Emergency Communications Looking for Dedicated Professionals

By Larry Fisher - Director
Montgomery Emergency Communications Center

How would you like to have a job so important that when you lay down your head at night, you realize that today you saved someone’s life? 9-1-1 call processors know that feeling well.

Let’s say a call comes into our 9-1-1 Center. Multiple call processors reach to answer the call. One of them gets the call, answering within the first 15 seconds. This is the standard the Center uses, adopted from the National Fire Protection Association. Will this call be a life-or-death emergency? You never know and you can never hesitate … seconds count!

Processing 9-1-1 emergency calls and dispatching the proper response to help people is a calling. Not everyone can handle the job — not because they can’t learn the complex computerized phone system, software applications or learn the police and fire background information to be successful, but simply because of the nature of the calls.

The 9-1-1 Center handles every type of emergency call you can think of, whether it is a domestic violence situation, a robbery, a heart attack, or even icy patches on the road. Some people think it helps if you are an “adrenaline junkie,” or someone who needs excitement every second of their life.

I believe this job requires people who can handle extremely high levels of stress and who desire to help the public in a rapid, real-time world. It’s not a job for the faint of heart. You must be able to sympathize without empathizing.

Think this is a job you would enjoy doing? Your 9-1-1 Center is always looking for dedicated professionals. Interested? Contact the City/County Personnel Office at (334) 241-2675. Let us know if you would like to begin a new career in one of the most rewarding jobs you can find.

You will start by attending an eight- to 12-week academy that will help you develop the skills you need to be successful. Hourly wages are good, starting at $11.62 an hour during training and going to a beginning salary of $13.04 an hour once you have finished training. The benefits are excellent with paid holidays, medical insurance, and a retirement system. You can check out all of the benefits at www.Montgomeryal.gov.

Being an emergency communications officer is a challenging job, but it is also rewarding. 9-1-1 operators serve more than 96 percent of the nation’s citizens, and we are always looking for good employees. Recent changes to Alabama law have provided a separate funding stream for emergency communications that allows a level of job security not seen in many other fields.

We are also part of the Montgomery Department of Public Safety family, along with our brothers and sisters in police, fire/rescue and emergency management. And we are just that: family.

As an emergency call processor, you can join the MDPS family and make a difference in a job that is rewarding, challenging, and secures for you a bright future.