Dispatcher, Language​/Bilingual

Dispatcher

One (1) Full-time Vacancy - 40 Hours per week

Grade F;
Hourly FY27 Rate Range: $26.27 - $34.45

Anticipated Hiring Hourly Rate Range: $26.27 - $29.71

Work Schedule:

4 days on/2 days off schedule, which means you will be working a rotating schedule that will also include weekends and holidays. The shift that you work is based on seniority and operational need. We hold shift bids biannually.

Position is responsible for answering calls, reporting emergency and non-emergency incidents, dispatching personnel to respond, performing clerical, administrative, and technical work, and assisting in the administration of the standard operating procedures of the Communications Center in providing around the clock police, fire, and emergency medical services.

Essential Functions:

• Answers emergency and non-emergency radio and telephone transmissions in the Communications Center; ascertains nature of calls, gathers all necessary information to transmit or relay, and prioritizes calls based upon their nature and time factors.
• Dispatches and manages the deployment of police, fire and emergency medical personnel and response vehicles for emergency and non-emergency incidents; broadcasts nature, location and time of incident; contacts all required personnel; ensures the presence of additional personnel by contacting those designated for call-back; contacts and coordinates Mutual Aid response, relays information and supplemental information as needed.
• Provides emergency medical instructions to callers by phone; provides pertinent information to responding units by phone and/or radio; coordinates first responder, ambulance and Advanced Life Support responses.
• Monitors alarm systems; keeps accurate information; dispatches units when necessary; notifies personnel when alarms are out of service; assists in testing and maintaining alarms as needed; interprets signals and determines if contact needs to be made to responsible parties and/or subscribers.
• Maintains radio and telephone communications log; documents the location, safety, and status of personnel and equipment; researches call or person's history in internal computer system, determines relevancy and relays significant history to field personnel; maintains ongoing contact with the responding personnel and keeps them informed of all pertinent information; keeps track of significant information, e.g., broken traffic signals, closed streets, etc.,
  
  and keeps emergency personnel informed.
• Utilizes radios to monitor and communicate with field personnel; operates office equipment and pages personnel as required.
• Interfaces with Fire Districts, Mutual Aid assignments and Massachusetts State Mobilization Plan.
• Enters and retrieves variety of data and extracts required data from computer and other information systems; maintains reports and records as required or requested.
• Inputs data into forms and reports both manually and digitally; compiles and tabulates data; completes reports to extent possible.
• Broadcasts pertinent weather bulletins, civil defense bulletins, announcements, criminal activity bulletins and any other information as directed by the supervisors and/or police and fire personnel.
• Attends State and City mandated job-related training; acquires and maintains mandatory certifications required for the position by the State 911 Board and/or requested by supervisors, e.g., Enhanced 911, First Responder/CPR, Emergency Medical Dispatch, etc. Attends at least 16 hours of yearly continuing education.
• Trains, assists in training and mentors new dispatchers.
• Assists in keeping site information up to date in the internal database.
• Provides Quality Assurance and peer review when volunteered, trained and assigned by the supervisor
• Performs similar or related work as required.

Under general supervision. The employee is familiar with the work routine and uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently. The supervisor provides additional, specific instruction for new, difficult or unusual assignments, including suggested work methods. The employee refers unusual situations to the supervisor for advice and further instructions.

The work requires examining, analyzing and evaluating facts and circumstances surrounding individual problems, situations or transactions, and determining actions to be taken within the limits of standard or accepted practices. Guidelines include a large body of policies, practices and precedents which may be complex. Judgment is used in analyzing specific situations to determine appropriate actions. Requires understanding, interpreting and applying federal, state and local regulations.

The work consists of the practical application of a variety of concepts, practices and specialized techniques relating to a professional or technical field. Assignments typically involve evaluation and interpretation of factors, conditions or unusual circumstances during high stress or communicating with highly emotional people; inspecting, testing or evaluating compliance…