Urgently Require 911 Dispatcher in Astoria, OR

Job title: 911 Dispatcher Company: City of Astoria Job description: Full Benefits: Health Insurance (90% City-paid) including Medical, Vision, Dental; City-paid HRA Contribution, City/Employee paid PERS Retirement, City-paid Basic Life, LTD and AD&D; Vacation, Personal and Sick Leave Accruals; Holiday Pay; Astoria Aquatic Center employee pass DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS Astoria Dispatch answers roughly 80,000 calls a year, of which approximately 13,000 are 9-1-1. From these calls Astoria Dispatch creates approximately 45,000 calls for service for police, fire and public works agencies in the Computer Aided Dispatching (CAD) system. Another 10,000 calls are received for service by other agencies such as Oregon State Police and the Coast Guard who do not subscribe to Astoria Dispatch. Astoria Dispatch is one of two Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP's) in Clatsop County. The second PSAP is located in the City of Seaside within the Seaside Police Department. Clatsop County has a land area of 827 sq. miles with a water area of 257 sq. miles. The full-time resident population in the County is 36,798 (59% urban, 41% rural). Though the full-time resident population seems low, year-round tourism can bring the population total to over 100,000. POSITION SUMMARY Communications Operators, also referred to as "dispatchers", are often the first trained point of contact in an emergency. They begin the important work of obtaining essential information, remaining calm, calming others, and sending the appropriate responders to the right location. They may also provide instructions to the 911 caller, which in many cases is essential to stabilizing or saving a life. Dispatchers are responsible for performing quick, efficient, and accurate dispatching of calls and messages with public safety units and personnel in the field. During the typical 6-8 month training period, trainees will work alongside different trainers during each training phase and work varying shifts in accordance with their trainer's assigned shift. In addition to hands-on work with a trainer, trainees will be required to attend 3 weeks of training in Salem at the Department of Public Safety Standards Training (DPSST) academy plus a 3 day Emergency Medical Dispatch certification course. There is a one year probationary period. SCHEDULE This is full-time shift work in a dispatch center which operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Everyone can expect to rotate through a variety of shifts including days, swing, nights, holidays and weekends with proper notice. Individuals with limited availability or who are unable to work a variety of shifts may not be well suited for this position. PAY OPPORTUNITIES In addition to the base pay range, a number of incentives are available to be added cumulatively to a dispatcher's pay.

• Voluntary semi-annual bonus for qualified physical fitness tests
• Intermediate and Advanced Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) certificates pay premiums (3.5% each added to base pay)
• Communications Training Officer assignment and pay premium (6% added to base pay for training hours)
• Lead Dispatcher assignment and pay premium (10% added to base pay)
• Senior Communications Operator pay premium (5% added to base pay)
• Bilingual Language pay premium (5% added to base pay after testing)
• Stability Pay (2% added to base pay after 10 years)

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Receives incoming emergency and non-emergency telephone calls. Emergency can be complex and require the call receiver to use appropriate de-escalation and interviewing skills to gather necessary information before dispatching appropriate resources such as law enforcement, fire or ambulance.
• Monitors radio frequencies for all assigned jurisdictions and maintains two-way communications; keeps shift Sergeant and other supervisors informed of emergency situations and overall activity.
• Operates Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) Computer terminal and responds to fields requests for information on persons and property; calls up wants and warrants, checks vehicle registration and driver's license data and obtains criminal history summaries and reports of stolen vehicles and items.
• Enters appropriate call/complaint information into Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) records; maintains other departmental logs, forms, indexes and files related to the dispatch function.
• Monitors security cameras and fire alarms as well as Public Works Department telemetry system (water/sewer equipme