Public Safety Dispatcher | About the Position

“What’s it like to be a 9-1-1 operator?”  This is probably the question we as Dispatchers hear most from our friends and family.  It’s not always easy to answer because there are a lot of things – some good, some difficult – that can be a part of the job.  Depending on how your last shift went, some elements can seem more or less important at that moment.  Most of us tend to gloss over the toughest parts, either out of politeness or sometimes even because some of the things can be difficult to talk about.  As well, we are not usually answering that question for someone who is seriously considering becoming a Dispatcher.  It’s just someone who is curious, whose only ‘knowledge’ of our profession probably came from a television show or movie, which turns out to be not much at all like what we really do.  If you’re reading this, however, it’s because you are considering applying.  If so, we want to give you the clearest picture of what the job is really like to help you make the best decision you can.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER?

Being a Public Safety Dispatcher is a tough job that requires a person who can be organized, decisive, and effective while at the same time remaining professional and compassionate.  You have to be able to remain calm regardless of the situation – whether it is a mother calling because her child is having a medical emergency, a person reporting a robbery in progress, or even a person who is angry with the police department and is conveying that anger over the phone to you.  You have to be able to finish with a call like one of those, and then seconds later pick up the phone and be able to talk to someone reporting a stray dog or asking for directions to the library without allowing the call you just finished to impact how you speak to the new caller.  We are looking for someone who can act like an emergency room triage coordinator and a customer service specialist at the same time.  You need to be able to listen to what a caller is reporting to you and quickly determine what element of their story is most critical, and then be able to direct that conversation to gather the information most relevant to the responding units while remaining courteous to the caller.  You must keep in mind that how you do your job can have a very real impact on the safety of both the callers as well as the persons responding to the calls for service that you generate.  This is a job where what you do matters in very real terms for the people you serve; you CAN make a difference in someone’s life – but that difference could go one way or the other depending on your decision making and your attention to your duty.

call takers vs. dispatchers

Dispatchers at different agencies often have very different job duties.  In some larger cities, you might find yourself working in a room with dozens of other people at the same time; you might also find yourself working a specialized position, such as ‘only radio’ or ‘only taking phone calls’.  You might have the duties further split so that some employees are hired as ‘Fire Department dispatchers’ and some as ‘Police Department dispatchers’.  At the other end of the spectrum, you could work for a very small police agency that has only one dispatcher on duty at any given time, and that person has to handle all of the duties of that position on their own.  The City of Santa Clara falls between these two extremes.  We are not large enough to specialize permanent job assignments, so we train our dispatchers to handle all the duties – dispatching police and fire units and taking calls for service including 911 calls for both police related situations as well as medical issues.  We are, however, large enough that there are multiple dispatchers on at any given time; the minimum staffing is three and we typically fluctuate between three and four assigned dispatchers on duty.

technology

As a dispatcher, you will need to be familiar with computers and be able to use them to handle the majority of your basic duties including answering the phone, documenting calls for service, and manipulating the radio system.  We use software to standardize how we collect information and keep track of where all the police and fire units are and what they are doing.  We also have software to help us provide instructions over the phone to people reporting medical emergencies.  You will also monitor radio channels for Fire and Police units, and communicate directly with those units both to provide them with information obtained from citizens over the phone as well as to acknowledge and document information they may generate themselves as a result of their activities, and provide them with resources they may need in order to carry out their duties.

THE “TYPICAL” APPLICANT

Dispatchers come to their profession from many different origins.  True, some of us got our start in other public safety related fields and then transitioned to dispatch; however, many of us came from jobs completely outside of the realm of public safety.  Some people start their careers after many years in other fields, and some have become dispatchers as their first ‘serious’ adult job.  While there are certainly some jobs that might prepare you for an easier transition, we can train any person who has the right mindset and capability regardless of how much or how little experience they bring through the door.

THE SCHEDULE

Dispatchers for the City of Santa Clara currently work a version of a two-week twelve-hour schedule where every dispatcher works three twelve-hour days in a row one week and four twelve-hour days in a row the second week.  Dispatchers are organized into four teams.  These are split into ‘day shift’ (0600-1800) and a ‘midnight shift’ (1800-0600), and further into an ‘A’ side with Wednesday – Friday off and a ‘B’ side with Sunday – Tuesday off, with Saturday off alternating between the two teams.  Shifts are ‘bid’ (selected) by seniority; the supervisor shifts are assigned first, and the remaining shifts are awarded in the order of most senior employee to least senior employee.  At this time bidding takes place once a year with employees remaining on the shift they bid for that year.  Dispatchers are also required to be available to cover mandatory overtime shifts as needed in order to maintain minimum staffing levels; typically this occurs when someone is out unexpectedly due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances, although it can also happen due to a planned absence such as a vacation or a training assignment.

THE HIRING PROCESS

Candidates for Public Safety Dispatcher with the City of Santa Clara must complete the application process with the city.  This includes a skills test, an initial oral interview, a background investigation, polygraph and psychological tests, and a Chief’s interview.  For the background, you will need to provide highly detailed information about your past and an investigator will be assigned to review the information and ensure that you can meet the standards of conduct and behavior for an employee of the Police Department and a representative of the City of Santa Clara.  All of this together can be a very lengthy process stretching across months of time.  You can expedite this process by making yourself as available as possible for all test and appointment dates, as well as by completing the ‘background packet’ as completely, accurately, and quickly as you are able.

THE TRAINING

If you are hired…congratulations!  Training includes a brief in-house academy where you will learn some basic skills in a classroom setting.  Then you will be assigned to work with a ‘Communications Training Officer’ (CTO) who will begin teaching you how to do the job in a live environment.  Our training program is designed to introduce you to the most basic elements of the job first, adding greater and greater complexity as you learn the job in stages, all the way up to the point that you will be able to handle live 9-1-1 calls and live Police or Fire radio traffic as a solo dispatcher. During this time you will transition to different CTO’s for the different stages, and you will similarly transition between the different shifts in order to experience different types of activity that take place at different hours of the day or night and on different days.  You will be sent to a basic dispatcher academy that lasts 3 weeks; ideally we like to schedule these at the beginning of your training, but unlike Police Officers it is not necessary for you to attend the academy first, and often times due to scheduling conflicts you will end up going to your academy sometime after you have been hired but still within your training assignment.  Similarly, you will attend a course to become certified as an ‘Emergency Medical Dispatcher’ (EMD) where you will learn the basics of how to take and appropriately handle medical emergencies reported over the phone, after which you will continue to receive one-on-one training for those calls from your CTO.  Ultimately when you have demonstrated the ability to handle all of the duties of the job solo, you will be signed off from training.

IS IT ALL WORTH IT?

All of this may sound daunting; by now you may be wondering if the job is worth the effort.  It is!  To begin with, you are doing something that is important.  It can be as simple as being a friendly and compassionate voice when someone is reporting that they are the victim of a property crime to as complicated and critical as helping direct someone to provide life-saving CPR to a loved one in cardiac arrest.  Your skill and attention to detail can be a critical tool that helps Police officers apprehend a suspect in a crime or help them safely deal with a life-threatening situation.  You can help Firefighters successfully organize an effective response to a major structure fire or ensure that they are aware of a serious hazard to their safety on a call they are responding to.  You CAN make a difference here.

WHY YOU SHOULD APPLY AT SANTA CLARA

By choosing Santa Clara, you are also choosing to work in a city where the residents are extremely supportive of their emergency services.  Santa Clara residents get to elect their Chief of Police, which is an exceptionally rare circumstance; most Chiefs are selected and appointed by the City they work for.  They want their Police and Fire departments to be top notch organizations, and so they elect Council members that reflect that view.  Citizen groups routinely stop by the station to express their gratitude.

This support also translates to an excellent compensation package.  The City of Santa Clara is routinely among the top agencies in the nation when it comes to pay and benefits for its public safety personnel.  Dispatchers receive the highest pay in the Department for non-sworn employees.  We are part of the PERS retirement system and the City also offers access to a voluntary pre-tax retirement savings plan as a supplement.  The health coverage is excellent including full paid health coverage for the employee and the option to purchase coverage for your family; there are several different plans to choose from.  Should you already have coverage from some other source, the City will convert your health care payment to direct pay added to your paycheck.  The City also offers Dental and Vision plans, as well as voluntary life insurance options.  Finally, the City participates in the Social Security system which adds yet another layer of preparation for your eventual retirement.

Lastly, Santa Clara is a diverse community.  There is a major university (Santa Clara University) and multiple large shopping areas.  There is a substantial industry presence.  There is a major theme park (Great America).  We also have Levi’s Stadium, which is home to the San Francisco 49’ers and brings a number of other events to the venue as well.  You can even work (on a voluntary basis for excellent overtime pay) as a dispatcher for police or fire at those events!  Whether you are a fan or you just want to take the time to ‘do something a little different’, it’s a great way to change things up while getting paid very well at the same time.

As a Dispatcher, you can be part of an organization that is important and meaningful while at the same time providing for yourself and your family.  You’ll have a sense of accomplishment knowing you are doing something not everyone can do, and you will be working with a team of top-notch professionals.  Whether you are working for financial stability or a sense of meaning – or both! – you’ll find what you are looking for here. 

If you are on the fence about whether or not you have what it takes, consider this. You are capable of much more than you think you are. It may be daunting, and the unknown is always somewhat scary, but this job has so many rewards. The bonds you develop with the people you work with and the feeling you get when you save someone’s life or make a different in their world means so much. This is an opportunity to become a part of our family and take on the challenge of a lifetime. You can be the calm in the midst of chaos and a lifeline to those in need.