Canton Telecommunicator (911 Dispatcher)
Rate of pay at each step: (+$10 - $20/hour in benefits.)
- $23.76
- $25.37
- $26.96
- $28.78
- $31.60
Employment with the City of Canton comes with a full array of benefits. We offer comprehensive health insurance, paid vacations, paid holidays, a retirement plan, sick time, and personal holidays.
Interested in this position? Please submit your application through governmentjobs.com/careers/cantonohio by clicking the "Apply" button on the posting.
Applicants MUST submit a copy of their valid driver's license and any other documents pertinent to this position with their application.
This is an open examination. To be eligible for the position under this examination, all applicants must be U.S. citizens or have a permanent resident card. Applicants must be a High School graduate or possess a G.E.D. and be at least 18 years of age.
Job Definition: Performs work involved with emergency and complaint calls directed to the Police, Fire, Water, and Street Divisions and dispatching from a communications center.
Representative Duties: (The following are intended to illustrate typical duties, they are not meant to be all inclusive or restrictive). Receives telephone calls from the public concerning emergency and non-emergency situations. Dispatches all appropriate safety and services personnel and equipment, by radio or phone as required. Maintains records, logs, forms and other materials. Disperses all non-related calls or non-emergency calls by providing the caller with appropriate information or referral. Maintains working area, radio and telephone equipment as required. Assists in training new employees. Performs all necessary related duties as required, or directed.
Distinguishing Features: The responsibility for citizens' health, lives, safety and property protection is with the telecommunicator, which requires a specific and controlled performance behavior on the part of the communications center telecommunicator.
Working Relationships: Relationships are typical with the general public or outside agencies on specialized matters that may include handling difficult relationships or solving minor difficulties.
Working Conditions: Requires long periods of sitting/remaining sedentary, adjusting to changing shifts and days off, exposure to a stressful environment, including a windowless workspace, with little chance for breaks. Forced overtime is not an exception, and is to be expected. Mandatory overtime is an inherent requirement of this position. Employees may be required to work overtime with little or no advance notice based on staffing and operational needs. Mandatory overtime may result in employees being required to work shifts of up to sixteen (16) consecutive hours.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Characteristics: Some knowledge of operations and services normally provided by police, fire, water and street departments. Basic knowledge of the community, including location of streets and highways, important structures such as schools, hospitals and other major facilities. Working knowledge of office equipment and procedures. Working knowledge of business English, spelling, and punctuation. Skill in writing clearly, accurately, concisely, and with appropriate English grammar. Skill in reading and understanding complex technical documents such as laws, ordinances, procedures and training manuals, and public safety reports. Skill in observing, remembering, and recalling facts and details such as those contained in oral and written directives, radio communications, and telephone communications. Skill in communicating orally with people of various educational, ethnic, and social/cultural backgrounds. Skill in organizing and analyzing a variety of information and applying selected knowledge, which will be learned after employment, in order to decide on an appropriate and reasonable course of action. Skill in exercising tact, self-restraint, judgment, and strategy in dealing with a variety of people in various emotional states. Skill in the use of basic computer systems, and ability to type at a minimum of 40 words per minute, to transcribe hand-written copy and/or simultaneous oral communications. Basic map reading skills. The ability to deal tactfully and courteously with the public, agencies, and other employees. The ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions. The ability to accurately comprehend auditory inputs, particularly those inputs received via telephone and radio transmissions. The ability to function in a mobile and coordinated manner, requiring frequent manual dexterity. The ability to gain knowledge of various communication and emergency response procedures.
The ability to react immediately and precisely to sudden stimuli. Must be able to mentally and physically meet the needs of the job in an efficient manner. Clear, pleasing voice. Excellent hearing. Mental alertness. Willingness to accept work assignments on day, night, or all-night shifts, weekends, and holidays. Be temperamentally suited to the position, and be able to remain alert during periods of inactivity as well as during routine and times of overload.
Special Requirements: Because of the nature of the job, an employee must be able to be reached by telephone. Employment is subject to a background investigation which is conducted by the Police Department. Applicants must not have a record of criminal convictions which would compromise their ability to be granted access to police records information. A hearing test, physical exam, psychological exam, and urine analysis test will be required. This position requires the telecommunicator to be certified in CPR, Public Safety Telecommunications, and Emergency Medical Dispatch. The employee must have the ability to obtain all certifications within one year of hire.