.

Employer Contribution Vesting Schedule

• Less than 3 years - 0%
• 3 years - 60%
• 4 years - 80%
• 5+ years - 100%

The City of Westminster provides employees with innovative and practical ways to improve their commute through two key features, EcoPass and Commute Benefits powered by Commutrics. EcoPass provides unlimited trips on RTD's core transit services and Commute Rewards allows you to record your trips and get rewards based on your commute mode.

01

Do you have a high school diploma or a GED?

• Yes
• No

02

Do you have at least two (2) years of customer service experience?

• Yes
• No

03

Do you have customer service and/or public contact using telephone communications?

• Yes
• No

04

If you answered yes to having customer service and/or public contact using telephone communications, please explain your role and primary duties. If you answered no, please respond with N/A.

05

Do you currently have two or more years of experience answering 9-1-1 emergency/non-emergency phone calls and dispatching in a primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)?

• Yes
• No

06

Please check all certifications you currently possess (not possessing these certifications does not disqualify you from consideration of this position).

• CPR certification
• Emergency Medical Dispatch certification
• CCIC/NCIC certification
• Other Certifications

07

If you responded with, Other Certifications, please list these certifications here. If you have no Other Certifications, please respond with N/A.

08

Has your driver's license been suspended or revoked in the last three (3) years?

• Yes
• No

09

If you answered yes, to having your driver's license suspended or revoked in the last three (3) years, please give dates and explain. If you answered no, please respond with N/A.

10

Have you used marijuana in the last one (1) year?

• Yes
• No

11

Have you used any illegal drugs (Ecstasy, Cocaine, etc.) within the last five (5) years?

• Yes
• No

12

The Public Safety Communications Center is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and requires shift work by all employees to include holidays, nights and weekends. Are you willing to work this schedule?

• Yes
• No

Required Question