City of Richland
Emergency Communications Dispatcher
City of Richland, Richland, Washington, United States, 99352
Starting Pay
Starting pay for this position is $29.36 per hour and is set by a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Teamsters, Local No. 839.
Position Salary Range: $29.36 - $40.46
About Us Located in Richland, WA, the Southeast Communications Center (SECOMM) is the 911 center for Benton and Franklin Counties in Eastern Washington. Additionally, we provide dispatch service to all law enforcement, fire/EMS, and emergency response agencies within both counties along with Walla Walla Fire District #5 in Walla Walla County. SECOMM averages about 28,000 calls per month, including both emergency and non-emergency calls.
Richland is located at the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima Rivers in southeastern Washington in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. Richland and its sister cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and West Richland make up the Tri-Cities MSA with a population of 312,000. Richland is the third largest city in the region with a population of approximately 62,500 residents.
Top Reasons You Want To Work At SECOMM
You have a sense of service to your community. You want to help by working closely with first responders.
You want to support your local law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS professionals by helping them arrive on-scene and safely deploy emergency response.
Stable full-time employment with a defined benefit retirement plan. We aren’t going anywhere!
Career growth and advancement potential.
Your values align with ours; Teamwork, Integrity and Excellence.
Compensation & Benefits
Generous paid time-off starting with 152.04 hours of vacation accrued per year; 96 hours of sick leave accrued per year.
Holidays – 10 recognized holidays per year.
Pay: $29.36 per hour on day one of training, with union negotiated increases every six months for the first year, annually thereafter through Step 7.
Benefit plans – Medical, dental, vision and time loss plans through the United Employee Benefits Trust (UEBT). Employer paid life insurance and long-term disability.
Employee Assistance Program for public safety professionals.
WA State Public Safety Employees Retirement System (PSERS), Deferred Compensation contribution, matched by employer.
Pension Plan - Vested in PSERS after 5 years of employment.
Deferred Compensation – After completion of probation, employees will receive up to a 3% contribution match to their choice of a 401(1) or 457 plan, including a ROTH plan option.
General Information As part of the public safety team, the successful candidate will contribute to the safety and welfare of fellow emergency responders and the citizens of both Benton and Franklin counties.
Our recruitment process typically takes about 90 days from the date of application to hire date.
The first six months of training require significant internal resources. Vacations and time off are not guaranteed during this time. Employees are expected to be available and willing to work 12-hour rotating shifts which includes day shift, night shift, and mandatory weekends and holidays. During training, an effort will be made to expose the trainee to both day and night shifts.
Dispatching is often compared to being an Air Traffic Controller – very stressful. Part of our training is to learn to cope with that stress and take care of ourselves.
Some types of calls we deal with (and are trained to handle) include:
Routine calls of crimes not occurring at the time of the call.
Calls of crimes occurring during the time of the call.
Calls from people who are intoxicated, hysterical, irrational, confused, demanding, or screaming at you, people threatening suicide, having a minor or serious medical issue, victims of violent crimes, or reporting a lost child or a lost animal.
Use technology and interview skills to determine callers’ location, should they be unable to provide it.
Minimum Qualifications
High school diploma or equivalent.
One (1) year of customer service experience involving substantial customer interaction in a fast-paced environment.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Outlook and Word.
Data-entry skills with speed and accuracy, and ability to type 35 wpm with accuracy.
Licenses, Certifications & Other Requirements
Obtain and maintain ACCESS Level I or II certification within one (1) year of hire date.
Obtain CPR and Emergency Medical Dispatch (or equivalent) certifications within one (1) year of hire date.
Desirable Qualifications
Prior successful experience in a fast-paced and multi-tasked public contact environment (e.g. medical intake, bank teller, server, or barista) or a public safety communications environment.
Knowledge of Benton and Franklin County streets, locations, and landmarks.
Excellent oral communication skills to include a clear and confident speaking voice with good diction.
Demonstrated background providing excellent customer service with tact, patience, and courtesy while maintaining a calm and professional demeanor with callers who may be verbally abusive, emotionally upset, uncooperative, or frightened.
Supplemental Information Final candidate(s) selected will be required to successfully complete and pass a comprehensive background/reference process to include a job suitability assessment, fingerprinting, polygraph, psychological evaluation, and a pre-employment physical examination (including drug/alcohol screening) commensurate to the position.
Example Recruitment Process Timeline
Submit application
Typing test
CritiCall testing (data entry and typing)
Job suitability assessment
Fingerprinting
Background and reference checks
Interview with the Executive Director
Conditional offer of employment
Polygraph
Psychological evaluation
Pre-employment medical exam (to include drug and alcohol screening)
Final offer of employment
Seniority level Entry level
Employment type Full-time
Job function Other
Industries Government Administration
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Position Salary Range: $29.36 - $40.46
About Us Located in Richland, WA, the Southeast Communications Center (SECOMM) is the 911 center for Benton and Franklin Counties in Eastern Washington. Additionally, we provide dispatch service to all law enforcement, fire/EMS, and emergency response agencies within both counties along with Walla Walla Fire District #5 in Walla Walla County. SECOMM averages about 28,000 calls per month, including both emergency and non-emergency calls.
Richland is located at the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima Rivers in southeastern Washington in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. Richland and its sister cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and West Richland make up the Tri-Cities MSA with a population of 312,000. Richland is the third largest city in the region with a population of approximately 62,500 residents.
Top Reasons You Want To Work At SECOMM
You have a sense of service to your community. You want to help by working closely with first responders.
You want to support your local law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS professionals by helping them arrive on-scene and safely deploy emergency response.
Stable full-time employment with a defined benefit retirement plan. We aren’t going anywhere!
Career growth and advancement potential.
Your values align with ours; Teamwork, Integrity and Excellence.
Compensation & Benefits
Generous paid time-off starting with 152.04 hours of vacation accrued per year; 96 hours of sick leave accrued per year.
Holidays – 10 recognized holidays per year.
Pay: $29.36 per hour on day one of training, with union negotiated increases every six months for the first year, annually thereafter through Step 7.
Benefit plans – Medical, dental, vision and time loss plans through the United Employee Benefits Trust (UEBT). Employer paid life insurance and long-term disability.
Employee Assistance Program for public safety professionals.
WA State Public Safety Employees Retirement System (PSERS), Deferred Compensation contribution, matched by employer.
Pension Plan - Vested in PSERS after 5 years of employment.
Deferred Compensation – After completion of probation, employees will receive up to a 3% contribution match to their choice of a 401(1) or 457 plan, including a ROTH plan option.
General Information As part of the public safety team, the successful candidate will contribute to the safety and welfare of fellow emergency responders and the citizens of both Benton and Franklin counties.
Our recruitment process typically takes about 90 days from the date of application to hire date.
The first six months of training require significant internal resources. Vacations and time off are not guaranteed during this time. Employees are expected to be available and willing to work 12-hour rotating shifts which includes day shift, night shift, and mandatory weekends and holidays. During training, an effort will be made to expose the trainee to both day and night shifts.
Dispatching is often compared to being an Air Traffic Controller – very stressful. Part of our training is to learn to cope with that stress and take care of ourselves.
Some types of calls we deal with (and are trained to handle) include:
Routine calls of crimes not occurring at the time of the call.
Calls of crimes occurring during the time of the call.
Calls from people who are intoxicated, hysterical, irrational, confused, demanding, or screaming at you, people threatening suicide, having a minor or serious medical issue, victims of violent crimes, or reporting a lost child or a lost animal.
Use technology and interview skills to determine callers’ location, should they be unable to provide it.
Minimum Qualifications
High school diploma or equivalent.
One (1) year of customer service experience involving substantial customer interaction in a fast-paced environment.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Outlook and Word.
Data-entry skills with speed and accuracy, and ability to type 35 wpm with accuracy.
Licenses, Certifications & Other Requirements
Obtain and maintain ACCESS Level I or II certification within one (1) year of hire date.
Obtain CPR and Emergency Medical Dispatch (or equivalent) certifications within one (1) year of hire date.
Desirable Qualifications
Prior successful experience in a fast-paced and multi-tasked public contact environment (e.g. medical intake, bank teller, server, or barista) or a public safety communications environment.
Knowledge of Benton and Franklin County streets, locations, and landmarks.
Excellent oral communication skills to include a clear and confident speaking voice with good diction.
Demonstrated background providing excellent customer service with tact, patience, and courtesy while maintaining a calm and professional demeanor with callers who may be verbally abusive, emotionally upset, uncooperative, or frightened.
Supplemental Information Final candidate(s) selected will be required to successfully complete and pass a comprehensive background/reference process to include a job suitability assessment, fingerprinting, polygraph, psychological evaluation, and a pre-employment physical examination (including drug/alcohol screening) commensurate to the position.
Example Recruitment Process Timeline
Submit application
Typing test
CritiCall testing (data entry and typing)
Job suitability assessment
Fingerprinting
Background and reference checks
Interview with the Executive Director
Conditional offer of employment
Polygraph
Psychological evaluation
Pre-employment medical exam (to include drug and alcohol screening)
Final offer of employment
Seniority level Entry level
Employment type Full-time
Job function Other
Industries Government Administration
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