Emergency Communications Dispatcher

Pensacola, FL
Escambia County Sheriff

Salary: $21.79 / Hour.

Closing Date: September 30, 2024.

Position Summary:

The Emergency Communications Dispatcher performs communications work in the County’s primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The Dispatchers are a vital link between the public and first responders. This position is responsible for incoming calls for fire, medical, and other emergency assistance and requires one to dispatch emergency units, relay information, and monitor the status and location of all emergency response units.

Essential Functions:

  • Fire Dispatch: Radio Dispatches appropriate ECFR apparatus to various types of fires, to include: residential fires, commercial fire related events, wild land fires, and serious medical calls while maintaining continuous contact with responding units; Fire Dispatch duties also include: updating responders with up to date scene changing information, announcing hydrant locations, tracking unit status changes in Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), initiating SOPs for escalating events, and notifying ECFR staff during times of major incidents, and monitoring fifty county building fire alarm accounts.
  • EMS Dispatch: Radio Dispatches appropriate EMS units to various medical emergencies; EMS Dispatch duties include: maintaining constant radio contact with responders, while providing them with up to date patient and scene information, selecting the closest or most appropriate unit to emergency call locations, track unit status changes and update patient information in CAD, monitoring call location projections via the Dispatch “hotspot” computer to ensure projected call areas are covered with available units; coordinate mutual aid requests, such as requests to launch Life Flight; initiate responder requests to notify hospitals of critical patient information, such as traumatic injuries, cardiac arrest, gunshot/stabbing victims, and burn patients.
  • Emergency Call Taker: Answers, verifies location and call back number, and determines the nature of each emergency call; transfers all crime related calls to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
  • Processes medical calls following nationally recognized protocols; assigns the nature code and the correct priority to each call based on caller’s response to scripted questions; enter all responses in CAD and update patient condition as situation warrants; provide pre-arrival Instructions; instruct callers through CPR, Child Birth, and Heimlich; provide post dispatch Instructions, bleeding control measures, airway maintenance, and scene safety instructions; coordinate trauma calls, cardiac arrest, gunshot/stabbing victims and burn patient information with area hospitals.
  • Processes fire calls following nationally recognized protocols; assigns the nature code and the correct priority to each call based on caller’s response to scripted questions; enters responses in CAD; provides callers with scene safety instructions; coordinates incidents with State Fire Marshal’s Office and State Watch Office as appropriate; notifies ECFR Staff personnel of escalating events.
  • Processes non-emergency calls, such as non-emergency transfer requests, which includes comparing and verifying patient’s condition against emergency criteria to ensure request is to be processed as a non-emergency; processes administrative requests as warranted.
  • Coordinates road closures, flooding conditions, and disaster incidents with Emergency Management and State Officials, as appropriate.
  • Performs a variety of administrative tasks in support of emergency communication operations, to include: monitoring equipment status; entering a variety of data into applicable dispatch system, and sending FAX transmissions
  • Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.

Requirements:

  • High School Diploma or equivalent (G.E.D.) and two years full-time work experience in the customer service or healthcare industry, or one year full-time work experience as an emergency dispatcher, an emergency medical technician, a paramedic, a firefighter, a police officer or an air traffic controller; or, a combination of education and experience equivalent to these requirements.
  • State of Florida Department of Health (DOH) Telecommunicator License.
  • National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch Certification.
  • National Academy of Emergency Fire Dispatch Certification.
  • American Heart Association CPR Health Provider.
  • National Incident Management System IS-100 and IS-700.

Preferred Requirements:

  • Knowledge of operation of Computer-Aided Dispatch system (CAD), radios, and related equipment.