Listing Category Exam Job Title 911 Telecommunicator Exam # LCR-1901 Minimum Salary 31059.00 Maximum Salary 47960.00 Salary Period Annual Minimum Qualifications High school diploma or Equivalent PLUS One (1) year* of paid or volunteer experience involving substantive responsibility for giving and receiving information in positions such as: dispatcher, telephone operator, eligibility or intake interviewer, caseworker, investigator, counselor, salesperson (including telemarketer), customer service representative, and waiter/waitress. *Note: Part-time work will be pro-rated. OR Completion of the Public Safety Communications course of study offered by the Rochester City School District. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Must have satisfactory police record and background check including FBI fingerprinting. Must undergo a medical examination that will test, but will not be limited to: vision, hearing, speech, physical ability to sit for long periods, and must pass a psychological evaluation. New hires and re-hires must pass a drug test. General Description This is a communications position in the Emergency Communications Department with responsibility for answering emergency and non-emergency calls for police, fire, and emergency medical services and efficiently relaying the information to Dispatchers. This job involves an unusual working environment which includes: the stress of daily contact with life and death situations such as fires, murders, rapes, and assaults in progress; sitting for long periods including times with little call activity; having to remain calm and in control when speaking to people who are screaming, crying, or hysterical; being polite to people who are angry, abusive, or use foul language; strict adherence to rules and regulations; close supervision and constant evaluation of job performance. Employees are expected to work on a wheel schedule, involving various shifts which cover day and night hours. Work is performed under direct supervision in accordance with a prescribed routine. Related work is done as required. Typical Work Activities Receives complaints and reports of incidents for fire, police, and emergency medical services by telephone wearing a headset; Controls telephone conversations to obtain necessary information, following policies and procedures; Records information from callers manually and delivers to dispatchers, when computer is not functioning; Inputs information from callers or users agencies into computer, using typewriter style keyboard; Determines appropriate call type and course of action, based on the nature of the complaint and its priority; Follows appropriate EMD Protocol scripts to obtain and provide information; Maintains contact with caller during life-threatening situations and provides instructions until units arrive; Returns hang-up calls to determine if emergency services are required; Answers TTY (for the deaf) to provide services; Operates call check (tape recorder) to verify accuracy of information or information not understood, directs non-emergency calls to the appropriate agency; Trains new Telecommunicators; Initiates searches of computer files, using typewriter style keyboard; Directs non-emergency calls to the appropriate agency; Recognizes and documents the need to change or correct information on databases. Exam Information SCOPE OF THE EXAMINATION: All four components will be administered on the same day. 1. Shift Availability Questionnaire. This will test for availability and willingness to work all shifts as required. 2. Listening/Keying. This computer-based job simulation will test for the abilities to: read and understand procedures; type quickly and accurately while listening; read information from a CRT screen; and listening skills. 3. Summarization: This will test for the ability to remember accurately information given orally. 4. Job Questionnaire. This will test for interpersonal and task-related abilities needed to do well at this job. WEIGHT: Subtests 2 and 3 will contribute 75% to the final score. Subtest 4 will contribute 25%. Subtest 1 will be scored on a pass/fail basis. PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION: The psychological evaluation will consist of a combination of psychological tests and interviews. You must pass the psychological evaluation. In addition, a negative report within a non-failing psychological evaluation may be grounds for disqualification. ELIGIBLE LISTS: After the first four components of the examination, the names of successful candidates will be placed on a list of eligibles in rank order of final scores. Eligible candidates of future examinations will have their names inter-filed, in order of final score. The list will be established for at least one year. The medical examination, police record and background check, and psychological evaluation will be administered later. Candidates who fail any of these tests will be removed from the eligible list. The Commission reserves the right to process candidates on the qualifying tests only in such numbers necessary to produce enough eligibles to meet department needs through the life of the list. NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", "Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. RATING: This examination will be rated in accordance with Section X-1 of the Municipal Civil Service Rules. REVIEW OPPORTUNITY: An opportunity for computational review will be offered after the eligible list is established. In this review, two members of staff will independently review and verify the performance section of the examination. You will receive a written response following our findings. GENERAL INFORMATION: Applications: Applications may be obtained from room 103A City Hall, 30 Church St., Rochester, NY 14614-1280 or from our website www.cityofrochester.gov . A separate application must be completed for each separately numbered examination. Applications must be received by the close of business or postmarked by the application deadline date. Late applications will be rejected. Applications must be complete and accurate. Application Fee: An Examination Application Fee is charged for the City of Rochester to process a candidate's examination application. It is not a fee for the examination itself. Exam applications will NOT be reviewed until exam fee is paid. Late fees will NOT be accepted. Payment Due Date is the same as Application Deadline Date for applications. There will be no exceptions to this requirement. There will be no refund of fees if a candidate does not qualify for an exam or if a candidate fails to appear for the examination. Eligible Lists: Eligible lists contain the names of applicants who have received a passing score on the examination. Lists will be established in rank order, with the highest score being #1. In case of tie scored, all persons at that score are considered equal. Candidates must be one of the top three candidates to be reachable for appointment. Promotional eligible lists are limited to present employees of the City and take precedence over open-competitive lists. All eligible lists are established for at least one year and may be extended for up to four years. Change of Address: You are required to notify Civil Service of any address changes. Failure to do so may result in your removal from an eligible list. Admission to the Exam: If you have not received notification of acceptance or rejection for this exam by the Wednesday before the exam date, please notify this office at 428-7454. Residency Requirements: There is no residency requirement for participation in examinations. Preference in hiring may be given to City of Rochester residents on open-competitive lists pursuant to Section 23 of the Civil Service Law. Military Candidates: Any candidate on active military duty in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard may be eligible for alternative testing dates if necessary. This applies to the State Militia and National Guard if under Federal Control. If alternate testing is necessary, candidates are required to notify Rochester Civil Service in writing, as quickly as possible. Any such requests must be accompanied by a DD214 or other official military document that substantiates the applicant's active military service at the time of the examination. Alternate testing accommodations will not be honored if requests are made more than 60 days after release from service Effective 1/1/98, the State Constitution was amended to permit candidates currently in the armed forces to apply for and be conditionally granted veteran's credit in examinations. Any candidate who applies for such credit must provide proof of military status to receive the conditional credit. No credit may be granted after the establishment of the list. It is the responsibility of the candidate to provide appropriate documentary proof indicating that the service was in time of war, as defined in Section 85 of Civil Service Law, and that the candidate received an honorable discharge or was released under honorable conditions in order to be Veterans: Veterans or disabled veterans who are eligible for additional credits must submit an application for veteran's credit with their application for examination or at any time between the dates of their examination and the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list. This period of time will not be less than 60 days from the final filing date of application for this examination. Evidence of military discharge (DD-214) must be filed with the form. Applications for Veteran's credit are available form this office. Veterans credits can only be added to a passing score on the examination. You may waive credits any time prior to appointment. If you have already used these credits for appointment, you may not claim them. certified at a score including veteran's credits. Additional Exam Credits: In conformance with section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served. If you are qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty in this municipality, please inform this office of this matter when you submit your application for examination. A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established. Alternate Testing Arrangements: If alternate or special arrangements for testing are required, please indicate that on your application and attach appropriate documentation. A copy of the City of Rochester's Alternate Test Policy is available in Room 103A, City Hall, or from our website. Deadline for requests is two (2) business days after exam.