The primary duties of the position are located within 30 miles of the state border; therefore, the position is exempt from the residency requirements. Applications will be considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado.

An eligible list established with this recruitment may be used to fill other similar positions within the Colorado Department of Public Safety in the next 12 months.

Our Mission - Engaged employees working together to safeguard lives and to provide diverse public safety services to local communities. Our Vision -Creating safer and more resilient communities across Colorado. Our Core Values –Unity, Honor, Service

CDPS commits to cultivating an equitable, diverse, and inclusive work environment. We ensure that we recruit, retain, and promote engaged employees. Our approach to diversity is simple - it's about embracing everyone! We strive to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is a reflex, not an initiative. Our strength is our promise to be inclusive with intentional strategies to welcome and uplift our employees to thrive - while building a more equitable workplace. CDPS is an equal opportunity employer. See our EEOD Utilization Report (2020)

Careers with a purpose:

If you are passionate about public safety service, and are eager to dedicate your career to serving Coloradans, this is the organization you want to join!

We are committed to providing public safety services to our fellow Coloradans in their times of greater needs such as: safety on our roads, preparing and mitigating environmental disasters, disaster recovery, combating crime, school safety, and victim recovery.

You’ll have the opportunity to challenge yourself and acquire new capabilities to build a rewarding and fulfilling career while making a difference in our community!

When you join CDPS, you are joining a team of exceptional individuals and together you will be inspired, motivated and supported to become the best you can be.

Unmatched Benefits:

We highly value work life balance and offer excellent work-life programs, training, and professional development opportunities!

Did you know that only 15% of employers offer a defined contribution plan? CDPS offers unmatched retirement benefits including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus 401K and 457 plans.

The Employee Assistance Program (C-SEAP) is available in every region of the state. It is our effort to support the well-being of employees and the workplace. EAPs provide short-term counseling, referrals and resources, as well as training and organizational development services.

CDPS provides generous time off including 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation, sick leave, and wellness days.

Medical and dental options are available for permanent employees and their dependents. We also offer short and long-term disability coverage, and life insurance that includes legal resources and discounts.

Additional benefits we offer include reduced college tuition at CSU Global and DeVry University.

Description of Job

About the Work Unit

The mission of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) is to serve and safeguard the people and protect the property, resources, environment, and quality of life in Colorado. The Division achieves this mission through its 5 Sections: Administration, Center of Excellence (COE), Fire and Life Safety (FLS), Professional Qualifications and Training (PQTS), and Wildland Fire Management (WFMS). Colorado’s structure for managing wildland fire is a cooperative, interagency system involving local, county, state, tribal, and federal agencies. Wildland fire protection responsibilities on non-federal lands in Colorado follow a hierarchy of local jurisdiction, to the county sheriff, and finally to the State of Colorado (DFPC). One of the primary roles of WFMS is to assist and support local agencies with a range of fire management programs including administrative, technical, preparedness, planning, response, and prescribed fire functions. Another primary role of WFMS is to coordinate with external partners and represent Colorado at the Regional (multi-state) and National levels. Within the WFMS Section, the Fire Resources Branch is responsible on a Statewide basis for: coordinating with federal, state, county, and local systems to integrate and streamline mobilization of fire resources (wildfire, structure fire, EMS, etc.); maintaining data and systems for fire service resources; tracking status and availability of fire resources; working with Stakeholders on mobilization plans and maintaining mutual aid agreements; providing training to stakeholders; and mobilizing fire service resources for emergency incidents at the request of fire department, County, State, and Federal incident commanders and/or local dispatch centers.

About the Job

The primary purpose of this position is to staff Interagency Dispatch Centers in Colorado, assist with State Fire Coordination functions, and assist with a range of programmatic functions in support of local, county, State, and Federal fire agencies across Colorado. This position: staffs 1 of 3 interagency dispatch centers in Colorado (covering 16 to 28 counties each); supports both short-term initial attack and long-duration extended attack incidents; statuses, mobilizes, and tracks fire department, county, State, and Federal resources (aviation, equipment, incident management teams, overhead, services, and supplies) for wildfire incidents; and coordinates within the national dispatch system to mobilize resources into and out of Colorado when needed.

This position also assists with mobilization of fire resources across the State of Colorado for all types of fire incidents (structure fire, EMS, etc.) as part of the Colorado Coordination Regional Mutual Aid System (CCRMAS).

The Fire Dispatcher independently performs the full range of dispatch, mobilization, and logistical functions. This position requires additional fire dispatch experience and special qualifications and certifications above those required for the Fire Resource Specialist position. Within the Fire Dispatcher position, additional tasks, roles, and duties are performed as individuals gain additional fire dispatching experience and specialized qualifications. Details of in-class advancement, professional development, and training will be documented for each employee in conjunction with the annual Performance Management process.

Key Responsibilities:

Fire Resource Mobilization and Dispatching

• The Fire Dispatcher is qualified and experienced in fire dispatching, and provides dispatching capabilities in multiple functional areas including, but not limited to: initial response dispatching, extended response and expanded dispatch operations, logistical incident support, and aircraft dispatching. Manages, tracks, and dispatches: overhead and personnel, incident management teams, crews, equipment, services, and supplies.
• Coordinates with 911/Public Service Answering Points (PSAP), local Emergency Operations Centers (EOC), the State EOC, and Interagency Dispatch system centers to facilitate movement of fire resources across the State, 5-State Rocky Mountain Region, and nation.
• Maintains situational awareness of the status and location of fire resources, support capabilities, current and forecasted weather conditions, actual and predicted fire potential, and status of active fire incidents.
• Performs or directs standard dispatching functions for ground-based and aviation resources including, but not limited to: entering resources status into systems at the start and end of each shift; communicating with resources via radio or other methods to pass on assignment and/or incident needs; tracking resources throughout the day as they move between assignments and locations; providing periodic check-ins to resources; compiling requests from incident commanders and ordering additional resources as requested; and following emergency protocols in the event of accidents, unaccounted for resources, etc.
• Receives notifications and requests for potential/active fire incidents; compiles and verifies requesting agency/incident needs; determines if available resources meet incident needs and timeframes; contacts potential agencies to send resources and provides them with incident needs and requirements; then either processes or ensures other personnel process orders within established systems; and verifies resources arrive at incident.
• Performs and directs others in receiving fire reports the appropriate response to incidents and coordinates requests from the field. Independently plans and carries out the procedural and technical tasks involved in the dispatching of personnel, equipment, aircraft, services, and supplies to respond to and manage fire incidents. Resolves the full range of irregular or problem situations in anticipating resource needs for fire suppression activities. Makes recommendations regarding resource orders or anticipated orders.
• In situations with limited availability of fire resources:
• Notifies Work Leads, Supervisors and agency Duty Officers of the situation and makes recommendations for prioritization of incidents and/or for allocation of available resources between incidents.
• Utilizes backup and alternate systems in an effort to locate additional resources.
• Coordinates aviation dispatch operations (aircraft capabilities and limitations, flight planning, aviation safety). Performs flight following and tracking for all federal, state, and interagency fire aircraft within the Dispatch Area and adjacent Dispatch areas. Facilitates aircraft tracking and dispatch through the use of radios and other technology.
• Knowledge of aircraft (fixed wing and rotary wing) flight planning, including but not limited to aircraft capabilities, scheduling flights, pilots and aircraft duty limitations, ordering procedures, flight following, procurement and cost comparison analysis.
• Knowledge of aviation safety, including incident response, search, rescue and medevac procedures, incident reporting procedures, briefing and debriefing pilots, chief of party and incident or accident notification.
• Knowledge of airspace designations and notification procedures for airspace coordination (i.e., Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR), hazards[MSN1] , Military Training Route (MTR), Military Operating Airspace (MOA)
• Provides dispatch support to other responses and incident types, including search and rescue; medivac; floods, avalanches, tornados and other natural disasters; hazardous materials spills; vehicle accidents; missing/crashed aircraft; and other all-hazard incidents.
• Works daily with various dispatching, tracking, and mobilization systems, including but not limited to: Incident Resource Ordering Capability (IROC), WildCAD, Automated Flight Following (AFF), National Mutual Aid System (NMAS), WebEOC, Colorado Wildfire Information Management System (COWIMS), Weather Information Management System (WIMS), National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS), SIT-209, and other dispatch systems as appropriate.
• Must have a strong working knowledge of these systems in order to ensure resources can be tracked and mobilized quickly. Will also provide input to decision makers on database and software program issues and solutions, as well as suggest and explore potential new programs, operating guidelines, solutions, and procedures to improve overall program effectiveness and service.
• Reviews internal operating procedures and systems, makes recommendations for improvement, and updates/develops operating plans and mobilization guides.

Management of Fire Systems and Data

• Utilizes a variety of systems, databases, and software in preparation for and response to mobilization of fire-based resources to emergencies and incidents. Performs data entry, reviews existing data for accuracy, compiles and assesses data, and identifies and corrects data errors.
• Assists with gathering and distribution of Situation and Intelligence data for the Dispatch Center area:
• Under general supervision, receives, reviews, and accurately inputs incident reports and daily information into the National Incident Reporting System (ICS-209) and DFPC systems.
• Retrieves and posts daily weather forecasts, state and national fire situation reports, fire resource rotation lists, and statewide resource lists for fire managers and incident personnel.
• Collects and posts weather observations, and posts into the national Weather Information Management System (WIMS). Retrieves relevant indices from the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS).
• Maintains fire statistic databases for the Dispatch Center area.
• Assists with distribution of fire weather, fire behavior, and other intelligence and situation products to local, County, State, and Federal fire management personnel, incident commanders, and dispatch centers.
• Verifies that resources are accurately listed in the appropriate systems.
• Receives and processes requests from Incident Management Teams (IMTs), CDPS Fire Billing and Accounting staff, and Fire Department, County, and State customers to obtain the resource and incident documentation, orders, and reports.
• Assists with management and data entry for preparedness, qualification, and fire resource systems.

State Fire Coordination Functions

• This Fire Dispatcher assists with staffing and State Fire Coordination functions performing a variety of duties to prepare for, coordinate, and implement fire mobilization and dispatching for fire-related incidents across the State of Colorado.
• Bridges the current state mobilization “system of systems” model of disparate systems from various agencies, by maintaining and implementing systems and processes for streamlined statewide mutual aid and mobilization systems for fire resources.
• This position supports the Emergency Support Function 4 (EFS4) role for the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC).
• Coordinates daily with federal, state, county, and local partner agencies. This requires personnel to build relationships and understand the culture, capacity, strengths and weaknesses of other agencies.
• Regular communication and coordination with local Public Service Answering Points (PSAP)//911 dispatch centers, County Emergency Operating Centers (EOCs), Interagency Dispatch Centers (IADCs), and the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to ensure availability of fire resources to support mutual aid and mobilization efforts in relation to other DFPC and WFMS programs with partner agencies.
• Ensures inventories of fire resources from across the state are current and accurate within the mobilization system(s).
• Assists with development, implementation and maintenance of program training sessions and exercises for fire departments, county, state, and federal agencies and personnel from dispatch and emergency operation centers from across the state.
• Identifies and communicates fire dispatch and mobilization issues to supervisors and WFMS Fire Resources Branch leadership.
• Coordinates and implements require independent decision making based upon delegated authorities. Requires a background in the fire service, law enforcement, and/or resource mobilization in order to ensure an understanding of emergency situations and incidents.

Other Duties as Assigned

• In the absence of the Lead Fire Dispatcher, performs duties assigned to that position.
• Position will assist with other WFMS programs, and may be assigned other duties to support the mission of DFPC.
• DFPC personnel may be relieved of regular duties and assigned to wildfire and/or all-hazard incidents in a National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) or Incident Command System (ICS) position to perform incident management, firefighting, emergency, and incident support activities.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS This must be specifically documented on your application. Additional information submitted after the closing date of this announcement will not be considered in the review of your application.

• Three (3) years’ of experience in an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position (i.e. fire, law enforcement, emergency management, etc.).
• Currently or previously qualified to National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) standards as Expanded Dispatch Recorder (EDRC) or higher in the NWCG dispatch qualification hierarchy.

Position must be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities

• Good written and verbal communications skills
• Strong organizational skills, ability to multitask, and attention to detail.
• Ability to interface with the public, firefighters, and fire managers.
• Ability to handle stressful situations.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Four (4) or more years of experience in an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position (i.e. fire, law enforcement, emergency management, etc.).
• Preference for professional experience with fire programs, firefighting, and/or dispatching of fire, law enforcement or similar resources.
• One (1) or more years of documented experience in dispatching and mobilization of fire resources
• Experience with Colorado interagency cooperative fire programs is preferred, including documented experience and relationships working with local fire departments and counties.
• Knowledge and experience with certification, qualification, dispatching, and/or mobilization systems including, but not limited to: Incident Qualification System (IQS), Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS), Cooperative Resource Rate Form (CRRF), Incident Resource Ordering Capability (IROC), WildCAD, Automated Flight Following (AFF), Weather Information Management System (WIMS), National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS), and SIT?209.
• Currently or previously qualified to National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) standards as:
• Aircraft Dispatcher (ACDP), Expanded Dispatch Recorder (EDRC), Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD), and/or Initial Attack Dispatcher (IADP)

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Designated Critical. Required to report without delay or interruption to provide essential or emergency services to ensure health, safety and welfare.
• Must be willing to travel to wildfire incidents, severity assignments, and pre-position assignments throughout Colorado, and across the nation at times. Assignments may last for two weeks or longer.
• This position will not be on a schedule for on-call but must be available for call out as needed.
• Must be able to work shift work as part of the normal work schedule.
• Current valid driver's license at time of hire, and must obtain a Colorado-issued driver's license within 6 months of hire. Ability to operate motor vehicles and to travel extensively throughout the state in a variety of weather conditions.
• Applicants must be willing to be fingerprinted, successfully pass a polygraph, drug screen, and a medical physical exam as a condition of hire.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $48,396.00 - $72,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Night shift
• Overnight shift

Ability to Relocate:

• Grand Junction, CO: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person