Fire Dispatcher

JOB INFORMATION

See NOTE(S) below for future wage increases and/or additional compensation opportunities.

YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PASS A COMPUTER-BASED PERFORMANCE TEST TO BE CONSIDERED FOR FIRE DISPATCHER POSITIONS.

Fire Dispatcher positions receive and evaluate requests for fire and emergency medical service; dispatch appropriate fire and/or paramedic units to the incident; and perform other duties as assigned.

Fire-Rescue Dispatchers work on a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and are the primary answering point for all 911, 10-digit emergency, and non-emergency phone calls from within the City of San Diego (Fire-Rescue Department has dispatch contracts with Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City, and Poway); elicit essential incident information from callers; determine the nature and extent of the request, the priority of the problem and the need for dispatching police, fire or medical field units; enter appropriate information by typing on a computer keyboard into a dispatch format; answer routine inquiries and refer calls not requiring dispatch to the appropriate department or agency.

Notes:

• In addition to the scheduled general wage increase, the following special salary wage increase is also scheduled to take effect for Fire Dispatcher: 5% effective 1/1/26
• Eligible benefitted employees originally hired on or after July 10, 2021, will be automatically enrolled in the San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS).
• Fire Dispatcher employees work 12-hour shifts (44/36 rotation schedule).
• Fire Dispatcher employees may be required to work overtime during training, if needed, on cleared positions.
• Fire Dispatcher employees may be required to work during all City holidays.
• Fire Dispatcher employees are eligible for 17.5% additional pay after successfully completing the paid mandatory Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) certification course.
• Fire Dispatcher employees are subject to mandated overtime beyond their scheduled shift with short notice to maintain staffing levels.
• The communication center in the Fire-Rescue Department operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with day, evening, and night shifts. Dispatcher I employees will be rotated to different shifts on a periodic basis.
  
  

AGE: You must be 18 years of age or older.

CITIZENSHIP: You must be a United States citizen or have the current legal right to work in the United States.

EDUCATION: You must meet ONE of the following options:

• Graduation from high school.
• Passage of the General Education Development (G.E.D.) test.
• Passage of the California High School Proficiency Examination (C.H.S.P.E.).
• Possession of a two-year, four-year, or advanced degree from a college or university.
  
  

EXPERIENCE: You must meet ONE of the following options:

• One year of full-time experience receiving and dispatching requests for fire and emergency medical services to fire and paramedic units by voice radio or telephone.
• One year of experience as a Dispatcher performing emergency dispatch for a medical transport company or department.
  
  

Notes:

• Fire Dispatcher employees must obtain and maintain National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch (NAEMD) certification within six months from date of hire.
• City of San Diego employees using Out-of-Class Assignment (OCA) experience to qualify must submit written documentation signed by their appointing authority or payroll specialist, detailing the work performed, dates, and total number of qualifying OCA hours. OCA experience without the required documentation will NOT be considered.
  
  

HIGHLY DESIRABLE:

• The ability to communicate and understand any of the following languages: Spanish, Korean, Arabic, Farsi, Somali, Chinese, Indochinese, or Tagalog.