Public Safety Dispatcher at Wickenburg, Town of (AZ) – Wickenburg, Arizona

JOB CLASSIFICATION SUMMARY
Answers emergency and non-emergency calls for the Town's police department, fire department and emergency medical services.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This is a fully qualified, experienced level administrative classification in the police non-sworn emergency services dispatch job family. Performs the full range of duties typically associated with a job under general supervision. Requires solid knowledge of transactional and/or work standards for completing tasks and assignments of a varied nature. Work may vary from basic to more complex duties and issues but are generally within expected parameters.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES
The following are intended to describe core work functions of this classification. While the level and broad nature of essential duties may not change, specific work tasks will vary over time depending on the Town’s needs.

• Receives, evaluates, and prioritizes requests for emergency and non-emergency services from the public, Town employees, and other police agencies; communicates with callers to obtain accurate and essential information; routes calls to Officers through the use of a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system.
• Ensures the proper location of officers and other public safety personnel; ensures the safety of officers in the field, responding to calls; maintains proper status of calls and officers; ensures officers and other public safety personnel has appropriate resources for response.
• Provides emotional support to callers.
• Conducts research, enters, updates and retrieves information from computerized databases.
• Monitors and relays information to other agencies through the use of Town traffic cameras, various 911 assistance tools, multi-agency report databases, etc.
• Provides training to new employees and Officers, as required.
• Performs related work as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE

• Emergency and non-emergency dispatch procedures;
• Emergency dispatch radio equipment;
• Public safety principles and procedures;
• Street system and geographical layout of Town and surrounding service areas;
• Basic medical terminology;
• Modern office technology.

SKILLS

• Active listening;
• Determining appropriate response and resources in emergency situations;
• Remaining calm in stressful situations;
• Prioritizing multiple emergencies;
• Acting on information quickly and accurately;
• Understanding staff and emergency deployment needs and dispatching accordingly;
• Utilizing a computer and relevant software applications;
• Communication and interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with coworkers, supervisor, the general public, and other interested parties sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

Education and Experience:
High School Diploma or GED and 2 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of directly related education and experience.

Required to Obtain within a Specified Period of Time:

• Arizona DPS Level A Terminal Operator Certification