Radio Dispatcher

Salary Grade	Salary
G-10	$42,493 (DEC)
Equated to G-12	$43,700 (Thruway Authority)

Due to current testing space limitations, candidates may need to travel to a test site to take this examination. Candidates will be notified of their test site location on their admission notice.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before January 27, 2024, you must have six months of:

Either 1. experience as a police, emergency services, or public safety dispatcher;

Or 2. experience as a member of a fire company or emergency medical services squad;

Or 3. experience as a radio dispatcher of a mobile fleet;

Or 4. experience as a toll collector for a public highway or bridge system;

Or 5. experience in a traffic management center;

Or 6. active duty service and an honorable discharge or under conditions in the NYS Restoration of Honor Act from the United States military;

Or 7. military duty in the United States Armed Forces National Guard or Reserve;

Or 8. experience as a member of an organized Search and Rescue (SAR) task force or team.

• If verifiable, we will accept and prorate appropriate part-time and volunteer experience.
• New York State residency is not required.

Additional Requirements for Appointment:

1. Background Investigation: Due to the nature of these positions, there will be an investigative screening which could include a thorough character investigation. All convictions must be reported. Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or any falsified or omitted information may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case is determined on its own merit, consistent with the applicable provisions of state and federal laws.
2. Fingerprints and Fees: You may be required to get fingerprinted at the time of appointment. You are responsible for payment of the processing fee.

The Positions: These positions exist in the New York State Thruway Authority and the Department of Environmental Conservation and are located primarily in Albany. The duties of this position are often carried out under stressful conditions. IMPORTANT: These positions involve shift work within a 24-hour work schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays.

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Duties

As a Radio Dispatcher at Thruway Authority, you would monitor, dispatch, and control two-way radio traffic providing interconnections between the various communications systems used in the Thruway's Statewide Operations Center. You would regularly use computer equipment and telephones to enter, receive, and transmit information; make data inquiries; and arrange for repair service when radio equipment requires it. You would also handle the telephone traffic through the communications center. You would be required to know the established policies for Toll Collection, Maintenance, Traffic and Safety, Media Relations and Communications, and State Police Troop T, and to keep abreast of important events happening in those and other areas affecting the operation of the Thruway. As a Radio Dispatcher, you would regularly receive, enter, and dispatch information on the weather, road conditions, unusual or hazardous vehicles, accidents, State Police action, and emergencies requiring assistance from Thruway personnel or outside agencies. In the course of your duties, you will also be required to disseminate real time roadway information obtained from camera images or other roadway devices to the traveling public utilizing web based systems or roadside devices such as Variable Message Signs, Highway Advisory Radio or other devices that are controlled by the Thruway's Statewide Operations Center.

As a Radio Dispatcher at Department of Environmental Conservation, you would work under direct supervision of the Senior Radio Dispatcher, serve as dispatcher for emergency and non-emergency calls from officers and the general public. Most calls are primarily directed to the mission of the DEC. You would obtain necessary information from callers in order to initiate assistance; serve as radio dispatcher of police resources; perform clerical, administrative and other duties related to the dispatch center service. Candidates must be able to communicate and work well with other dispatchers and the public. Work conditions include: sitting or standing for extended periods of time with headset on while monitoring computer screens; entering information using a computer keyboard; coordinating eye/hand movements while handling calls for the efficient use of radios and computers; speaking calmly and clearly in order to elicit information and giving instructions to a continuous flow of callers under stress; listening carefully to clearly understand caller information; making responsible judgments where timing is critical; and working within hearing distance of other dispatchers working under similar conditions.

Note:

• A transition examination is also being held for these positions. Although transition examinations are being held, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of these examinations open to the public.

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Subject of Examination

To be considered for appointment to this title, you must pass the multiple-choice test. The multiple-choice test evaluates your knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in the following areas:

1. Retaining and comprehending spoken information from calls for emergency services- These questions test for your ability to retain specific information that is heard in calls for emergency service, such as a street address, or to comprehend spoken information from emergency service calls, such as determining the location of a site in relation to landmarks. Simulated 911 calls will be played on audio CD. Immediately following each call, candidates are given audio instructions identifying which questions they are to answer within the test booklet. The questions that candidates are directed to answer for each simulated call will not be in sequential order. Candidates will need to retain and comprehend the information and instruction provided in this portion of the test to respond appropriately to the questions asked and to determine which questions to answer. The time allotted to answer these questions will be limited. At the end of each answer period, the CD will automatically play the next call. Note paper will be provided. Candidates will be permitted to take notes and to refer to them when answering the questions.
2. Understanding and interpreting written material - These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.
3. Coding/decoding information- These questions test for the ability to follow a set of coding rules. Some questions will require you to code information by converting certain information into letters or numbers. Other questions will require you to decode information by determining if the information that has already been converted into letters or numbers is correct. Complete directions will be provided; no previous knowledge of or training in any coding system is required.
4. Following directions (maps) - These questions test your ability to follow physical/geographic directions using street maps or building maps. You will have to read and understand a set of directions and then use them on a simple map.
5. Name and number checking - These questions test for the ability to distinguish between sets of words, letters, and/or numbers that are almost exactly alike. Material is usually presented in two or three columns, and you will have to determine how the entry in the first column compares with the entry in the second column and possibly the third. You will be instructed to mark your answers according to a designated code provided in the directions.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Your final score on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits.

Admission To The Test: If approved for a multiple-choice test, you will receive an admission notice which will indicate your assigned test date and the way your test will be administered. Your test may be administered with paper and pencil or online at a state test site using a state-provided Chromebook. You cannot request to change your scheduled day or request a specific type of test administration.

Applicants are required to have a Personal NY.gov account and keep their email address up to date. The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies will communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your test arrangements, examination results, and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number, and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most multiple-choice tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Accommodation Unit of the Department of Civil Service at Testaccommodation@cs.ny.gov.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the multiple-choice test three days before the date of the test, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your multiple-choice test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a multiple-choice test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this multiple-choice test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

The use of cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices at your personal testing site or in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas, except as expressly authorized by the Department of Civil Service, could result in your disqualification.

S2/TA1 JMM-ctc
Issued: 11/10/23

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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