OSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County E-911 Communications Center will host an open house for potential telecommunicator candidates on Saturday, Jan. 14. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the facility at 39 Churchill Rd., Oswego.
Becoming a telecommunicator at the Oswego County E-911 Communications Center “is a great way to assist the community you live in,” says Kevin Pooley, director of the center. “You can help your neighbors and emergency responders without putting yourself in harm’s way. Being a telecommunicator is a very important link in public safety.”
“This open house is a great opportunity for people interested to learn what the job involves, prior to the civil service test in February,” he added.
Oswego County will hold a civil service exam for telecommunicators on Saturday, Feb. 25. Applications for the test can be found at www.oswegocounty.com/civilservice and are due to the Oswego County Human Resources by Wednesday, Jan. 18.
“We currently have some vacancies and new positions opening,” Pooley says. “We’re looking for candidates who enjoy working with people in emergency situations, who can remain calm in high-stress or life-and-death situations, and who enjoy working behind the scenes of an emergency.”
Telecommunicators are required to work shifts that cover both days and nights, including weekdays and weekends.
The job description for telecommunicator is posted on the Oswego County website at www.oswegocounty.com/civilservice. Minimum qualifications are graduation from high school or possession of an equivalency diploma. The starting pay rate is $19.23 per hour. “Pay will increase at the employee’s first anniversary, and they’ll have the potential to receive three pay increases in their first 18 months of their employment,” Pooley notes.
The open house on Jan. 14 will show people the actual process of taking a call and dispatching emergency services.
“Our staff will be conducting E-911 center operations in the back-up center that day, so calls can be simulated at the primary center on Churchill Road,” Pooley says. “We’ll have simulators on the floor, and we’ll be operating in practice mode. People will be able to handle fake 911 calls and see the process of handing a call off to a dispatcher.”
Visitors will be able to discuss their questions with Director Pooley and current staff and sign up for the telecommunicator exam.
The open house will also include a drone demonstration, a new venture the center is considering utilizing during emergency incidents. “Drones can provide early eyes on a structure fire while first responders are enroute and other tasks,” Pooley says. “It’s an area we’re looking to develop soon.”
Once hired, new telecommunicators attend an in-house 18-week Telecommunicator Academy, which provides both classroom and hands-on training. “They’re trained as a call-taker first,” Pooley says. “Then, within the next year, they’ll be cross trained into fire dispatch. Six to 12 months later, they’ll be trained in law enforcement dispatch.”
Telecommunicators will continue with in-service training. There may be opportunities for telecommunicators to work out of the office, for community education events or other programs.
Anyone interested in the exam or attending the open house may call the Oswego County E-911 Center at 315-349-8215.
missing or outdated ad config
