Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Emergency Services Dispatcher II

Recruitment #14-1885-01

Introduction

** PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE BULLETIN **

It includes information regarding special requirements for this recruitment and steps you must take prior to submitting your application.

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Applications will only be accepted on-line.


 

Special Requirement: Typing Certificate

A typing certificate with a typing speed of 40 net words per minute from a temporary agency, employment agency, or community college, printed on letterhead with the address and phone number of the agency or college must be uploaded to your on-line application under the resume tab by 5:00 p.m. on the last day for filing, September 23, 2014.  The typing certificate must be dated within six (6) months of the last day of filing. 

***It is your responsibility to ensure that your typing certificate is uploaded prior to submission of your application.  Failure to do so will result in disqualification.  NO EXCEPTIONS.***  

To obtain a typing certificate, you may wish to contact the East Bay Works - Career Centers.  Click on the following link, go to the "find us"  tab to locate a center near you.  www.eastbayworks.com/

DESCRIPTION

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is looking to fill immediate vacancies for the position of Emergency Services Dispatcher II. The position is located in San Leandro and requires availability to work varying shifts.

 

About The Alameda County Sheriff's Office

 The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is a full-service law enforcement agency accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and the American Correctional Association (ACA). Additionally, the agency's health care provider, Prison Health Services, has dual accreditation through the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) and the California Medical Association (CMA).  Together these form what is referred to as the "Triple Crown" of accreditation (ACA, NCCHC/CMA and CALEA) awarded by the National Sheriff's Association.  Additionally, the Sheriff's Office Crime Lab is nationally accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB).  The Sheriff's Office Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit has also been awarded national accreditation through the Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board.

The Sheriff's Office has a current adjusted net budget of approximately $185.7 million and has over 1500 authorized positions, including in excess of 1000 sworn personnel. The agency's Chief Executive Officer is Sheriff Gregory J. Ahern, who is assisted in the operation of the agency by Undersheriff Richard T. Lucia, Assistant Sheriffs Brett Keteles and Casey Nice.

The Sheriff of Alameda County is responsible for a vast array of tasks and duties, including the following:

  • Providing security to the Consolidated Superior Courts
  • Operating the Coroner's Bureau
  • Operating a full service criminalistics laboratory
  • Performing Civil Process
  • Operating a County Jail (Santa Rita)
  • Operating the County Office of Emergency Services
  • Providing patrol and investigative services to the unincorporated areas of Alameda County
  • Pursuant to contractual agreements, providing patrol and investigative services to the City of Dublin, Peralta Community College District, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum complex, Oakland International Airport, Highland County Hospital, Social Services, and to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District.
  • Conducting a basic academy pursuant to Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) requirements.
  • Providing Fish and Game enforcement
  • Project Director of the Narcotics Task Force
  • Serving as the Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force
  • Operating a Marine Patrol Unit in the San Francisco Bay waters.

For additional information, you may visit the Sheriff's Office website at:  http://www.alamedacountysheriff.org/


 

 

THE POSITION

Under general supervision, Emergency Services Dispatcher II's receive and transmit routine and emergency calls using communication equipment consisting of radio-telephone, teletype, switchboard, computer input devices or computer aided dispatch units; incumbents perform simple record keeping/general clerical work; and do related work as required.

Within a framework of established procedures, Emergency Services Dispatchers II are assigned full range of dispatching duties involving the use of a variety of communication and office equipment with only occasional instruction or assistance. Assigned duties require the exercise of judgment or choice among possible actions. Incumbents of this class are required to work various shifts.

This class differs from the next higher class of Emergency Services Dispatch Supervisor by the latter class having supervisory responsibility. This class differs from the next lower class, Emergency Services Dispatcher I, by the latter class being an entry level classification.

 

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES

NOTE: The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.

1. Receive and transmit radio-telephone calls from other fixed stations and from mobile units of several County agencies; maintain a log of these calls and their dispositions.

2. Receive, transmit, record and file teletype messages sent or received by consolidated dispatch; exercise judgment in work priority.

3. Coordinate emergency calls, relay messages, and dispatch equipment.

4. Operate electronic data terminals for access to various local, State and Federal computer file systems.

5. Disseminate information to the Emergency Operating Centers in the nine Bay Area counties.

6. Complete and submit required documents for each specific type of incident with accuracy.
To view the full job description for this position, please click here.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

In order to participate in the examination process, candidates must meet one of the qualifying patterns:

Either Pattern I

The equivalent of one year of experience in the class of Emergency Services Dispatcher I in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Or Pattern II 

The equivalent of one year of full-time radio dispatching experience with a public safety agency.

1. Hearing must be normal in each ear.
2. Ability to type 40 words per minute. (As indicated above, a valid typing certificate must be attached to your application)
3. A thorough background investigation will be made of all prospective candidates including a psychological exam.


NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the “Examples of Duties” section of this specification.

Knowledge of:

• Standard clerical procedures.
• Geographical area of Alameda County.
• Regulations and statutes applicable to communications.

Ability to:

• Operate a two-way radio, teletype equipment, data communication terminal and computer aided dispatch unit.
• Dispatch public safety equipment in a quick and effective manner.
• Speak clearly and concisely in a well-modulated voice.
• React with sound judgment under stress and emergency situations while doing several tasks simultaneously.
• Respond to the public with tact.
• Direct emergency vehicles using area maps.
• Write in a clear, concise and legible manner.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps:

  • Applications will be reviewed to determine those candidates that meet the minimum qualifications for the position.
  • Candidates that meet the minimum qualifications for the position will be invited to take a performance examination which is the CritiCall test. CritiCall is a software that tests job-related knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies critical for public safety dispatchers. The following are some of the areas CritiCall will assess (please note, the following is just an example of areas CritiCall tests for and is not necessarily the components candidates will be tested on): reasoning, stress tolerance, decision making & judgment, multitasking, prioritization, map reading, memory recall, comprehension, probability, data entry and decision-making. For more information regarding the CritiCall test, applicants may visit their website at: http://criticall911.com/. The performance examination will comprise of 100% of the candidate's final score.**
  • Candidates that pass the CritiCall performance examination will be put on a list of candidates that are eligible to be referred to a background investigation, the final step in the examination process. **

** Updated as of 11/7/2014

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION. 

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit.  Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position.  Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work. To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the "What You Need To Know" section of our website:  www.acgov.org/hrs.  

Selection Plan

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.  The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

Deadline for Filing:

Review of Minimum Qualifications:

Performance Exam

Oral Examination 

Background Investigation                  

 

*Type of Exam: New Open Assembled Exam

**Updated as of 11/7/14

 

 

5:00 pm, Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Wednesday, October 3, 2014

Scheduled for the week of October 27th, 2014

Scheduled for the week of December 1, 2014

To be determined by the Sheriff's Office

The Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination process to accommodate qualified individuals with mental and physical disabilities, and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and Alameda County Resolution No. R-83-773.  To request an accommodation due to a disability during this or other phases of the selection process, please contact the Human Resource Services Department at (510) 208-9593 before the final filing deadline. Alameda County Human Resources Services will require documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a permanent disability pursuant to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's statute of the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, as amended, and/or the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) Act.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

**WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN.

BENEFITS

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

  • Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
  • Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
  • Vision
  • Basic Life Insurance 
  • Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
  • County Allowance
  • Health Flexible Spending Account
  • Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
  • Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
  • Long Term Care Insurance
  • Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

  • Short-term Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
  • Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

  • 11 paid holidays
  • Vacation and sick leave accrual
  • Vacation purchase program
  • Management Paid Leave**
  • Group Auto/Home
  • Commuter Benefits Program
  • Guaranteed Ride Home
  • Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
  • Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
  • Child Care Resources
  • 1st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page. Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Michi Yoshii, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services Division, County of Alameda
(510) 272-6463
michi.yoshii@acgov.org           

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer