County Council of Beaufort County

COUNTY COUNCIL OF BEAUFORT COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS – E911 Law Enforcement Center - P.O. Drawer 1228 Beaufort, South Carolina 29901-1228 843-255-4000

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TECHNICIAN TRAINEE

QUALIFICATIONS AND GENERAL OVERVIEW

QUALIFICATIONS

1. You must have a high school diploma or equivalent. 2. You must have NO criminal history convictions. 3. You must have a valid US Drivers License with NO DUI suspensions within the past five (5) years. 4. You must be able to communicate effectively with the many individuals requesting assistance either in writing, in person, and/or over the telephone and Radio. 5. You must have the ability to learn and maintain high interpersonal skills. 6. You must be able to think clearly, speak audibly, clearly and distinctly, and possess excellent audio-visual capability. 7. You must type at least 35 correct words per minute. 8. You must pass all pre-employment testing. 9. You must arrive to work on time. 10. Dispatchers work an assigned shift. Full time dispatchers are assigned to a shift where there is an opening. You must be able to work any shift assigned. The shifts are 7:30 am to 7:30 pm. and 7:30 pm to 7:30 am. 11. You must have the ability to work in extremely stressful situations, performing multiple tasks simultaneously, while maintaining your composure. 12. You must be able to work in a large, windowless room, often darkened. 13. You must be able to remain at your assigned position for long hours. 14. You must be able to work overtime. 15. You must be able to report for duty and remain in the Dispatch Center when activated for an emergency such as a hurricane. NO EXCEPTIONS

GENERAL OVERVIEW:

16. There are a minimum of six (6) dispatchers on duty at all times, seven (7) days a week, twenty four (24) hours a day, including holidays and weekends. 17. Chain of Command consists of: EMD Director, EMD Operations Officer, Communications Operations Officer, Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader. 18. The initial training period is between twelve (12) months to fifteen (15) months. 19. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office provides security clearance for all dispatchers to maintain our compliance with State and Federal Regulations. If, at any time, this clearance is removed, you will be fired immediately. 20. During the first six (6) months of employment, you will be required to take a 40-hour certification course on the SLED/CJIS FBI NCIC Teletype System. The course and testing are conducted here and you must pass the test with a minimum of 75%. The State of South Carolina Justice Academy and the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Training Section, have established a passing grade of no lower than 75% on any test given in any official capacity. The Communications Division has adopted this standard for testing as well.

1 21. This job requires manual dexterity (to do more than one thing at a time, and do all of them well).

22. There are two (2) violations for which you will be fired for immediately on the first offense:

a. Sleeping on the radio b. Breach of Confidentiality. Any information obtained in dispatch, both professional and personal, is considered to be confidential. You are not allowed to discuss or release this information to anyone without the permission of the Director of Communications. (This includes general public and media inquiries.)

23. We operate a computer system in Communications called Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD). The CAD system keeps track of all units; incident calls, compiles reports and/or statistics, and “talks” to all Mobile Data Terminals in the emergency service vehicles in Beaufort County.

24. There are over 30 incoming phone lines in Communications, only 2 of which are non-emergency lines. We receive approximately 544,000 calls per year, 75% of which are dispatched to one of the emergency service agencies: 8 Fire Departments, 5 Law Enforcement Departments and Emergency Medical Services.

25. MANDATORY training is held at least 2 days per month, sometimes 3 times. Area familiarization is an on-going training program, with 40 hours initially.

26. While employed with Beaufort County, any secondary employment must be approved, in writing by the County Administrator.

27. The benefits and leave package will be explained to you by the Employee Services Division if you are hired.

I HAVE READ THIS DOCUMENT AND UNDERSTAND THE CONTENTS:

PRINT NAME: ______

SIGNATURE: ______

DATE: ______

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COUNTY COUNCIL OF BEAUFORT COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS Law Enforcement Center  P.O. Drawer 1228 Beaufort, South Carolina 29901-1228 843-255-4000

AUTHORIZATION FOR RELEASE OF INFORMATION #1

I hereby authorize all police agencies, educational institutions, previous employers, financial institutions, and credit reporting sources to release to the Beaufort County Communications Department any and all requested information concerning me, which is contained in their files. I further hold harmless from liability, all agencies and individuals providing information concerning me during the course of this employment investigation.

_____Police Agencies – Any criminal records, including traffic violations.

_____Educational Institutions – Dates attended, transcripts and any degree(s) received.

_____Financial Institutions and Credit Reporting Agencies – Credit history, any history of bad checks, liens, foreclosures and any judgments. To include account number if applicable.

This information will be completed and on file with the Director of Communications of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department in the event of applicant’s employment.

______Applicant’s Signature Date

______Witness Date

100407

3 BEAUFORT COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS AUTHORIZATION FOR RELEASE OF INFORMATION #2

In connection with my application for employment, I hereby authorize Beaufort County Communications to investigate the information contained in my application for employment, and to do all the necessary to verify the information that I have submitted. I understand that my present employer, if any, will NOT be contacted without my permission. However, I authorize any past employer (and present employer if I have given permission), any law enforcement agency, and any school that may be listed on my application to release any and all information contained in my work, police, credit or school records.

I hereby release any employer, agency, or school, and any and all of its employees from any liability in furnishing such information to Beaufort County Communications for the purpose of determining my suitability for employment.

Further, I authorize Beaufort County Communications to photographically or otherwise reproduce this original document and to allow such photographic copy or reproduced copy to act as the original document. The original document will remain with my application for employment while I am being actively considered for employment. In the event that I am not hired by Beaufort County Communications this document will be destroyed.

Applicant’s Name (print): ______

Social Security #: ______Date of Birth: ______

Driver’s License #:______State: ______

Place of Birth: ______Sex: _____ Race: ______

Height: ______Weight: ______Eye Color: ______Hair Color: ______

Other names employed under and dates used (maiden names, previous married names, name changes, nicknames, etc.):

Name ______Beginning/Ending Date: ______

AKA (Also known as, include maiden name) ______

Scars, Marks, Tattoos: ______

The information provided above (by the person named below) is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. Signature: ______

Print Name: ______

Date: ______4 J: Applications/Prescreening: 3 Release of Information 012408.doc

DISPATCHER QUESTIONNAIRE

The Emergency Dispatch position may include duties and responsibilities which often involve high-pressure situations that can create emotional distress. Some duties may be disagreeable or unpleasant to perform. Carefully read each numbered item listed below and decide whether or not this is the type of work you are willing to do.

For each numbered item indicate with a YES or NO if you are willing or unwilling to do it.

1. Are you willing to talk to callers who are emotionally upset; for example, persons who are angry, frightened, depressed or excited?

2. Are you willing to tolerate abusive or threatening language from callers who, because of their problems, take out their emotions on you?

3. Are you willing to remain emotionally detached in order to respond to situations in a positive, mature and helpful manner?

4. Are you willing to work in close proximity with co-workers?

5. Are you willing to work weekends and holidays?

6. Are you willing to work overtime and rotating shifts?

7. Are you willing to handle a heavy volume of telephone calls all day, sometimes with as little as one minute between calls?

8. Are you willing to work in a noisy environment all day?

9. Are you willing to work all day in a designated work area with no windows?

10 Are you willing to have all your calls monitored and recorded for evaluation?

5 11. Are you willing to wear an (earpiece) earphone all day?

12. Are you willing to submit to a polygraph test?

13. Are you willing to make immediate decisions that may affect a life?

14. Are you willing to be locked in Communications during a natural or man-made disaster, while family members are elsewhere, for the duration of the emergency?

15. Are you willing to submit to a urinalysis test?

16. Are you willing to accept constructive criticism regarding personal habits and speech patterns?

17. Are you willing to uphold stringent regulations regarding confidentiality and security?

PRINT NAME: ______

SIGNATURE: ______

DATE: ______

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6 In your own words, tell us why you want to be a dispatcher. Please print and when you are finished, sign your name and date the paper at the bottom.

______

7 Please sign and date: ______