Emergency Telecommunications Officer 1 (911 Dispatcher)

At the Department of Emergency Communications (DEC), which serves Nashville and Davidson County, every shift offers an opportunity to make a difference, even a chance to save a life. The mission of the DEC is to serve as the vital link between citizens and the emergency responders of Nashville and Davidson County by providing emergency and non-emergency services in a prompt, courteous, and efficient manner. The DEC's dedicated employees are typically the initial emergency contact in Metro Nashville, providing life-saving assistance over the phone while dispatching EMS, Fire, or Police first responders to an emergency. The DEC provides this public service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year.

About the role

This position requires a high level of responsibility, flexibility, attention to detail, ability to work under pressure, and maintain privacy and confidentiality. Emergency Telecommunications Officer 1's are provisional (Non-Civil Service) employees. After successful completion of training with at least a standard evaluation, incumbents will begin their six-month probationary period.

Employees in this classification shall be automatically upgraded to the Emergency Telecommunications Officer 2 classification in 6 months, provided all criteria of Policy 5.6 B-I Upgrades for Targeted Classifications are met. After one year as an Emergency Telecommunications Officer 2, employees may be upgraded to Emergency Telecommunications Officer 3.

Responsibilities

• Acquires skills, training, and certifications necessary to receive and process emergency calls as well as routine non-emergency calls.
• Operates automatic call distribution telephone workstation to receive emergency (9-1-1) and non-emergency calls.
• Determines type, location, and extent of emergency.
• Types information from caller into computer terminal.
• Codes messages where appropriate.
• Relays information electronically to dispatcher, appropriate personnel, or other agencies.
• Assists callers with basic life support procedures.
• Reads maps and gives directions to the location of the incident.
• Performs assigned tests of communications equipment.
• Attends training sessions as required.
• Wears a headset and sits/stands for long periods of time.

Requirements

• Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
• Must have a high school diploma or equivalency.
• No convictions or guilty pleas or have entered a plea of nolo contendere to any felony charge, or to any violation of any federal or state laws or city ordinances relating to force, violence, theft, dishonesty, gambling, liquor, or controlled substances (Tenn. Code Ann. 7-86-205).
• Not have been released or discharged under other than an honorable or medical discharge from any of the armed forces of the United States.
• Must be a U.S. citizen at the time of hiring.
• Must obtain the following certifications through training while performing as an Emergency Telecommunications Officer 1:
  • Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Basic Telecommunicator Certification
  • Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certification
  • Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) Certification
  • Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD) Certification
  • National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Query Certification

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of the geography of Nashville.

Pay

• $58,135.00 annual salary after 6 (six) months (Emergency Telecommunications Officer 2).
• $63,949.00 annual salary after one year as an Emergency Telecommunications Officer 2 (Emergency Telecommunications Officer 3).

Benefits

• 10 vacation days per year (increasing after 5 years of service).
• 3 personal days per year.
• 1 sick day per month.
• 12 paid holidays per year.
• Medical, dental, and life insurance.
• Service pension.
• Medical disability.

Per Metro Ordinance No. SO94-1078, all employees of the Metropolitan Government shall be residents of the State of Tennessee or become residents of the state within six (6) months of employment as a prerequisite to employment with the Metropolitan Government.