Position Details
The Emergency Communications Center (ECC) provides critical information and support to Public Safety departments within Arlington County. As a Public Safety Telecommunicator (PST), you will face diverse challenges and make a direct impact on the community. Every call is an opportunity to provide essential service to citizens, other county agencies, other Public Safety agencies, and department personnel. This is a great opportunity to provide crucial support to fire fighters, police officers, and EMS personnel in the field.
Hear what Arlington County PSTs have to say about their job.
PST Duties
- Receive and dispatch emergency and non-emergency calls.
- Determine priority of incoming calls and accurately relay information to the dispatcher.
- Provide information, support and guidance to callers in stressful situations.
- Serve as a liaison between caller and Police, Fire and EMS personnel.
- Send, receive, and disseminate confidential information.
- Enter and update information into statewide and national databases.
- Obtain required certifications and update job knowledge through classroom, on-the-job, self-initiated, and online training.
Work Hours
This position involves a 12-hour shift with rotating days off and built-in overtime. There are four shifts which include, two-day shifts working 6:45am-7:00pm and two midnight shifts working 6:45pm-7:00am. Employees are assigned to shift based on the needs of the department and are required to work weekends and holidays in alignment with the assigned shift rotation. Shift schedules are subject to change depending on the needs of the department.
Required Training
The training program is extensive and designed to assist PSTs in becoming proficient call takers, teletype operators, and dispatchers. The on-the-job training is broken into five stages, and each stage must be successfully completed before moving onto the next. The program is intended to provide PSTs with instruction, direction, supervision, guidance, and experience that will assist them in successfully applying critical skills in a variety of situations.