State EMS Medical Operations Coordination Center Communications Specialist (Disaster Preparedne

Duties Description

The Communications Specialist (Disaster Preparedness Program Representative
1) plays a frontline operational role within the State Medical Operations Coordination Center (SMOCC), which serves as the Department’s 24/7 hub for statewide health system situational awareness, operational coordination, and decision support. Working under the direct supervision of the SMOCC Duty Officer, the position maintains real‑time visibility of health care system conditions, identifies emerging operational concerns, supports the coordination and tracking of patient movement and interfacility transfer activities, and manages the flow of information during routine operations, planned events, system disruptions, disasters, and major incidents.

Communications Specialists continuously monitor information from Department-regulated health care facilities, emergency medical services agencies, Department programs, emergency management partners, operational data systems, and other authorized sources to identify incidents or emerging conditions that may affect health care delivery or statewide health and medical operations. They verify and reconcile reports, identify trends and potential cascading impacts, prepare and disseminate timely operational updates, and elevate conditions requiring further assessment or action by Duty Officers and Department leadership.

The position supports continuity of operations by maintaining the communication systems, data feeds, operational records, and common operating picture necessary for informed statewide health and medical response decisions. Work involves the simultaneous monitoring and interpretation of multiple operational data streams, real‑time prioritization of events, and continuous communication with internal and external partners.

Information may be incomplete, conflicting, preliminary, or rapidly changing, requiring the employee to validate reports, assess operational significance, recognize emerging patterns, and distinguish routine conditions from those requiring escalation. The position requires sound judgment, situational awareness, composure, and precision under pressure. Communications Specialists must apply established policies and procedures while adapting to evolving circumstances and coordinating multiple activities within time‑sensitive operational environments.

Errors, delays, or failures to recognize and elevate significant conditions may affect life safety, delay Department decision‑making, or disrupt statewide health and medical response coordination.

Continuously monitors information from Department-regulated health care facilities, emergency medical services agencies, Department programs, emergency management partners, field personnel, operational data systems, automated alerts, weather services, infrastructure monitoring tools, and other authorized sources to identify incidents or emerging conditions that may affect health care delivery or statewide health and medical operations; receives reports, notifications, requests, and inquiries through various channels; collects essential information using established scripts, protocols, checklists, reporting criteria, and incident‑specific procedures;

confirms identity and contact information; validates and reconciles information; documents incident information, facility impacts, operational conditions, notifications, actions, resource requests, and pending issues in electronic case‑management; applies classification, prioritization, and escalation criteria; initiates routine notifications and promptly elevates urgent, unusual, or potentially significant conditions to the Duty Officer; maintains accurate and current operational records throughout the life cycle of each incident.

Maintains the Department’s common operating picture by continuously monitoring, integrating, and updating operational information from multiple sources; monitors hospital status, emergency department conditions, service disruptions,…