Emergency Communications Dispatcher (Lateral)

Job Information

Are you looking for a meaningful career that has a positive impact on the community? If you answered yes, come join the Sparks Police Department! We proudly display Where Community Comes First on the police vehicles, a motto developed by our front lines. While carrying out the vision to implement innovative strategies to prevent crime, promote excellence in leadership and serve the community, you will also receive a generous and competitive salary, benefit package, tuition reimbursement, bilingual pay (when applicable) and retirement plan. People who come to Sparks stay in Sparks. It’s more than a job – it’s a career that has so much to offer. Apply here to start the process.

Emergency Communications Dispatchers answer calls from the public and communicate via radio with police officers regarding all types of emergencies and non-emergencies. The City of Sparks is seeking individuals who demonstrate the ability to calmly work with the citizens of Sparks and police officers while using a multi-line telephone system, radio network panel, and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to receive, prioritize, and process calls for police services.

Are you ready to take the next step? If so, take a look at these Application Tips:

• COMPLETELY fill out and update your general online application before attaching it to any new job posting. HR reviews information listed on the application submitted to the specific job posting. HR does NOT use personnel files in the screening process. 
• Contact information: use an email address you can easily access at any time.
• The Qualifications section below is your guide to understand what the City is looking for on your application, use this to your advantage. It is up to the candidate seeking employment/promotion to include all relevant information for qualification purposes, on the application the candidate submits to be considered for the job.
• DO attach: licenses/transcripts/certificates that will demonstrate you meet the education or certification requirements (see qualifications section to determine what documents to attach) or preferred experience/education.
• DO NOT attach resumes or cover letters. The City of Sparks does not review these items with the application. 

This is a continuous recruitment. Candidates may only submit one application in a 365 day period. Please submit a complete application (including any required attachments) as soon as possible in order to be considered.

Typing Test: Applicants must attach a valid typing certificate to their application that reflects the candidate's ability to type at 45 net words per minute. Typing certifications may be obtained from a public/private employment agency or school. Certifications must have been obtained within the last 12 months, the test should be a minimum duration of three (3) minutes and the certificate must possess a signature from the certifying agency. On-line certifications will NOT be accepted. If you haven't completed a typing test/certification as listed above, please see below for ways to obtain one. Employ NV Career Hubs offers typing tests/certifications. To find a location visit: https://www.employnv.gov/vosnet/ContactUs.aspx?tab=4.

Emergency Communication Dispatcher Civil Service Exam: Candidates who meet minimum qualifications will receive an e-mail invitation to schedule the first of a three-part series, Civil Service Exam. Upon successful completion of the first exam, candidates will be moved to the next exam within the series. These exams are self-administered with no proctor, which means candidates will be able to complete them online at their convenience during the designated testing window. These exams only work on desk top or laptop computers. Tablets and mobile phones are incompatible. Additionally, the Safari browser is not supported on any device. If you do not have access to a desk top or laptop, you can make an appointment with HR to take your test in person. 

Candidates who pass the Civil Service Exam: will be placed on an eligibility that will be good for up to one year. The department will consider candidates from that list based on rank order as vacancies become available. Those candidates that successfully complete the interview step will move onto the background step.

The background process constitutes a comprehensive Police Department Investigation in which the Police Department runs a State of Nevada and national fingerprint check as well as a Wants/Warrants check to confirm the candidate has no felony or gross misdemeanor arrests without disposition, no felony or gross misdemeanor convictions or to confirm that the applicant is not a fugitive from justice.

If you have any questions, please email hrstaff@cityofsparks.us. The City of Sparks is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

DESCRIPTION

Receive 911 system emergency and non-emergency calls. Dispatch assignments according to established police and fire procedures. Operate various communications center equipment simultaneously.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

None.

Qualifications

Applicants must possess the following minimum qualifications to continue in the recruitment process:

Must be 18 years of age at time of application.

Education and Experience:

High School Diploma or equivalent and two (2) full years of emergency communications dispatching (or equivalent) experience with a law enforcement agency within the last three (3) years.

Licenses and Certificates:

Must possess at time of application a valid typing certificate demonstrating the ability to accurately type forty-five (45) net words per minute. 

Must possess within six (6) months of hire and maintain throughout employment, a valid NCIC/NCJIS certification.

Must possess within six (6) months of hire and maintain throughout employment, a valid EFD certification. 

Specified positions may require possession and maintenance of the equivalent to a valid Nevada Class C driver's license within thirty (30) days of hire.

Examples of Essential Duties

Receive and evaluate 911, police and fire emergency and business calls. Transfer calls to appropriate parties or create a call to dispatch police and fire units to emergency locations. Receive non-emergency information from callers, personnel, and outside agencies and disseminate to appropriate department or agency or enter calls for service.

Monitor, coordinate, and accurately maintain the status of incidents and personnel and the records of dispatched emergency service personnel and apparatus. Operate computer consoles and computerized phone system for call input, dispatching and continuous updates of suspect information and officer and fire unit locations.

Receive and disseminate information from other law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency service computer networks related to jurisdictional requests for police, fire, or medical assistance, or teletype notices of wanted persons, stolen property, warrants and all points bulletins and maintain confidentiality of information.

Place calls for additional units from other agencies for various mutual aid agreements including specialized fire resources, wreckers, coroners, and registered owners of vehicles involved in accidents based upon incident type, location and need. Handle in-house and radio paging, animal control and other after hours’ phone lines.

Maintain a variety of automated and manual logs, records, files and indexes pertaining to emergency and dispatching activities. Enter, translate, retrieve, update and disseminate information from interstate and intrastate teletype networks. Attend to multiple activities and sources of input simultaneously. Testify in court regarding actions related to events as required. 

Locate warrants served on NCIC and enter/clear missing persons in NCIC. Update new information on computer systems including missing persons, stolen articles, guns and other pertinent information and broadcast all-points bulletins.

Operate multi-channel radio system. Monitor other channels while maintaining radio traffic on main channels. Maintain radio contact with mobile and portable units. Recognize units from other agencies and assist them with city units, supplies or requested information.

Respond to officer-initiated radio traffic. Request and disseminate suspect information from call boards, prior calls and bulletins and computer aided systems. Assess and prioritize emergency situations.

Maintain familiarity of area geography, including major buildings, streets, and businesses, and recognize circumstances that may pose a hazard to public safety and to field units. Read and interpret street maps. 

Maintain up-to-date understanding of public safety policies and procedures for the Emergency Management, Police, Fire, and other emergency service providers. Communicate tactfully and effectively with the public, public safety personnel, and others. Obtain information from individuals in emergency situations, including those who are emotionally distraught, angry or difficult to understand. Understand and maintain procedures on suicidal subjects. Remain calm and make rapid and sound independent judgments in stressful emergency situations.

Maintain and access business and premise history and index files for emergency and other necessary contacts. Memorize codes, names, locations and other detailed information. Understand and follow oral and written instructions. Work in a team-based environment. Operate complex radio and telephone systems. Test and inspect equipment as needed.

Perform other duties which may be assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of federal, state and local laws and ordinances related to the work
• Knowledge of basic fire and police and terminology
• Knowledge of organization and operation of Police and Fire and other emergency services 
• Knowledge of recordkeeping principles and practices 
• Knowledge of basic communication related to emergency radio and telephone and ability to use communication equipment including telephone, radio, paging, computer and related systems  
• Knowledge of and ability to apply interview techniques to elicit information from excited and/or upset persons 
• Knowledge of and ability to use computer applications and software related to the work including but not limited to Microsoft Office
• Ability to type and enter data related to day-to-day duties in a high paced environment, with accuracy and efficiency
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with those contacted during work
• Ability to train others in work procedures

Physical Demands:

Requires ability to remain seated for prolonged periods of time with extensive use of computer keyboard and multiple monitors. Visual acuity for reading computer screens and maps. Ability to cope under emergency or stressful situations. Aside from working in a general office environment, in which the majority of the work is sedentary in nature with major exposure to a computer and/or many computer screens, the person in this position will be expected to cope with and be effective in the face of workplace stressors such as, but not limited to, exposure to information that may be sensitive and graphic and may be emotionally difficult to process, customer service complaints, maintaining the security of information, people and property, competing priorities of reasonable or high significance to the successful function of the department, etc.

SUPPLEMENTAL JOB POSTING INFORMATION

• This is a Civil Service position and is Non-Exempt under FLSA guidelines
• This position reports to the Emergency Communications Supervisor
• Supervision exercised: None
• Required to be called back, held over, work off-hours, evenings, nights, weekends and holiday shifts 
• Required to work during emergency circumstances or inclement weather conditions
• Required to pass an audio and visual examination
• Must be willing to work evenings, nights, weekends and holiday shifts
• May be required to work off-site at an alternate emergency communications center location
• May be required to pass a pre-placement drug screen and background investigation

Application and Recruitment Information

Human Resources will require prior to the first examination for the position, necessary documentary evidence be submitted for fitness of any qualification. Any requirement not met for the advertised position prior to the first examination for that position, will be cause for Human Resources to decline to examine, certify or hire the applicant.

Recruitment Communication:

Human Resources will be contacting you at various stages of the recruitment process via email only, even if you have chosen U.S. mail for prior application processes or for applications with other agencies. Please make sure your email address is accurate.

Reasonable Accommodation:

Human Resources will make efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled candidates in the selection process. If you have special needs, please notify the Human Resources office when you turn in your application or at least three (3) business days prior to the examination/interview by calling (775) 353-2345.

Disclaimer:

The City of Sparks hires and promotes candidates based on a competitive merit selection process, which may include any or all of the following: screening for minimum qualifications, written examinations, supplemental training and experience questionnaires, assessment centers, interviews (oral or written), physical tests or any combination which the Sparks Civil Service Commission may order.

Scoring in the top five (5) for promotion or top ten (10) for entry level in any part of the selection process merely advances the applicant to a higher round of examination, which may consist of additional interviews and other evaluations. Scoring in the top five (5) or ten (10) gives no right to be selected for the position. The City of Sparks reserves the right to select applicants who demonstrate the best combination of qualifications for the position.