Dispatcher Trainee

Wood County is an Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V).

Hours:

6am-6pm OR 6pm-6am, 365/24/7 operation, nights/days, holidays, and weekends.

The Wood County Dispatch Center has great passion for helping the members of our community. As an employer, we strive to provide a work environment where diversity and differing opinions are valued, creativity is encouraged, continuous learning and improvement are fostered, teamwork and open/honest communication are encouraged, and meeting customer needs through quality services is a shared goal across all departments.

If you have a background in Criminal Justice and a passion to help the members of our community, please consider joining our team!

• Health Insurance - we offer low premiums and low deductibles, with excellent coverage!
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) - This is one of the best-funded public pension plans in the U.S.!
• 457 deferred compensation plan
• Vacation and Sick Time - Start accruing for both on your first day!
• 10 Paid Holidays
• Flexible Spending Account to set aside pre-tax dollars for childcare and medical expenses
• Life Insurance
• Short and Long-Term Disability
• Wellness Incentive Plan
• Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program
• Ability to earn comp time after 40 hours worked

The Wood County Dispatch Center has an immediate opening for a Dispatcher Trainee, and to establish an eligibility list for future vacancies. This job classification consists of public safety telecommunications calls for service, and radio transmission to the Wood County Dispatch Center - Public Service Answering Point (PSAP). This provides the vital first-link between the citizens and various emergency services of Wood County, which directly contributes to the safety and well-being of service agencies and the public.

Dispatcher Trainee — Observe, learn, and put into practice how to receive and process emergency and non-emergency calls while completing comprehensive training in emergency communications. Gather and accurately document critical information, prioritize calls based on urgency, and learn to coordinate appropriate police, fire, EMS, and other emergency responses. Operate CAD, telephone, radio, and related communication systems while maintaining professionalism, confidentiality, accuracy, and composure in high-pressure situations.

Work closely with experienced dispatchers and emergency personnel to develop proficiency in call-taking, radio communications, incident documentation, and established emergency response protocols.

The Dispatcher Trainee will be compensated at the trainee rate during the training and probationary period. Upon successful completion of the required training and probationary period, generally expected within six months, the employee will advance to Grade G, Step 1 on the Wood County Wage Structure. The training period may be extended at the discretion of the Dispatch Manager when additional time is needed to successfully complete training requirements.

• 1. Observe tenured and fully trained Dispatchers answer all incoming non-emergency and emergency calls to the Wood County Dispatch Center to learn what is expected when a trainee begins to answer calls. From questioning the caller, the Dispatcher will determine the type of service needed; establish priorities for the calls for service, determining and dispatching the appropriate agencies via the radio or phone systems, and coordinating the dispatched units and their radio traffic.
  
  At times, remain on the phone with the caller to monitor the situation, gain additional information, and give pre-arrival instructions based upon training. At times,…