Job Postings - St. Joseph County 911

POSITION DESCRIPTION

COUNTY OF ST. JOSEPH, INDIANA

POSITION: Public Safety Telecommunicator (Trainee Recruit)

DEPARTMENT: St Joseph County 911

WORK SCHEDULE: 12-hour shifts train on various shifts / PERMENANT: 6p-6a

SALARY: $47,000                                                                                                          STATUS: Full-time

DATE REVISED: 7/9/2025                                                                                         FLSA STATUS: Non-exempt

To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function of the position satisfactorily. The requirements listed in this document are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. St. Joseph County provides reasonable accommodations to qualified employees and applicants with known disabilities who require accommodation to complete the application process or perform essential functions of the job unless those accommodations would present an undue hardship.

Position: Public Safety Telecommunicator (Trainee Recruit) must complete the four-week classroom academy training and obtain the required certifications. After the academy, begin on-the-job training with a Certified Training Officer and work towards being promoted to a TC1 within the parameters of Policy 110: Training Benchmarks.

Summary: This critical role serves as the vital communications link between the public needing help and emergency services response. Public Safety Telecommunicators are typically the first point of contact when a person reaches out for help. This entails a candidate to be able to work independently in a high stress environment while receiving and evaluating incoming emergency and administrative requests for emergency services, including but not limited to law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS); triaging those requests for service; providing guidance and assistance to the public in life-safety situations; and coordinating appropriate responses to high-risk, high-stress operations, with the objective of keeping all participants safe. 

Essential Job Duties and Tasks:

• Using training and policies to screen requests for emergency services; answering them professionally, recognizing if a call is received from telephone, text, video, or radio.
• Processing incoming telephone calls for police, fire, and medical emergencies and non-emergencies to determine an appropriate course of action for handling the call. This may be in accordance with established written directives and practices. This includes being able to read scripted protocols from Priority Dispatch.
• Documenting incident details quickly and accurately to establish incident urgency, categorizing the incident type, and obtaining the proper help for the caller.
• Obtaining and verifying caller information and location while using different resources and knowledge of the county and cities/towns.
• Demonstrating clear and effective communications with active listening, call control, judgment, respect, and empathy with callers that range from calm to panicked.
• Providing pre-arrival and post-dispatch instructions to those that are requiring assistance during high stress situations, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), childbirth, hemorrhaging, active shooter, and entrapments.
• Managing challenging callers using appropriate handling of distressed, autistic, hearing-impaired, elderly, angry, and foreign-language-speaking callers.
• Ability to prioritize multiple events based on available resources—critical thinking.
• Using TDD and relay services to comply with standards for handling calls from hearing-impaired callers.
• Utilizing language interpretation services and coordinating with mental health resources such as 988 for appropriate contacts with callers who have mental health or language barriers to receiving help.
• Using text-to-911 to communicate effectively with callers.
• Interpreting automatic number and automatic location data provided by the emergency communications phone system and verifying data using mapping software for accuracy and reliability.
• Maintaining communications during life-threatening emergencies, providing safety/lifesaving instructions, and maintaining control of the conversation until field units arrive on scene.
• Demonstrating clear and effective communications and active listening with public safety responders using appropriate terminology, codes, and signals.
• Relaying initial information for dispatch accurately, reviewing the call for service details, and assuming incident command until first responders arrive.
• Documenting thoroughly and accurately all incident activities while maintaining awareness of scene activities.
• Facilitating the transferring of calls to the appropriate resources such as but not limited to poison control centers or air medical.
• Gathering pertinent information from the airport tower to coordinate appropriate resources and properly communicating requests for air medical.
• Operating a sophisticated workstation comprised of multiple computer systems, computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software and geographical information systems (GIS), call handling systems, text-to-911 sessions, and radio dispatch consoles.
• Operating multiple systems and conversations simultaneously without error.
• Notifying key personnel of critical incidents, using judgment to determine the need to contact other law enforcement and public safety agencies for additional information and resources as needed, or relaying information regarding incidents and situational awareness.
• Maintaining a calm demeanor under chaotic and stressful circumstances, multiple conversations, and frequently noisy environments.
• Completing training, certifications, and competencies as needed by actively seeking training, completing the training and certifications required for assigned positions, and completing continuing education and career development as necessary.
• Following established agency policies and procedures, being aware of liability to the agency, and adhering to federal disclosure and privacy laws.
• Using debriefing tools, stress management techniques. and critical incident response models such as the Peer Support Team to deal with mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements:

• Applicants must be 18 years or older
• A high school diploma or GED
• Flexibility to adapt to changes
• Dependable, self-motivated, and team-oriented, with a desire to provide a service to the community
• Have great attention to detail and empathy towards the customers’ needs and concerns
• Must be able to adapt and function, without reservation, in high stress situations
• Must be able to perform essential job functions (reasonable accommodation may be made on a case by-case basis)
• Must pass a background check. Never committed, been involved in, or been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor
• Must be able to work on a rotating schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays to ensure we have 24/7 operational coverage and be available for overtime and on call shifts
• This position is designated as essential and must report to work during times when the government/agency is closed

Required Certifications:

• All certifications must be obtained and maintained throughout employment
• Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Bi-annually IAED Dispatcher Directed CPR
• Emergency Medical Dispatch Course (EMD)
• Emergency Fire Communications Course (EFD)
• Emergency Police Dispatch Course (EPD)
• National Incident Management Courses (NIMS 100,200,700, and 800)
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (MECINTRO and MECTEL)
• Complete twenty-four hours of continuing education in each calendar year
• Any other required training as deemed necessary by the 911 Executive Director or Training Manager

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• By the end of the probationary period, thorough knowledge of the policies, procedures, processes, laws, ordinances, and regulations affecting public safety call-taking and the ability to apply them appropriately.
• Able to use logic, critical thinking, and reasoning to reach conclusions and solve problems.
• Adhere to policy and procedure requirements are stringent, rigorous, and unwavering, including confidentiality of information and trustworthiness while dealing with sensitive information.
• Communicate clearly, concisely, and effectively; relay details accurately; listen actively; think and act quickly.
• Compile and analyze operational data and prepare and maintain accurate records.
• Effectively interact with people of different social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Establish and maintain cooperative and professional working relationships with co-workers, supervisors, representatives from other departments, and other emergency services agencies.
• Follow instructions, spell correctly, and write clearly.
• Handle multiple tasks simultaneously, under pressure, and in emergency and stressful situations.
• Learn quickly and retain public safety training materials or by demonstrating with hands on training.
• Maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance.
• Obtain information from hostile, confusing, and emotional callers.
• Provide effective customer service and deal tactfully and courteously with a demanding public.
• Able to handle complaints and difficult situations, remain calm under pressure.
• Remember names, numbers, and locations accurately.
• Read and interpret geographical data and maps quickly and accurately.
• Resilient and resourceful while coordinating high-risk, high-stress operations, with the objective of keeping all participants safe.
• Operate computer systems with specialized software and enter data via keyboard and software with speed and accuracy.
• Organize and prioritize work to meet deadlines and accomplish tasks.
• Use judgment and decision-making skills to rapidly evaluate situations, establish priorities, resolve matters, and pass on information, as needed.
• Relentless problem solver.
• Friendly and tactful personality.
• Patient and resilient.
• Stress tolerance and adaptability.

Physical Demands/Work Conditions:

This work is sedentary and requires little to no exertion of force. Work regularly requires speaking or hearing and frequently sitting, using hands to finger, handle, or feel, reaching with hands and arms and repetitive motions. Work requires close vision, distance vision, ability to adjust focus, depth perception, and peripheral vision. Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly. Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications, and/or make fine distinctions in sound. Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data. Work requires exposure to loud noises, extreme emotions, and stressful environments. Work is generally indoors and in a moderately noisy location surrounded by others talking on the phone or radio.  Work requires extended periods on time sitting at a workstation for 12-hour shifts.

Compensation:

The starting salary for this position is $47,000 plus built in overtime.

Benefits include health insurance, dental insurance, and vision plan. Annual benefit time, shift differential pay, foreign language incentive, a contributory retirement plan, group term life insurance, flexible spending accounts (health savings/flexible spending account [HSA/FSA]), short-term and long-term disability insurance.