Telecommunicator

Salary: $44,152.00 – $75,059.00 Annually

Position Summary:

Are you ready for a career that combines challenge, responsibility, and the opportunity to make a positive impact in your community? New Hanover County is looking for Telecommunicators to answer emergency calls and monitor radio dispatch in our 911 Public Safety Communications Center. We’re seeking dedicated individuals to provide the most efficient, accurate, and professional service. Join us in making a difference right where you live!

The successful candidate must be skilled at multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment and must have the ability to talk to citizens, asking scripted questions, while entering responses with accurate information to dispatch calls and provide critical information upon which others rely. This position serves as a lifeline for first responders in the field and is the primary point of contact for citizens in emergency situations.

Essential Functions:

• Dispatching appropriate emergency and non-emergency personnel to calls for service and/or complaints.
• Receiving and dispatching calls to appropriate personnel and securing proper information from persons in state of excitement or panic to assure adequate response.
• Prioritizing calls based upon nature of request for services, availability of units, and other pertinent information.
• Monitoring radio transmissions of personnel for accurate response, need for additional assistance and to increase safety of responding personnel.
• Maintaining accurate logs in Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) as required to document the time of calls, time dispatched, response time, time cleared, and other required data.
• Monitoring and maintaining accurate and current awareness of the locations and status of police, fire and ambulance units for safety and to ascertain availability for response.
• Preparing and maintaining a variety of records and logs including warrant files, National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and/or Division of Criminal Information (DCI) entry files, and other required records as needed.
• Operating a manual dispatching system when automatic systems are not functioning or when necessary.
• Performing other related duties as required and assigned.
• Must be able to work nights, weekends, holidays, order-in coverage, and unrestricted mandatory overtime in a 24-hour operation requiring shift work and assigned shift changes.

Requirements:

• High school diploma/GED and 1 year of related experience involving a high level of multi-tasking and public contact, preferably using communications equipment such as a two-way radio and computers in a high stress setting; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) desired.
• Knowledge of county streets, highways, and waterways preferred.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish a plus.
• Must be able to obtain CPR, DCI (Department of Criminal Investigation) operator and emergency medical, fire & police dispatch certifications, training provided.
• Must be able to obtain DCI (Department of Criminal Investigation) certification through the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to perform the essential duties of this position.
• U.S. citizenship is required to obtain DCI certification.
• The ability to obtain DCI certification is determined through testing and successful fingerprint background check results.