The Communications Bureau is part of the Support Division and is the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the City of Greenville. Thirty-one civilian employees are responsible for answering over 250,000 telephone calls a year and for maintaining efficient radio contact with all Police, Fire and Forensics responders for over 98,000 calls for service each year. The standards and training certifications endorsed by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) are used for the development of all processes and to complete all training.
We rely on the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) for guidance in the technical and legal areas of emergency communications. Two members of the Administration are Emergency Number Professionals (ENP) and there are three APCO Instructors who provide training and guidance for all employees. Communications employees have many opportunities locally and throughout the state to develop their skills and knowledge. Some of the opportunities include conducting presentations and answering questions: at the Greenville Police - Citizens Academy, Greenville County School System’s-HouseWise StreetWise program, the Greenville High School’s - Career Day event. Two employees are active on state boards; one is the 2nd Vice President for the South Carolina Chapter of APCO and one is the Secretary for the Palmetto State Law Enforcement Officers Association (PSLEOA). Employees participate as committee members for the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, Greenville Technical College and the National Emergency Number Association. Instructors teach APCO and National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) classes throughout the state.
In 2003, the City of Greenville installed video surveillance cameras on Hudson and West Washington streets. This public safety video network is monitored by the Communications Bureau. The images produced by each camera are recorded 24 hours a day and generally erased after 5 days. These images can be used to provide eyewitness evidence of the commission of a crime. Video cameras provided images of individuals illegally raising the arms of gates in public garages to avoid paying parking fees. The Greenville Police Department has preserved those images to confront the guilty parties and make them pay restitution for their offenses.
Employment Oportunities:
For anyone interested in being a part of the Public Safety community, becoming a Communications Specialists is an excellent place to start. Employees learn the conceptual fundamentals of public safety and developed the skills to effectively use the equipment. The knowledge and confidence gained through the training and on the job experiences helps employees to grow in ways they never dreamed.
Working with Technology:
The Communications Bureau has become one of the most technically advanced PSAP in the upstate. Key employees are trained to correct problems, maintain the systems and train others. The primary systems in Communications are: Motorola- Palmetto 800 MHz radio, Printrak Computer Aided Dispatch, DataMax, and the Plant CML Vesta – Computerized Telephone system. The technological advancements aid operators in the performance of the duty to provide efficient services to the public and first responders and it requires employees who have the ability to understand and utilize the systems.
Responsibilities:
Operators are trained to answers 911, emergency and non-emergency calls from citizens and to quickly assess their need to classify the caller situations. Radio operators dispatch emergency and non-emergency calls to Greenville Police and Fire units and to County Forensic units; they maintain accurate unit status’ and monitor the radios to ensure the safety of the responders.
All operators are trained and required to maintain a high degree of skill, knowledge and proficiency in all areas. The ability to efficiently multi-task is required to accomplish the tasks related to hearing information, making quick and accurate decisions, entering data to the computers and responding to the radio traffic. The work performed requires accurate and timely actions by the operators and is often accomplished under stressful conditions.
Work Schedule:
The Bureau is staffed 24 hour a day - 365 days a year. Employees work 12 hour days with every other week end off. Each year, operators bid for their shift of choice. Shift assignments are made based on longevity scores and performance evaluations.
Starting Salary:
The staring salary is $12.16 an hour for applicants with no prior experience or certification. Applicants with South Carolina SLED/NCIC Certification, South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy-Basic 911 Certification, and current APCO certifications may be eligible for a 3% to 5% increase in salary.
Overtime Pay:
All hours worked in excess of 40 hours a week are compensated at the rate of time and a half.
Benefits:
Training Program
The Communications Specialist-I Training Program is used to train newly hired
Communications Specialist. This program is supervised by Fran Moore
There are several phases to the CS-I Training Program, starting with a basic
orientation to the department. Recruits are assigned to various Communication Specialist Trainers (CST)
throughout this process. Each recruit is evaluated by their CST on
job performance skills, attitudes/relationships and appearance. Once they achieve a level of performance, they are sent to the Criminal Justice Academy where they will attend a one week communications course. After
the successful completion of the CS-I Program, the recruits will continue
to be evaluated by their
shift supervisor until they complete a one-year
probationary period.
