Communications Officer I

Communications Officer I Public Safety (Call Receiver)

This position provides a critical link in the delivery of public safety service, being the first and most important contact with the citizen needing help. The Communications Officer I must develop a timely, rapid and accurate sense of call interpretation and decision-making/problem solving skills during stressful situations. This position must remain calm, showing empathy, conveying reassurance and instilling confidence in the caller that the proper response to their needs will result. The employee is required to deal with sensitive information in a discreet and professional manner and reports directly to the Supervisor.

This position is responsible for receiving incoming calls for police, fire and emergency medical aid, and non-emergency requests from the public via 9-1-1 lines and other seven-digit telephone lines. Employee obtains information from callers who may be injured, confused or abusive, and determines which, if any, agencies should respond to the event. Employee must enter initial information into the computer while maintaining contact with the reporting party to gather additional pertinent information. Additional information must be entered into the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system in a timely manner so that the original call is continually updated. Performance is evaluated through electronic monitoring of Communication Room activities and through direct observation of performance by the Supervisor. All voice and data entry work performed by the Communications Officer I is continually recorded and is constantly subject to live monitoring for later review and critique and may include public disclosure of such work.

This position is represented by the Valley Communications Center Employees Association Bargaining Group.

Essential Job Functions:

• Answers emergency and non-emergency calls for service, simultaneously enters this information into the computer using a CAD System and continues to enter updates in a timely manner.
• Calms, negotiates, advises and otherwise communicates with callers to obtain accurate and essential information necessary to establish priority and initiate a timely response to emergency calls.
• Remains calm, shows empathy, conveys reassurance and instills confidence in the caller through a demeanor that will result in proper response to their needs.
• Determines the appropriate agency/agencies that should respond to an incident.
• Processes more than one call at a time.
• Assists other employees as necessary when not occupied with primary call answering duties.
• Attends mandatory trainings and/or meetings as directed.
• Performs additional duties as directed.
• Be reliable, dependable and report for work on a consistent and predictable basis.
• Consistently thinks clearly and responds quickly in a wide variety of emergency situations.
• Gathers, organizes, translates and processes information from various emergency callers in an accurate and timely manner.
• Accurately type 35 net words per minute while listening and conversing simultaneously.
• Supports the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agency (CALEA) accreditation program.
• Work shift work encompassing a 24-hour day, seven-day week; inclusive of odd hours, days, evenings, nights, weekends and holidays
• Ability to meet ACCESS/FBI/CJIS requirements, including maintaining a record free of felony convictions.

Interpersonal Contacts:

Contacts are made both inside and outside the organization. Internal contacts frequently include the Communications Officers, Supervisory staff and Administrative personnel. External contacts may include Center customers, outside vendors, governmental personnel, applicants and citizens. This position is representative of the Center and therefore it is critical that all interactions are respectful and professional. Interactions tend to focus on information exchange and the receiving and giving of procedural changes. A majority of external interactions are via telephone or electronic exchange.

Required Knowledge Of/Skill In:

• Valley Com service area, including streets and landmarks.
• Map reading including knowledge of adjacent areas, directions of travel, hundred blocks and freeway access.
• Condensing large amounts of information into readable, sensibly typed remarks in a timely manner and have the ability to recall numerous acronyms and codes essential to appropriate call processing.
• Maintaining familiarity with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and appropriate manuals that provide thorough knowledge of Valley Com operations and procedures.
• Operating a computer and telephone system with essential peripherals and program applications.

Required Ability To:

• Maintain a high level of confidentiality and professionalism regarding sensitive internal and external information.
• Speak the English language coherently and clearly, possessing an excellent vocabulary and verbally communicate effectively. Speaking another language in addition to English is beneficial but not a requirement.
• Be available by telephone at his or her own expense.
• Work through complex technical tasks involving various public safety communications systems.
• Interact effectively with people in a multi-cultural society under extremely stressful situations.
• Record names and numbers rapidly and accurately.
• Remember numerous details and quickly re-call essential information.
• Work up to twelve (12) hours at a time (or longer if exigent circumstances exist), continuously wearing a communications headset, while still being able to hear and understand other outside sources to include conversations with large amount of internal and external background noise. Hear and react to multiple simultaneous sound and visual sources in a timely manner is critical.
• Work as a "team" member, establish good working relationships and provide excellent internal and external customer service.
• Work effectively in a disciplined environment with close supervision and carry out lawful orders regardless of personal agreement.

Required Education And Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• 18 years of age or older at time of hire.

Desired Qualifications:

• Basic experience in computer terminal operation.
• One year or more experience in the public safety field.

Work Environment:

• Must be prepared to stay in the Center for the full scheduled shift. Uninterrupted lunch and breaks are not guaranteed.
• Position is extremely stressful, emotionally charged and plays a critical role in public safety service delivery. Must take information from callers who may be excited, abusive, foulmouthed, incoherent, drunk or hysterical.
• Work is performed in a low-light and confined environment.
• The employee is subject to "call back" on short notice.
• May be asked to participate in Police/Fire/EMS ride-alongs.

Physical, Sensory And Mental Demands:

• Individual must sit or stand while observing a computer display screen for long, uninterrupted periods of time. Individual must have adequate hearing and visual acuity to operate successfully in this environment.
• Must continually demonstrate a high level of mental and emotional stability.
• Individuals must be free from physical, sensory or mental impairments that with or without reasonable accommodation would interrupt continuous performance of a shift lasting from eight to twelve hours.
• Accurately type 35 net words per minute while listening and conversing simultaneously.
• Ability to read and discern visual images on a variety of media, to include small liquid crystal displays offering very little brightness/darkness contrast, standard flat panel computer monitors, printed matter that has been reduced to less than normal size type, multi-colored indicator lights which have differing flash rates and color which indicate the status of electronic functions.

Valley Com 911 is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, color, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, religion, national origin, marital status, genetic information, veteran's status, disability or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law. Valley Com provides reasonable accommodation to its employees and the public with disabilities, including disabled veterans. For more information, please contact Human Resources.