Location
Description
The City of Burlingame is accepting applications for the position of Per Diem Communications Dispatcher
This application is for Part-Time employment only.
Our diverse family of employees welcomes you to apply. We are a small city that gets a lot done, and each member of our team is vital to our success as an organization.
We recently asked our employees what they enjoyed most about working for the City of Burlingame, and their responses fell into five general categories:
- Colleagues
- Community
- Location
- The Work
- The Benefits
Browse the Burlingame Welcome Brochure for more information about why employees love working here or view our City of Burlingame is a Great Place to Work Video:
City of Burlingame is a Great Place to Work Video
For more detailed information regarding the minimum qualifications and essential functions of the position, please review the Communications Dispatcher job description.
Ideal Candidate
The City of Burlingame Police Department is seeking an enthusiastic, flexible, and service-oriented individual to join our Communications Dispatch team. This is a fantastic career opportunity to work in a small department and play a significant role in all aspects of Communications.
Under direction of the communications and records supervisor incumbents receives all incoming calls for emergency and non-emergency police and fire assistance and dispatches required equipment using a computer aided dispatch system as well as performing a variety of general support duties related to Communications.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
The ideal candidate will possess the following knowledge, abilities and skills as well as able to pass a thorough background investigation, polygraph and psychological screening. Be willing and able to work Day, Swing and Midnight shifts. Be willing and able to work weekends and holidays.
KNOWLEDGE/ABILITIES/SKILLS (The following are a sample of the knowledge/abilities and skills necessary for this position.)
Knowledge of:
- English usage including spelling, grammar and punctuation
- Modern office procedures and methods.
Ability to:
- Learn to operate and use standard radio and telephone receiving and transmitting equipment
- Learn department procedures and policies pertaining to the dispatching of city emergency equipment
- Learn to operate a sophisticated computer aided dispatch system
- Learn to operate, retain and use geographic features and streets within the area served Learn to effectively elicit information from irate and upset citizens; learn to follow oral and written instructions
- Learn, retain, and use public safety classification codes and computer commands.
- Think clearly and use good judgment in dispatching
- Communicate clearly and concisely with good enunciation orally and clearly in writing
- Exercise good judgment and make sound decisions in emergency situations
- Stay calm in emergency situations
- Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with citizens, peers, police officers, and employees in other departments
- Flexibility of work hours and overtime to work various shifts as assigned
- Stamina, willingness, and endurance for sedentary console operations and dispatching.
- Reach all consoles and other equipment including teletype, phones
- Hear alarms, radios, and phones
- Demonstrate sufficient calm, emotional stability
- See console screen and TV monitor
- Sit for long periods of time, several hours at a time.
- Reach to a height of up to six feet to retrieve reports and audio tapes.
Skills:
- Ability to type 35 net words per minute.
- Ability to multi-task, gather and disseminate information clearly, accurately and rapidly in urgent situations.
- Ability to calm irate and hysterical persons.
- Ability to operate a wide variety of computers, radios and recording equipment.
Education:
High School Diploma or General Education Development certificate equivalent.
Experience:
Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way of obtaining this would be prior full-time responsible experience involving public contact, computer usage, and/or heavy telephone traffic.
Highly Desirable:
Experience in public safety or dealing with stressful, multi-task oriented situations; Telephone, dispatch, and public contact experience; CAD experience
Certificates:
- Must be currently employed as a full-time or part-time dispatcher with a Law Enforcement Agency. If not, the following certificates will be required as part of the application:
- A valid typing certificate issued within the last year by an educational institution, public agency, or professional service verifying minimum typing speed of at least thirty-five (35) net words per minute with a maximum of nine (9) errors. Typing certificate must be submitted with application to be considered
- Completion of the California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Entry Level Dispatcher Selection Test Battery. Certificate must be submitted with application to be considered
License:
Possession of or ability to obtain and maintain a valid Class C driver’s license.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Think clearly and use good judgment in dispatching; communicate clearly and concisely with good enunciation orally and clearly in writing; exercise good judgment and make sound decisions in emergency situations; stay calm in emergency situations; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with citizens, peers, police officers, employees in other departments; flexibility of work hours and overtime to work various shifts as assigned; stamina, willingness and endurance for sedentary console operation and dispatching.
Ability to reach all consoles and other equipment including teletype, phone, hear alarms, radios and phones; demonstrate sufficient calm, emotional stability, see console screen and TV monitor; sit for long periods of time, several hours at a time.
Benefits
Healthy Workplaces/Healthy Families Act: California Paid Sick Leave Benefit, as amended effective 1/1/2024. This benefit accrues at the rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked and is available after 90 days of employment. The maximum use of paid sick leave is 40 hours in a one-year period. There is no cash value associated with benefit.
No other benefits are offered. This position is at will and is not part of the City's Civil Service System. There is no guarantee of hours and employment may end at any time.
Special Instructions
APPLICATION PROCESS
This is a continuous recruitment for Per Diem Communications Dispatcher and may close at any time or upon receipt of the first 100 applications.
Interested candidates must submit a completed online employment application. Applications submitted without a resume , completed supplemental questions, typing certificate, and POST entry level dispatcher certificate will be considered incomplete and disqualified from this recruitment process. Your responses will be reviewed for appropriate grammar, punctuation, and content.
- Must be currently employed as a full-time or part-time dispatcher with a Law Enforcement Agency. If not, the following certificates will be required as part of the application:
- A valid typing certificate issued within the last year by an educational institution, public agency, or professional service verifying minimum typing speed of at least thirty-five (35) net words per minute with a maximum of nine (9) errors. Typing certificate must be submitted with application to be considered
- Completion of the California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Entry Level Dispatcher Selection Test Battery. Certificate must be submitted with application to be considered
SELECTION PROCESS
All applications will be reviewed for relevant education, experience, training and other job related qualifications. Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee that a candidate will be invited to participate in the selection process. Based upon a review of employment applications, supplemental questionnaires, and resumes received, a limited number of the qualified applicants will be invited to continue forward in the recruitment process.
Note: The City of Burlingame reserves the right, at its discretion, to limit the number of qualified candidates invited to the selection process.
PRIOR TO APPOINTMENT
Candidates will be required to:
- pass a thorough background investigation, polygraph and psychological screening.
- comply with The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 new employees are required to provide proof of identity and authorization to work in the United States at date of hire.
- present an original social security card.
This position is at will and is not part of the City's Civil Service System. There is no guarantee of hours and employment may end at any time.
The City of Burlingame is an Equal Opportunity Employer and as such does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or national origin in its employment actions, decisions, policies, and practices. The duties described in this job announcement are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. This job announcement does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.