Communications Officer (911)

Job Description

Communications Officer (911) | Not Specified

The Tone:
This is an entry-level and lateral career opportunity in Spokane, WA. This role is a critical link in the delivery of public safety service, making you the first and most important contact with citizens needing help. You will provide timely, rapid, and accurate call interpretation, make critical response decisions, and ensure appropriate police, fire, and EMS agencies are notified and supported during stressful situations, directly helping others every day.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Spokane, WA (In-person)

• Team: Under the direct supervision of the Communications Supervisor.
• Mission: To be the first and most important contact for citizens needing help, ensuring timely and accurate public safety response.
• Tech Stack: PC based telephone, Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems, TDD/TTY, radio, computer, other supportive PC based devices.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Answer Calls & Enter Data: Answer emergency and non-emergency calls, simultaneously entering information into the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and providing timely updates.
• Communicate with Callers: Calm, negotiate, advise, and communicate with callers to obtain essential information, conveying reassurance and instilling confidence during stressful situations.
• Coordinate Emergency Response: Determine the appropriate agencies to notify and relay incoming calls for service to police, fire, and EMS, maintaining accurate responder status.
• Manage Complex Information: Gather, organize, translate, and process information from various emergency callers, making critical response decisions while dealing with sensitive data discreetly.
• Operate Diverse Systems: Operate PC-based telephone, CAD, radio, TDD/TTY, and other computer programs, processing multiple calls and visual/auditory inputs simultaneously.

The Must-Haves
• Background: High school diploma or equivalent; 18 years of age or older; ability to obtain a driver’s license valid in Washington within 30 days of hire; ability to pass a CJIS background check and meet ACCESS/FBI/CJIS requirements free of felony convictions; ability to obtain ACCESS certification upon employment; ability to obtain Telecommunicator 1 Certification within six months, Telecommunicator 2 Certification within eighteen months, and Emergency Medical Dispatch certification, with recertification every two years for all.
• Experience: Accurately types 35 net words per minute while listening and conversing simultaneously.
• Skills: Adept with technology; strong judgment and decision-making; multi-tasking; reliable and dependable; ability to maintain a high level of mental and emotional stability; clear and coherent English verbal communication; map reading; ability to condense large amounts of information; operating radio, computer, and telephone systems; ability to record names and numbers rapidly and accurately; ability to remember numerous details and quickly recall essential information; ability to interact effectively with people in a multi-cultural society under extremely stressful situations; ability to hear and react to multiple simultaneous sound and visual sources.
• Bonus: Basic experience in computer terminal operation in a Microsoft Windows environment; one year or more experience in the public safety field; CPR/AED Certification.