Emergency Communications Specialist

Join the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) as an Emergency Communications Specialist in our 24/7 Emergency Communications Center (ECC) located on the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport campus. In this role, you will coordinate day-to-day operations of the MSP Emergency Communications Center, a primary 911 Public Safety Answering Point. You will interact regularly with police, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and other state and federal agencies. Using your task-prioritization skills and calm demeanor, you will determine priorities according to changing conditions and make critical decisions to ensure the safety of tenants, passengers, police officers, firefighters, and other users of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport community.

The ideal candidate has a passion for helping people, hands-on experience with public safety technologies, the ability to adapt to new technology, customer service experience, the ability to work both independently and as part of a team, and strong verbal and written communication skills.

An information session will be offered on Wednesday, August 19th from 5 pm - 7 pm (1700-1900) at the MAC General Offices located at 6040 28th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55450. Parking is free.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the day-to-day operations of the MSP Emergency Communications Center, a primary 911 Public Safety Answering Point.
• Interact with police, fire, EMS, TSA, and other state and federal agencies.
• Determine priorities according to changing conditions and make critical decisions to ensure safety.
• Operational Skills
  • Telephone Interview & PAI
    • Answer calls promptly using proper call-taking and information-gathering techniques, including sequential call-taking, to determine location, need, and priority of a public safety response.
    • Use active listening and empathy to engage with callers, determine their needs, and provide appropriate services.
    • Maintain a calm, assertive, and professional demeanor in all situations.
    • Display a sense of urgency when appropriate, recognize when callers should be kept on an active line, and provide pre-arrival and post-dispatch instructions, including medical lifesaving measures and safety instructions.
  • Incident Processing
    • Select the appropriate incident type based on information received and follow department protocols.
    • Efficiently and accurately complete dispatch-required actions, notifications, and follow-up as required by protocols.
    • Use mass notification systems to provide notifications to MAC staff, airlines, tenants, and passengers of emergent and non-emergent events at the airport.
  • Dispatch Methods and Techniques
    • Initiate public safety responses using appropriate radio dispatch protocol and techniques, following approved message formatting, and ensuring radio transmissions are clear and concise.
    • Coordinate public safety responses and control radio traffic to ensure response effectiveness and responder safety.
    • Comprehend and keep pace with radio traffic and act on information received.
    • Relay pertinent information to public safety responders without delay.
    • Ensure responder safety by performing required status checks and utilizing multiple resources to determine situational awareness of a scene.
  • Operations
    • Utilize effective task sequencing, prioritizing work, and maintaining an appropriate sense of urgency.
    • Maintain situational awareness of ongoing and recent incidents.
    • Maintain an understanding of the geographical makeup of the immediate area, including terminal layouts, public safety boundaries, and commonly used locations and landmark references.
    • Receive and issue requests for mutual aid from neighboring jurisdictions.
    • Maintain a working knowledge of incident command, airport operations, and jurisdictional agreements.
    • Initiate, receive, and evaluate large amounts of protected data from the Minnesota Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) and other computerized links to state, federal, interstate, and local law enforcement systems.
• Technical Skills
  • Phone
    • Operate a multi-line 911 emergency and administrative phone system, interpreting the information received, and utilizing it to initiate a public safety response.
    • Utilize mapped-ALI solutions and other applications to enhance the public safety response to incidents.
  • Radio
    • Operate a complex multi-talkgroup radio console on the Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) system in accordance with local and state policy and procedure.
    • Maintain a working knowledge of radio interoperability standards.
    • Access and update the Minnesota state radio resource application.
  • Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)
    • Efficiently utilize CAD software to document incident information accurately and timely, ensuring CAD narratives are organized, contain minimal errors, are logical in format, and include all information required by policy.
    • Utilize CAD software to query, update, and interpret data and provide information to public safety responders.
  • Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV)
    • Monitor public safety incidents via CCTV, providing critical information in real time.
    • Utilize CCTV to ensure public responder safety on escalated incidents.
    • Review historical CCTV footage of active incidents, creating archives as needed for investigative purposes.
  • Secured Area Access Control System (SAACS)
    • Monitor the secured area access control system and dispatch public safety responders when appropriate based on established procedures.
    • Utilize SAACS to control access to restricted areas of the airport.
    • Interpret data from SAACS to initiate a public safety response as needed and provide responders with relevant incident information.
    • Locate and modify security badge information in SAACS in compliance with policy and procedure.
  • Fire Alarm
    • Monitor and operate the fire alarm system and dispatch public safety responders when appropriate based on established procedures.
    • Record fire system impairments as needed.
    • Accurately document and bypass the system to prevent false alarm activations.
  • License Plate Reader (LPR)
    • Monitor an LPR system and dispatch public safety responders when appropriate based on established procedures.
    • Enter license plate information into the LPR system following applicable state laws.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Must have never committed, been involved in, or been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor.
• Working knowledge of Windows-based software and experience working with multiple computerized electronic, telecommunications equipment.
• Must be able to work a rotating schedule including days, nights, weekends, and holidays to ensure 24/7 coverage.
• Subject to call back and shift extension to maintain minimum staffing 24/7.
• Obtain and maintain certification in telecommunicator cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (TCPR) in a given and reasonable time frame.
• Obtain and maintain certification for operation of the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) terminal in compliance with the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) standards.
• Have or obtain National Incident Management System (NIMS) 100, 200, 700, 800 in a given and reasonable time frame.
• Experience effectively interacting with people of different social and ethnic backgrounds.
• Must possess the skills necessary to communicate clearly, task-sequence efficiently, and function effectively during stressful situations in a fast-paced, technology-rich, public safety emergency communication center environment.
• Ability to think clearly, remain calm, provide stability, exercise tact and good judgment while communicating with a variety of people.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Establish and maintain cooperative and professional working relationships with co-workers, supervisors, representatives from other departments, and other emergency services agencies.
• Able to comfortably work in a law enforcement environment and maintain confidential information.

Qualifications

• Individual Contributor (IC) Competencies
  • Customer Focus – Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
  • Decision Quality – Making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.
  • Action Oriented – Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
  • Optimizes Work Processes – Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.
  • Ensures Accountability – Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
  • Collaborates – Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
  • Values Differences – Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.
  • Communicates Effectively – Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
  • Courage – Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.
  • Instills Trust – Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
  • Self-Development – Actively seeking new ways to grow and be challenged using both formal and informal development channels.
  • Situational Adaptability – Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations.
• Desirable Qualifications
  • College degree in business administration, public administration, communications, criminal justice, computer science, or related field.

Pay

Hourly rate: $39.37 - $49.30

Schedule

• Specialists work a mix of 8-, 10-, and 12-hour shifts on a 2-week rotation that includes every other weekend off.
• Shifts typically start at 0600, 0800, or 1800, though they may vary based on organizational needs.