911 Emergency Communications Dispatcher
Save Lives with State-of-the-Art Technology
Receive Fully Paid On-The-Job Training
More Than a Job, a Career
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911 Emergency Communications Dispatcher Communications Unit Supervisor
No experience or college degree required.
Start work as quickly as six weeks from the day you apply!
About the City of Coral Springs Emergency Communications Center
When you call 9-1-1 in the United States, your call is answered by a local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), also known as an Emergency Communications Center. In the City of Coral Springs, that PSAP is the city's Emergency Communications Center, which answers all emergency calls for police, fire and emergency medical services.
In addition to the call-taking function, the Emergency Communications Center serves as the dispatch center for the Coral Springs Police Department and Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Departments. In this role, the Emergency Communications Center is responsible for the safety of police officers and firefighter/paramedics, acting as their link to the resources they need, keeping track of their status and location, and coordinating the assignment of officers to new incidents. In a typical year the Coral Springs Emergency Communications Center receives over 48,000 calls on emergency lines and handles over 156,000 calls on non-emergency lines. Those calls result in over 82,000 police incidents and almost 15,000 Fire/Ems incidents each year.
What We Do
Inside the ECC, staff are on the job 24 hours a day protecting the residents of Coral Springs, Parkland and Coconut Creek as the lifeline between the public and our first responders. The center is split into two primary functions: call-taking, and dispatching. At the heart of what we do, from a technology perspective, is our Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system - a complex software system we use to enter and prioritize incidents, track first responders, and assign resources.
Our call-takers answer emergency calls to 9-1-1 as well as non-emergency calls to 954-344-1800. The ECC's telephone system prioritizes 9-1-1 calls over calls to our non-emergency line, which is why it is important to only call 9-1-1 when you have an emergency. Learn more about calling 9-1-1.
Emergency callers are thoroughly interviewed to determine the location of the incident, what is happening, and what resources are needed. Sometimes, callers become frustrated, thinking that the questions are delaying the help they need. In reality, as the call-taker conducts their interview and feeds information to the CAD system, an ECC dispatcher is using that information in CAD to send first responders and provide updates as they travel.
ECC's dispatchers communicate with the city's police officers and firefighter/paramedics by radio and through a computer system. As call-takers gather information by telephone, dispatchers are directing both law and fire units to the incident and providing them the support that they need to respond safely. Voice communication happens on the city's two-way radio system, and data is available to law and fire units on in-car computers.
Hiring Process
Emergency Communications is one of the few, professional fields where all the training you need to become a certified professional is provided to you on the job, while earning full pay! Our current workforce comes from widely varied backgrounds such as, customer service representative, administrative assistant, waitress, bartender, insurance agent and pharmacy technician, just to name a few. Additionally, while demonstrated professional work experience is required, a college degree is not. If you have verifiable employment experience, no illegal drug use within 24 months of application (verified by lie-detector) and a background suitable for work in a public safety environment, you qualify for employment consideration.
The entire hiring process can be completed in less than a month. After you apply, this is what you can expect. You must successfully pass each step to advance in the hiring process.
- Application Reviewed for Minimum Qualifications
- CritiCall Pre-Employment Testing Scheduled
- Formal Panel Interview
- Computerized Voice Stress Analysis Examination (Lie Detector) and Fingerprints
- Psychological Evaluation
- Observation Shift within the Communications Unit
- Public Safety Level Criminal Background Investigation
- Post-Offer Medical Examination and Drug Test
Compensation
The City of Coral Springs offers our 911 Emergency Communications Dispatchers one of the most competitive total compensation packages in the State of Florida with a starting salary of $48,600 for new, non-experienced 911 Emergency Communications Dispatchers and up to $55,890 for experienced 911 Emergency Communications Dispatcher dependent on previous years of experience.
Your earning potential does not stop there. Upon hire you will immediately begin earning an additional annual stipend of $1,500 (paid bi-weekly) for you to spend however you choose! Additionally, you can earn supplemental pay based on your shift assignment, specific additional duties and there is frequently opportunity for overtime. It is not unusual for a 911 Emergency Communications Dispatcher to earn $60,000 - $80,000 in total compensation within their first two-years of employment!
We also offer a comprehensive health insurance plan inclusive of medical, dental and vision for as little as $113 a month for single coverage and $333 a month for family coverage. Additionally, you will be provided with a comprehensive retirement savings plan in which you are able to contribute up to 9% of your pre-tax salary with 100% employer match of your contribution and you have the option to contribute to an additional 457 retirement savings account.
Learn more about our comprehensive benefits offerings here:
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Preparation
While all of the necessary on-the-job training to become a world-class 911 Emergency Communications Dispatcher is provided on the job, there are a variety of skills you should come to the table with to ensure you have the best chance of getting hired and successfully completing your training/probationary employment period.
- Accurate typing at a rate of at least 30 words per minute.
- General map and directional knowledge of Coral Springs and its adjacent cities.
- typingclub.com and typingtest.com are great, free resources to practice and improve your typing skills.
- Familiarity with 10-Code/Nature Codes (the language 911 Emergency Communications Dispatchers speak).
- Here are some training resources you can begin to utilize now to ensure you are as competitive as possible in the hiring process and if offered employment.
Have Questions? Email our Recruitment Representative
The City of Coral Springs is firmly committed to offering an equitable, drug-free work environment. We do not discriminate in any employment related decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or other similar factors that are not job-related. This commitment is practiced in all aspects of our personnel policies, programs, practices, recruitment, examination, appointment, training, promotion, retention and other related activities. When requested, the City of Coral Springs will make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Please contact the Human Resources Unit at 954-346-1320 if special assistance is needed.