Somerset RCC - Hiring

Somerset County Communications Center

Hiring

Monitoring

Resume/Coverletter

Orientation Interview

Determination of Eligibility

Interviews

Classroom Training

Review

OJT (On-the-Job Training)

Review

Restricted Reserve Status/6 Month Probation

Limited Access Training

Final Practical and Written Exams

Reserve Status

Monitoring: Our Monitoring program idea came from one of the other county communications centers. If you are interested in the field of emergency communications, contact us. After a background screening and signing our confidentiality statement, we will schedule you to come in and monitor the dispatchers. It's best done during the busy shifts. This allows you a look at what they do. This is on a volunatry basis.

Often times when people who thought they were interested in training with us, changed their minds after going through our classroom training. This is a waste of our time and money, and their time.

We encourage people to ask questions (waiting until the dispatcher is free to answer questions) of their work, process of complaints, equipment, etc. If you are interested this will assist you not only in the classroom training, but possibly in your interview.

If applicants being considered for training do not get an opportunity to monitor before the classroom training, we do, upon hiring for training, ask the applicant to monitor for a determine period of time. Though this is a voluntary process, it's rewards you will find during your classroom training and testing.

Resume/Cover letter: If you are interested in this field, contact us and / or bring in a resume with a cover letter stating your what your interest is. We will set you up with the Monitoring program, if able. Upon checking your employment background and references, we will set you up for our Orientation Interveiw.

You can mail your resume to: 8 County Drive, Skowhegan, ME 04976, Attn: Michael Smith.

Orientation Interview: The Orientation Interview goes over most of the information you find here, along with Authorization of Background checks, outline of pay scale and will have you fill out an application.

Again, if you haven't been through our monitoring program, we will try to schedule you with something at this time. It will be pending the background screening conducted by the Detective Division of the Somerset County Sheriff's Department.

During this interview, you are encouraged to ask questions.

Determination of Eligibility: To determine if you are eligibly for an interview for training, we look at your employment background screenings, your references, your criminal history background check, etc.

Most people make it through this stage of the process, unless your criminal history background check shows something that would prohibit your employment.

Because of the sensitive information that can be acquired from the state and federal computer databases, they require a thorough background check be done, including fingerprints. This is also going to be a requirement of any PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) for Enhanced 9-1-1, of which Somerset Communications Center is one.

Interviews: This interview is a formal interview. An interview board is set up with police chiefs, other law enforcement, rescue personnel, fire chiefs, communications personnel, etc.

We like to use local agencies or agencies within the county. This gives them the chance to see our process and to be involved with the people who may be dispatching them to calls within the county.

If you are a member of an emergency service and are interested in taking part of the interview process as a board member, please contact us.

This interview process will give each board member a chance to ask set questions of the applicant (with follow up questions if needed). Each board member grades the applicant's response which will asssit in determination of acceptance into our training program.

Before concluding our interviews, we ask each board member to evaluate each applicant in a discussion session. This will assist in our final decision.

Directly after the interview with the board, the applicant will be taken for a typing and written test. This will also assist in the final decision.

We will respond back either by phone or by mail to each applicant interviewed.

We hire for training. Because of our process and it's steps, being hired at this stage does not guarantee you a Reserve Dispatcher position, but the chance to earn that position.

We are also not often restricted by how many may be hired. When we do a training session, we are often in need of reserves. Because of this need, we often hire 5 or more applicants at a time for our training program.

Classroom Training: This training consist of 40 hours of classroom instruction.

The applicant will be given a Training Manual, an orientation packet and a map book to assist them in the classroom instruction. It is expected that as trainees, they will need to study at home. Not just to pass the test in the classroom, but also to do well during OJT. Whether you pass on to the next stage may be directly affected by how much you have studied to do this job. It is in the hands of the Trainee.

During this training there will be quizzes and a final test. This will assist the trainee by pointing out areas they need to study. Every effort will be made for a positive result on the quizzes. If a trainee does poorly on a quiz, a review of the subject matter and another quiz will be given. If it is determine that an understanding of the material is not possible, conclusion of training may be the result for the trainee. This is determined on a case-by-case basis throughout all aspects of the training program.

Review: A review of all quizzes, conduct during class, attendance, tardiness, and final test will determine whether the trainee will be passed on to the next state of the training program.

For those persons where there may be a concern, closer examination will determine what the concern is and if it can be corrected. This job is not for everyone. We have had many wonderful people come in and start the training program who were just not capable. Not because a lack of intelligence, but because this job is just not for everyone. Some because of the multi-tasking, some because of the typing, others just because it's not what they expected. For whatever the reason, we need to determine this before we actually put the trainee in a position to start answering the phones.

Often times we start with 5-10 trainees in classroom and before we finish the OJT part of the program, we loose more than half. It's a hard job and there is a lot of information given to you in such a short period of time. This is why, you can not get by on what we give you in class, you need to take home your materials and study. Without it you will not make it.

OJT (On-the-Job Training): As the name indicates, this is on-the-job. The trainee is scheduled to come into dispatch. The first "shift" will be with one of the training instructors. The trainee will sit at one of the dispatch positions. At that point they will put to use the instruction they received in the classroom.

The training instructor will be by the trainee's side during this "shift", not to take the place of the dispatcher, but to use one of the other positions available.

Upon completion of this shift, the training instructor will determine if further one-on-one is needed. If not, the trainee will be scheduled with senior dispatchers for a total of 40 hours of OJT. The senior dispatcher will take the place of the instructor during the one-on-one training of OJT. The senior dispatcher will sit with the Trainee instructing log entries, answering phones, radio transmissions, toning fire departments, answering 9-1-1 calls, entering warrants, etc. Senior dispatcher working with trainees fill out an evaluation for each time they work with a Trainee. This assist in the review following the 40 hours of OJT.

It is the responsibility of the trainee to ask questions, answer phones, 9-1-1's, etc and to study at home if necessary to pass on to the next stage. If at the review of the OJT it is determined that a trainee did not take the time to review the instruction of the senior dispatcher or to study the areas needed to perform the job, termination of training may be a result.

NO trainee should expect to get all of what they need to know from either the classroom or the OJT part of this program. YOU WILL NEED TO STUDY AT HOME. Otherwise, your training may be terminated.

We may be developing an update session at the halfway point of the OJT. This will point out directly to the trainee areas of study needed and any other issue that needs to be addressed. At this point in the training we have put a lot of money into the trainee, we'd like to see people succeed and give each trainee every opportunity to do so.

Review: This review is one of the most important. This will put the trainee into the status of a Reserve Dispatcher. You will be restricted and allowed to work only with senior dispatchers, but you will be able to actually take shifts.

This is an important stage and a thorough screening of senior dispatchers who have participated in the OJT portion of the trainee's instruction will be reviewed, an interview with the trainee by the Training Coordinator and the Assistant Trainor will be given.

If there are signs that the trainee is not capable of performing the necessary functions of the Communicaitons Center, based on their performance (or lack of) termination of training may be necessary. Again, this job is not for everyone and if a trainee doesn't make it on to Reserve status, it is not a reflections of their capability of being a good employee or a good person.

It may be determined that further instruction is needed to further develop a few traits before going to the next phase. This may include home study by the trainee. A final review will be given after the chance to test any further instruction during more scheduled OJT.

Once those traits have been corrected or learned, the trainee will graduate to the Restrict Reserve status, unless the extended OJT did not result in a positive review.

This is a big step and the trainee should be congradulated. GREAT JOB!

Restricted Reserve Status: As a new Reserve you will be given 6 months (your probation) to get a good grasp on the what the job is about. This is your responsibility to learn all the aspects of the job.

We have found out through this process that it really takes the new reserve approximately 6 months to learn most all the processes of what dispatch is about. To test them before they have been able to really learn the job would be setting them up for failure.

Because they are a new reserve, they will not be allowed to work alone with anyone else who is also still in their six month training status.

A new reserve should make every effort during those six months to learn as much as possible. Dispatch is by nature a "feast or famine" type of work. During those "famine" states a new reserve should be reviewing policies, guidelines of the towns, resources available, how to enter information, etc.

For both the trainee and new reserves we provide our local intranet on CD for those with computers at home to better able them to study this job. It gives them the opportunity to become the best.

Limited Access Training: Limited Access Training is training on the state and federal databases. It trains the dispatcher on th format of queries and entries must be made to generate the response they are requesting. This too is a lot of information and we find it easier to instruct new reserves rather than new trainees.

During the classroom training, the trainee will receive enough information to enable them to run some basic queries, the ones most frequently requested by different members of the law enforcement profession.

During their OJT and as a new reserve they will be required to do more. This will give them a good basic understanding before starting the Limited Access Training.

Our Limited Access Training was approved by the state and we provide it to our Restricted Reserves. It is a 4-8 hour block of training. It will teach them on entry of warrants, and other queries that may at times be requested by law enforcement officers in the field. This information is posted on our local intranet and given to the trainee during their Classroom training in a CD form. This CD, as long as they are a member of the department, is theirs to study at home. The same information they will have access to use as a refresher, in the event they need a review of their classroom material. After completion of the Final Practical and Written Exam and six month probation, they will be scheduled to attend the CTO (Certified Terminal Operator) training at the Academy. This is a 40 hour block of training.

Final Practical and Written Exams: Each new reserve must take a final practical and a final written exam prior to their 6 month probation. The practical exam they can do with a senior dispatcher.

The Practical Exam requires the new (restricted) reserve to demonstrate understand off and performance of certain tasks related to communications. This "exam" they have access to during their six months to assist them in their training process. This test should not be a problem to a reserve who has been doing the job.

The Written Exam is 50 - 100 questions. These questions are a review of information the dispatcher should understand at this point in his work at the Communications Center. The new reserve must pass this test with no less than an 80.

A review of all grades and conduct during their six month is reviewed and will determine their employment with the Communicaitons Center. Once it is determined that they have met all the necessary criteria, they will be considered an full reserve and may work any shift with any of the other dispatchers, to include restricted reserves or trainees.

Reserve Status: So now, after the monitoring, through the interview, classroom, OJT and six months of restricted reserve, we have a reserve dispatcher. At this stage, if you are still with us, and are interested in full-time employment, all full-time employment must be posted in-house.

This process may seem a bit much to some, and not enough to others. This process is always changing and being added to. Five to ten years ago, we didn't have any of this. This training program has been developed over the last 3 years and we improve on it all the time. If you have recommendations, we always welcome helpful hints. If you have any questions or are interested, CONTACT US!