Douglas County is currently seeking applicants to fill open positions within our Communications Center. An eligibility list will be established based on the interview process for use as openings occur within the Communications Center.

Dispatchers receive emergency and routine calls, and dispatch police, fire, and other public safety and service personnel and equipment in a coordinated manner, using a computer-assisted information and telecommunications system.
Entry-level employees in this class receive classroom and on-the-job training and learn to operate a variety of telecommunications and other equipment. Employees learn to receive and transfer calls, monitor traffic and units, transmit and receive information necessary to dispatch public safety and public service personnel and equipment and provide emergency instructions within established guidelines and specified protocols after becoming certified.
The Communication Dispatcher operates a variety of telecommunications and other equipment to receive and transfer calls, monitor traffic of field units, and transmit and receive information necessary to dispatch public safety and public service personnel and equipment. Within departmental guidelines and established protocols, incumbents provide medical emergency instructions after becoming certified. The work involves handling emergency situations with considerable independent judgment, where an error may have extreme consequences, and where the incumbent must possess the ability to function accurately and efficiently under stress. Incumbents must learn and use operating procedures, telecommunications equipment, and protocols and become thoroughly familiar with street locations, jurisdictional boundaries, and the City of Superior and Douglas County geography. Incumbents will be provided training and must be certified as emergency medical dispatchers within the first year of employment. Incumbents work a shift schedule involving night, weekend, and holiday work in a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation.

Example of Dispatcher Duties: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=497uMOa8oq0

• Operate a variety of telecommunications equipment, including transceivers, radio consoles, telephones, teletype, and computer systems.
• Answer emergency and non-emergency calls, ask appropriate questions to assess and prioritize calls for assistance.
• Read and interpret maps to pinpoint emergency areas, give precise directions to public safety personnel.
• Dispatch and coordinate responses of public safety agencies.
• Provide pre-arrival instructions for emergency medical calls.
• Use critical thinking skills to interpret, analyze, and anticipate a situation to resolve problems and provide information.
• Maintain detailed records and data pertaining to dispatch activities.
• Participate in training and perform other duties as directed by supervisor.

This position may report to Hawthorne, Wisconsin on a rotating shift.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES / REQUIREMENTS:
Requires the ability to operate a variety of office equipment such as computer terminal, telephone, fax machine, calculator, computer printer, satellite equipment, and photocopier. Requires the ability to coordinate eyes, hands, feet and limbs in performing movements requiring moderate skill, such as typing. Tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling of objects weighting five to ten pounds. Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation. Requires the ability to recognize and identify similarities or differences between characteristics of shapes and sounds associated with job-related objects, materials and tasks. Requires the ability to hear voices on the telephone with background noise.