NORCOM provides 911 services and police, fire and EMS dispatch for the northeast part of King County. Currently NORCOM provides service for over 700,000 community members, which include 14 fire departments and 8 police departments.

NORCOM’s service area ranges from urban environments to two of the busiest traveled mountain passes in the state. This gives NORCOM dispatchers a unique experience of the types of calls they handle and the experiences they have every single day. Dispatchers are the first of the first responders who help by providing assistance to those who do not know where else to turn. Handling emergencies, non-emergencies and referring callers to additional resources is the core function of NORCOM dispatchers.

What sets NORCOM apart is the positive and encouraging atmosphere. Tactical Dispatcher Devin Randall captured it best when she said, “We are a cohesive team, supporting one another through busy days and tough calls; many of them feel like family to me. I felt lost in my career path until I found NORCOM.”We are looking for hard working, servant minded individuals to join our team. If this resonates with you and you want to be on a team that makes a difference and supports one another then NORCOM may be a good fit for you.

Police Departments

Bellevue Police Department

Bothell Police Department

Clyde Hill Police Department

Kirkland Police Department

Lake Forest Park Police Department

Medina Police Department

Mercer Island Police Department

Normandy Park Police Department

Fire Departments

Bellevue Fire Department

Bothell Fire Department

Duvall Fire District 45

Eastside Fire & Rescue

Fall City Fire District 27

Kirkland Fire Department

Redmond Fire Department

Shoreline Fire Department

Skykomish Fire Department

Snoqualmie Fire Department

Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue

NORCOM is located in downtown Bellevue just off I405 in the City Hall building.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

Reporting to the Team Supervisor, must be able to respond to requests for emergency and non-emergency police, fire and medical services. Incumbents must develop a rapid and accurate sense of call interpretation and decision-making/problem solving skills during stressful situations, processing multiple calls simultaneously, establishing the priority status of the call and initiate a sequence of time sensitive actions. Work is performed using state of the art technology and within strict operational guidelines. All voice and data entry work is continually recorded and is subject to live monitoring for later review and critique and may include public disclosure of such work.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Answers emergency and non-emergency calls for service and simultaneously enters this information into the computer using a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System
• Ability to type 35 words per minute while conversing with callers
• Calms, negotiates, advises and provides instructions to callers to obtain accurate and essential information necessary to establish priority and initiate a timely response to emergency calls
• Dispatch police, fire, and medic units as appropriate via radio transmissions; anticipate problems and respond to units as necessary
• Continually updates information as it is received, enters in to computer and updates units as to new information or instructions including follow up and updated status of calls
• Process more than one call at a time
• Assist co-workers as necessary when available
• Attend shift meetings and/or debriefing before or after work as directed
• Represents the Center while participating in local, regional or state functions related to public safety
• Must be reliable and dependable, reporting for work on a consistent and punctual basis
• Performs additional duties as assigned

INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:

Contacts are made both inside and outside the organization. Internal contacts frequently include telecommunications staff and less frequently, administrative staff. External contacts include NORCOM customers and citizens. May serve as liaison between the Center and one or more agencies to provide superior customer service to the Center’s customers. Interactions tend to focus on information exchange and receiving and giving directions. Contacts may include sensitive and/or confidential information. 90% of external interactions are via the telephone or electronically via e-mail.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of NORCOM service area including streets and landmarks
• Knowledge of map reading techniques, including directions of travel and freeway access
• Knowledge of Police, Fire and EMS dispatching techniques, practices, and procedures
• Knowledge of protocols, practices and procedures of public safety emergency operations
• Ability to condense and organize large amounts of information into readable, sensibly typed remarks in a timely manner and recall numerous acronyms and type codes essential to efficient and accurate call processing
• Ability to make timely and appropriate decisions under emergent circumstances based on technical standards, criteria and policies
• Ability to remember numerous details and quickly re-call essential information
• Ability to consistently think clearly and respond quickly in a wide variety of emergency situations
• Ability to speak English clearly, possess an excellent vocabulary and verbally communicate rapidly
• Ability to deal effectively with people in a multi-cultural society under extremely stressful situations
• Ability to quickly perform multiple time-sensitive tasks in response to visual and sound stimuli with a high degree of accuracy
• Maintain accurate records as required
• Maintain familiarity of Standard Operating Procedures and other appropriate materials that provide information regarding NORCOM’s operations and procedures
• Ability to articulate in a clear, concise manner, disseminating complete and accurate information in a logical and timely basis both verbally and in writing
• Ability to work under stress, be a team player and establish good working relationships, and maintain self-control under stressful circumstances
• Ability to discern several conversations simultaneously, disseminate appropriate information, prioritize actions and respond in an effective manner
• Ability to be available for shift work encompassing a 24 hour day, seven-day week; inclusive of days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays
• Computer skills sufficient to discern and solve routine problems

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• High school diploma or equivalent. One year experience in the public safety field or successful completion of a vocational dispatch course is beneficial.

LICENSES, CERTIFICATION and OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• If utilizing a personal vehicle in the performance of duties, must possess a valid Washington State Driver’s License and the appropriate amount of automobile insurance.
• Incumbent may be required to respond to the needs of the Communication Center regardless of external weather or other emergency factors and outside of regular work hours.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Work is typically performed in the communications room, with varying levels of light, confined environment
• Disciplined environment with close supervision; must carry out lawful orders regardless of personal agreement
• May be subjected to excited, abusive, foul-mouthed, incoherent, drunk, impaired or hysterical callers
• Must be available to work shift work encompassing 24 x 7 schedules including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays
• Must remain at the Center for the full scheduled shift. Uninterrupted lunch and breaks are not guaranteed. Lunch and breaks must be scheduled with the on-duty Supervisor
• Due to the nature of public safety work, overtime may be required
• May be subject to ”call back” on short notice and for extended periods and must be available by phone at own expense

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Light lifting, carrying and pushing objects weighing up to 15 pounds
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate standard office equipment, including a computer key board
• Working at a desk for extended periods of time (sitting or standing)
• Ability to read and discern visual images in a variety of media, to include small liquid crystal displays offering very little brightness/darkness contrast, standard monochrome CRT display screens, printed matter that has been reduced to less than normal size type, multi-colored indicated lights which have differing flash rates and color which indicates the status of electronic functions
• Ability to respond to multiple visual and sound stimuli with a high degree of accuracy in a timely manner
• Adequate hearing and visual acuity to successfully perform the essential job requirements
• Ability to speak and comprehend English coherently to exchange information in person and on the telephone
• Must be free from physical impairments that with or without accommodation would interrupt continuous performance of a shift lasting from eight to twelve hours

· Ability to work all shifts 24/7/365

NORCOM 911 - Communications Officer/Dispatcher has 10 vacancies.

NORCOM is continually accepting applications.  If we are overstaffed, we will maintain an eligibility list and as soon as a vacancy is created, we will pull from that list. If you are interested in working at NORCOM, apply today! Hiring process can be located on our website www.norcom.org.

Salary range: $68,329 - $93,751 

Lateral candidates will be brought in at the pay step that reflects their total years of service as a fully released telecommunicator throughout the entirety of their career.

• 100% medical/dental/vision benefits for employees (80% of the cost paid for dependents)
• Paid training
• Over seven weeks of paid time off each year
• 4-10s schedule (gives you 3 days off a week to be with family and friends)
• Participation in Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) visit www.drs.wa.gov for further information
• Participation in Municipal Employees’ Benefit Trust (MEBT) visit www.mebt.org for further information