This is a continuous filing exam. The next filing cut-offs are at 5:00 pm on:

Salary Information
Level I: $2,491.67 to $3,029.33 monthly
Level II: $2,829.25 to $3,438.25 monthly

Under direction, the Communications/Operations Dispatcher operates communications equipment consisting of radio, telephone, and data terminals; receive, evaluate, and respond to requests for emergency and non-emergency services by contacting or dispatching necessary medical, fire, law enforcement, or other county personnel and equipment; receive routine calls and transmit information.

LEVEL II:

Knowledge of

• Telephone communication console/switch with multiple lines
  
• Multi-channel radio and other communications equipment
  
• Radio codes
  
• General rules, regulations, and procedures related to emergency/trouble service calls
  
• Non-emergency dispatch procedures
  
• Map reading for major streets, highways and districts in City/County
  
• Computers (general computer literacy)
  
• Public services available in County
  
• Sacramento County emergency operations plans and procedures
  
• Organization (hierarchy, structure) of County Departments and agencies
  
• Federal communication rules and regulations
  
• Report writing techniques (sentence structure and spelling)
  
• Basic medical terminology
  
• Proper English usage and grammar

• Operate multi-channel radio/telephone
  
• Respond quickly and accurately to emergency situation
  
• Effectively handle more than one incident at the same time
  
• Keep track of several activities occurring simultaneously
  
• Receive and transmit information accurately
  
• Obtain relevant information from callers who are in stressful situations
  
• Remain calm during stressful situations
  
• Analyze situations and make decisions quickly and accurately
  
• Think quickly and clearly in emergency situations
  
• Work with and record a large number of details accurately
  
• Notify and dispatch to multiple agencies quickly
  
• Quickly prioritize pending actions
  
• Maintain tact and self-control when dealing with difficult/irate people
  
• Speak clearly and precisely, with good modulation
  
• Read and locate areas on maps
  
• Maintain accurate and legible logs, follow written and oral directions policies and procedures
  
• Read, write and speak English at the appropriate level
  
• Listen, speak and write simultaneously
  
• Perform and coordinate work effectively with frequent interruptions
  
• Memorize numbers and locations
  
• Work in confined areas for long periods of time
  
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others

• Basic operation of communications center equipment
  
• Proper English usage and grammar.

• At the entry level, incumbents must possess all of the abilities listed for Communications/Operations Dispatcher (Level II).

Minimum Qualifications:

Any combination of education, training and experience that will provide the required knowledge and abilities for these classes as described above. Typical ways include:

Communications/Operations Dispatcher (Level II):

Either: Six months full-time paid experience performing duties equivalent to the Communications/Operations Dispatcher (Level I) or higher in Sacramento County service.

Or: One year full-time paid experience as a fire, radio, or communications dispatcher in the armed forces, an emergency fire suppression services communications center, or public safety communications center such as highway patrol, state police, sheriff's department, police department, or a state or county emergency-disaster operation function. Experience must include operating variety of communication equipment including multiple channel radio receivers and transmitters, telephone switchboard or call director, and alarm signaling devices.

Communications/Operations Dispatcher (Level I): Six months full-time paid experience operating a telephone switchboard, call director, or communication equipment such as radio transmitter and receiver or radiotelephone. Experience must have included public contact.

Volunteer experience in the above operations may be substituted on the basis of 173.6 hours = 21.7 days = one work month.

NOTE: The level at which initial appointments are made and advancement from the lower to the higher level, is at the discretion of the appointing authority, providing the minimum qualifications are met.

Special Requirements:

Background Check: Applicants are subject to a criminal history record check in accordance with the Sacramento County Personnel Policies and Procedures No. B-5.

Physical Requirements: Normal hearing in both ears, normal color vision, and good hand/eye coordination and finger dexterity are essential for all classes.

Work Schedule: Incumbents must be willing to work weekends, holidays, and shift assignments.

Special Access: Some positions require the ability to maintain an Airport Security Badge allowing access to secure County airport locations.

License Requirement: For some positions a valid California Driver License Class C or higher is required prior to appointment to this class. Failure to maintain a valid license may constitute cause for termination from this class in accordance with Civil Service Rule 11.4. Individuals who do no meet this requirement due to physical disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

NOTE: Failure to maintain the appropriate valid California Driver License constitutes cause for termination from the class in accordance with Civil Services Rules.

Probationary Period: The probationary period for this classification is six (6) months.

Testing Process

Minimum Qualifications – To be accepted into the testing process, the information submitted on the application must clearly demonstrate that the applicant meets the required minimum qualifications by the cut-off date. A panel of subject matter experts will only evaluate the responses to the Training & Experience Evaluation supplemental questions in this job announcement. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications by the final filing date will advance to the next testing phase – the Training & Experience Evaluation Exam.

Formula Rate (Training & Experience Evaluation) Exam – The evaluation of the candidate’s relevant experience, education and training, as shown in response to the Training & Experience Evaluation supplemental questions, weighted 100%. All candidates successful in the testing process will be notified by mail of their score and ranking and placed on the eligible list in rank order. The rank is determined by the test score attained from the evaluation of the candidate’s responses to the Training & Experience Evaluation supplemental questionnaire.

Note: Responses to the Training & Experience Evaluation supplemental questionnaire must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date in order to be evaluated.

Note: The information provided should be consistent with the information in your standard County of Sacramento application and is subject to verification. Please refer to the Training & Experience Evaluation instructions (located in this job announcement) for guidance on how to respond to the supplemental questions.

How to Apply

As vacancies occur, a cut-off date will be established and posted in the County of Sacramento Employment Office. All applications/supplements received by 5:00 p.m. on the current posted cut-off date will be processed. Applications received after the current posted cut-off date will remain on file and processed after the next established cut-off date.

Application packets may be submitted to our office on-line, in person or by mail. Applicants are encouraged to complete and submit the standard County of Sacramento application form and their responses to the supplemental questions on-line. However, any required additional documentation (such as copies of transcripts, etc.) must be submitted in person or by mail and clearly marked with the title of the job for which you are applying.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure his/her application, responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire, and any other required document(s) are received by the current cut-off date. Postmarks will not be accepted.

Note: Resumes may be attached to your submitted application. However, a resume (electronic or hard copy) will not substitute for the experience information that is required on your application. Your application will be considered incomplete if the required information is not filled out in its entirety. A notation of “See Resume” will not substitute for the information requested on the application.

To apply, please complete and submit a standard County of Sacramento application, responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire, and any required document(s) by 5:00 p.m. on the application cut-off date to the:

County of Sacramento Employment Office
609 9th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone 916-874-5593; 7-1-1 California Relay Service
Inter-Office Mail Code: 06-007
www.saccountyjobs.org

Note: The County of Sacramento Employment Office is not responsible for the untimely delivery of materials sent via U.S./specialized mail or County interoffice mail.

For information regarding other County jobs, call (916) 874-5627. You will be provided with a recorded message, accessible 24 hours a day. Applications are available by calling (916) 874-5593 or www.saccountyjobs.org.

For additional information related to the County of Sacramento’s employee benefits, appeal rights, application and testing process information, please read the “Sacramento County Employment Benefits You...” brochure, review the "Employee Benefits" section on our website, or review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s).

For Applicants with Disabilities ONLY

Applicants with disabilities requesting an applicable ADA testing accommodation must complete and submit the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form filled out by applicant and their doctor to the Disability Compliance Office by the final filing date as listed in this job announcement. The Reasonable Accommodation Request Form can be obtained by clicking here or by contacting the Sacramento County Employment Office or Disability Compliance Office. Failure to submit this request by the final filing date may result in the County being unable to provide the requested accommodation in a timely manner for this administration of the examination.

Sacramento County Disability Compliance Office
700 H Street, Room 5720
Sacramento, CA 95814

Supplemental Questionnaire Instructions
Please note that your response to the Supplemental Questionnaire is the exam for this job posting, and your responses to the questions will be scored against a pre-determined formula. Responses to the Supplemental Questions not received by the final filing date will not be rated.

Please complete the Supplemental Questionnaire attached to this job bulletin or if applying on-line, see the tab marked “Supplemental Questions”. This is an essential part of the testing process. When completing the Supplemental Questions, please include all relevant experience, education, and training for each question and explain your answers thoroughly. Please include 1) places of employment; 2) pertinent dates; 3) duties performed, etc. when responding to each question. If a job included responsibilities applicable to several questions, separate the different functions of the job to answer all the questions completely. A notation or reference to other materials such as resumes or the application will not be considered in scoring that part of the exam. Incomplete or missing responses to the Supplemental Questions will negatively affect your score.

If you are not submitting your application on-line, include the steps below when preparing your responses to the Supplemental Questions.