Emergency Communications Op

The purpose of the class is to assist in emergencies by providing communications support and to dispatch emergency personnel in response to requests. The class is responsible for answering and monitoring emergency phone calls; collecting, entering, and relaying accurate and detailed information; dispatching emergency personnel; maintaining emergency reference materials. Maintaining logs and tapes, and maintaining equipment. The class works according to specific procedures;

decides how and when to do things under general supervision.

• Effective Communications Skills
• Ethical Practices
• Good judgment
• Compassion
• High degree of emotional self-control
• Empathy and sensitivity

• • Answers emergency services phones, records essential information and dispatches units from appropriate agencies such as Police Department, Fire Department, or other emergency response activities.
• • Answers/ responds to administrative phones, other communications devices, and citizen requests; decides on appropriate courses of action, dispatches assistance as required, or refers to appropriate service agency.
• • Provides assistance to emergency services personnel by answering questions, researching information, or performing other services.
• • Maintains various logs, charts, and recordings to provide records of all emergency and non-emergency actions for follow-up investigative, administrative, or legal actions.
• • Operates/ maintains emergency and non-emergency equipment such as computers, printers, playback systems, CAD, and other systems.
• • Maintains immediately available library of emergency reference material such as computer manuals, maps, repair logs, wrecker logs, policy/ procedure SOPs, policy memos and other reference material.
• • Attends staff meetings to exchange information; attends in-service training and technical or professional classed, seminars, or conferences to improve technical or professional skills.
• • Performs routine office tasks, such as typing, filing, faxing, phoning, and copying.
• • More specialized skills in a particular type of work; knowledge of an extensive body of rules, procedures, or operations; specialized skills that may be technical or non-technical, such as research and analytical skills, composing non-routine documents and letters, ability to use software in complex applications, ability to operate complex equipment.
• • Higher level of accuracy expected.
• • Ability to make critical decisions that may involve life or death.

High school graduation or GED plus one year of experience. Preferred specialized advanced training in telecommunications.

Must have or be able to obtain a Telecommunication License issued by Texas Commission On Law Enforcement (TCOLE) within the first year of employment.

Requires a valid Texas Driver's License.

Noticeable judgment; must plan for long-term; must recognize and resolve problems and situations through appropriate means applying specific types of procedures to issues without indicated guidance or destination, addresses issues that need attention, etc.; involves freedom in selection of work methods among approved routines, setting of priorities, or sequencing of tasks within established schedules.

General guidelines: occasionally requires interpretation of available options to apply to non-standard situations; day-to-day work drives. Greater level of knowledge when applying guidelines and interpretation of available options to non-standard situations.