911 Dispatch Position

Valley Communications Center - Communications Officer/Dispatcher

 

PROFILE DISCLAIMER

The information herein is provided by the respective agency and is only as accurate and as up-to-date as the agency representative(s) update this information. PST is not responsible for the veracity of this data as it is provided directly from the agency. It is ultimately the applicant's responsibility to verify any information about the agency with the agency.

Valley Communications Center - Communications Officer/Dispatcher

Last updated on January 16, 2024
PST Partner Agency since December 19, 2011

Important Information

Valley Com 911 is continually hiring for our 911 position and we are accepting test scores at this time.  To be considered for our position please select us as an Agency to receive your testing scores. You can visit www.valleycom911careers.org for more information on the position.

If you are interested in joining our team, please identify us as an agency you want your scores submitted to.

Community Information

The Regional 9-1-1 Center for South King County. Located in Kent, Washington, Valley Communications Center is the Regional 9-1-1 Center that provides emergency communications services to communities of South King County. Valley Com, as we are known, is responsible for answering emergency 9-1-1 calls and dispatching resources such as police officers, firefighters and paramedics to citizens requiring assistance. Our service area spans from Seattles southern border to a few blocks south of the Pierce County line and from Vashon Island to the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range.

Department Information

Valley Com serves as the critical link between people who need help and the public safety responders who provide emergency services. Our 9-1-1 call receivers, dispatchers and team supervisors are highly trained specialists who are masters at multi-tasking in a busy, high stress environment where customer service skills, speed and accuracy are all critical for success. In short, we get information from callers, give it away as soon as possible to field personnel and then verify the responders received the information. 

A vital part of the process is obtaining complete information in a timely manner from people under stress. Our call receivers ask questions (sometimes a lot of questions!) to determine where people are so they can determine exactly which police, fire or EMS agencies serve them, and they ascertain what's going on so they can send the right type and amount of help to the scene. For critical calls, while the call taking process is underway information is relayed to the appropriate dispatchers so help can be started to the scene while the call receiver is still on the line gathering information. 

Using the information gathered by call receivers, dispatchers send the appropriate field personnel based on the nature of the call and its severity. Assignments are based on defined procedures put in place by our customer agencies. As the call progresses, field personnel are tracked in our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system including the time they responded, arrived and cleared the incident. Dispatchers also support field personnel by providing updates obtained from additional callers while units are en route. On behalf of police officers, they also query computer databases for license, registration, stolen article, stolen vehicle, firearm, warrant and protection order information. 

To fulfill our mission, we also have highly trained technical support staff members who deploy and maintain our computer networks, radio and phone systems, which must be available at all times. Our administrative team provides the necessary support to manage our certifications and accreditations; initial and ongoing training needs; financial and budget oversight and human resource support for the hiring process and benefit administration.

Area Information

County: King
Population: 715,000
# of Staff:

Hiring Status

Valley Com 911 is continually hiring for our 911 position.  You can visit www.valleycom911careers.org for more information on the position.

If you are interested in joining our team, please identify us as an agency you want your scores submitted to.



Salary Information

Ranges from: $36.01/hour to $43.82/hour for Call Receiver position

Ranges from $43.15/hour to $50.20/hour for Dispatch positions

Benefit Information

Full medical, dental, vision; Paid vacation, sick, and holidays; Public Employees Retirement Systems; Tuition reimbursement; Short/Long Term Disability, and Life.

Valley Communications Center - Communications Officer/Dispatcher Requirements

Category Requirement Required at time of...
    Test Hire
Written Examination Yes, required
Typing Test Yes, required

The typing test is a critical component of your written test score and you are required to complete the online typing test within 90 days (before or after) your written exam. You will be allowed four (4) attempts at the typing test every seven (7) days and are responsible for selecting the score that you want PST to forward to the agencies you have applied with.

35 WPM; 90% Accuracy

Minimum Age 17
US Citizen/Lawful Permanent Resident Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
High School Grad/ GED Yes
Felony Conviction(s) as an Adult None.
Felony Conviction(s) as a Juvenile Will be carefully reviewed
Ability to Read & Write the English Language Yes
Vision Requirements Correctable to 20/20
Veterans Preference Points Yes
Current Hiring Status
Multiple Scores from Same Applicant Highest score reported
Dispatch Typing Test 35 WPM; 90% Accuracy

Contact Information

Valley Communications Center - Communications Officer/Dispatcher

27519 108th Ave SE
Kent, WA 98030 King County
(253) 372-1300

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Agency Test Requirements
Written Examination: Yes, required
Typing Test: Yes, required