Fire Jobs: Fire Dispatch Supervisor Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC)

Fire Dispatch Supervisor

Recruitment #13-8210-01

Introduction

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.  Postmarks are not accepted.  Applications will only be accepted on-line.
Supplemental Questionnaire:  A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application.  Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted.  Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.


DESCRIPTION

THE AGENCY
The Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC) serves an area of approximately 738 square miles, with a resident population of over 1.5 million.

ACRECC provides fire and Emergency Medical Dispatching services for:
·         Unincorporated Alameda County
·         City of San Leandro
·         City of Dublin
·         City of Fremont
·         City of Alameda
·         City of Union City
·         San Lorenzo
·         Castro Valley
·         City of Newark
·         City of Emeryville
·         Sunol
·         Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Dept.

ACRECC also provides Emergency Medical Dispatching services for the Cities of Albany and Hayward.

ACRECC is the Dispatch/System Status Management Center for Paramedics Plus ambulance service, providing Advanced Life Support transportation services for all of Alameda County.

WHO WE WORK FOR
Everyone at ACRECC is an employee of the Alameda County Fire Department. 

WHERE WE WORK
The dispatch center is located within the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a premier applied-science national security laboratory, who’s primary mission is to ensure that the nation’s nuclear weapons remain safe, secure, and reliable and to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons worldwide.  The Laboratory serves as a resource to U.S. government and a partner with industry and academia.

ACRECC is a state of the art fire dispatch center, utilizing ergonomic furniture, lighting, the most up-to-date computer-aided dispatch system, and both 400 and 800 MHz trunked radio systems.

THE POSITION
Under direction, to assume full operational responsibility for the Alameda County Regional Emergency Communication Center(ACRECC) on an assigned shift; to investigate and resolve service or personnel-related complaints; to serve as a dispatcher as necessary; to perform related work as required. 

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

Fire Dispatch Supervisors work as shift supervisors in the ACRECC where they supervise dispatch personnel. This position works various shifts, holidays and weekends. This class differs from the next lower class of Fire Dispatcher at ACRECC by having supervisory administrative responsibility for a shift. This position is located in the ACRECC at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which requires DOE security clearance.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The best qualified candidate will have:
  • Knowledge of fire terminology & procedures
  • The ability to manage projects
  • A history of creating policies & procedures
  • The ability to act with the utmost integrity 100% of the time
  • Superior decision-making & problem-solving skills
  • Strong interpersonal skills with patience & approachability
  • Excellent conflict-resolution abilities

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS


EITHER I 

Experience: 

The equivalent of three years of experience in the class of Dispatcher in the ACRECC. 

OR II 

Experience: 

The equivalent of four years of full-time journey-level dispatching experience with a public safety agency. 

OR III 
Experience: 

The equivalent of three years of experience as a Dispatcher Supervisor with a public safety agency. 

AND 

Education: 

Graduation from high school in the United States or possession of an acceptable equivalency certificate, such as the General Educational Development Certificate. 

License: 

All candidates must possess a valid California State Motor Vehicle Operator's license. 

Special Requirements: 

Candidates must pass a psychological evaluation, a medical examination and a thorough background evaluation before an offer of employment will be made This position is located in the ACRECC at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which requires DOE security clearance. Any felony conviction will result in disqualification. 

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: 

• Methods, operations, and functions of the dispatch center. 
• Public safety radio communication techniques. 
• The operation of complex radio and telephone equipment. 
• Location of the highways, main streets, major buildings and geography of Alameda County. 
• Regulations of the Federal Communications Commission regarding radio-telephone operations. 

Ability to: 

• Make decisions, plan, direct and coordinate the work of others. 
• Guide and evaluate the development of subordinates. 
• Make judgments on all possible decisions and be aware of the ramifications or possible impact of each decision. 
• Recognize when a decision is necessary and exhibit readiness to make appropriate decisions. 
• Recognize problems and intervene before they reach a crisis level. 
• Write in a clear, understandable and concise manner. 
• Read and comprehend written materials. 
• Research and obtain information through a variety of methods, i.e., reading material, staff, verbal or written communications with others, independent thinking. 
• Remain impartial when performing supervisorial duties. 
• Separate information and identify that, which is important from that which is superfluous to distill essence of idea or problem. 
• Speak in a clear and understandable manner so that the listener grasps the message being presented. 
• Measure or assess the capabilities and achievement of staff and make adjustments as required. 
• Condense information into succinct written passages. 
• Integrate and categorize information and recall relevant data. 
• Verbally interview, persuade, summarize and/or justify in a succinct effective manner. 
• Set standards of performance in order to control and optimize the productivity of the staff. 
• Listen attentively to others. 
• Think and respond clearly under pressure 
• Remain calm in stressful situations. 

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps: A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process which is a review of the supplemental questions. Those candidates scoring highest on the supplemental questions will move on to the next step in the examination process, an oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises. 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 many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.
For more information on the Civil Service Selection process, please visit:

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/Department:
Examination Recruitment Bulletin Release 7/8/13
All applications must be filled out according to the instructions.  Applications that are not fully completed or not completed following the instructions listed will not be considered.  Resumes in lieu of properly filled out applications will not be considered.  Only applications submitted electronically, via the County's online application system, by the final file date will be accepted.  Be aware that if you only complete an application template and fail to submit it to apply for this position, your application will not be accepted.
Final File Date for Applications 8/5/13
Applications must be submitted by 5pm.  Once an application has been submitted, no changes or additions can be made.  Late applications will not be considered.
Review for Minimum Qualifications 8/5/13
During this time, your application will be reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as stated above.  If you fail to meet the minimum qualifications, you will be notified via email.  If you meet the minimum qualifications, your application will be screened to determine if you are one of the best qualified candidates that has applied.
Review for Best Qualified 8/12/13
If it has been determined that you meet the minimum qualifications as stated above, your supplemental application will then be screened to ensure that you are among the best qualified applicants.  Only those deemed best qualified will move on to the next portion of the examination.  Those who are not best qualified will be screened out of the examination process and notified via email.
Examination Interview Dates Week of 8/26/13
If you pass the written examination, you will be invited for a panel interview examination.  During this interview examination, you will be asked to provide examples of past work experiences that highlight the job-related core competencies that successful incumbents of the position possess.  This type of interviewing is called behavior-based interviewing and is the best predictor of future job success.  Your interview examination may include a situational exercise where you may have to perform mock job duties to prove your level of competency.

BENEFITS

*** For benefit information, please contact Fire Administration at 510-618-3490.

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 ensure 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 boxalamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box 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 job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact:
Melissa Heitz,  Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
510-272-6468

Click on a link below to apply for this position:
Fill out the Supplemental Questionnaire and Application NOW using the Internet.Apply Online
View and print the Supplemental Questionnaire.This recruitment requires completion of a supplemental questionnaire. You may view and print the supplemental questionnaire here.
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