Public Safety Dispatcher

Summary The purpose of this position is to serve in a Communications Center that provides public safety dispatch operation serving one or more units, jurisdictions, and/or agencies; full on-site access (query and input) to National Criminal Information Network (NCIC), National Law Enforcements Communications System (NLETS), and state networks; primary or secondary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) with full responsibility in public safety emergency response. Responsibilities Operates multi-channel radios and telephones used to monitor and coordinate park communications traffic and cross-net radio operations between numerous public safety, law enforcement, and fire agencies. Coordinates use of assigned radio frequencies directs radio traffic to appropriate channels and restricts channels to emergency use as necessary. Operates public safety computer networks including NCIC/NLETS (Federal Bureau of Investigation/Department of Justice), and SD LETS (South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation). Tasks include inquiry, entry, and modification of records. Conducts computer queries and inquiries to obtain and provide background and investigative information. Records searches support Law Enforcement (LE) Ranger or other federal agency investigations. Independently makes judgments/decisions and takes action to handle emergency telephone calls, record information, determine priority of response, and relay incident information to responding LE Ranger and public safety units. Independently makes judgments/decisions and takes action to coordinate emergency medical response incidents with local county public safety office and relays critical information to first responders dispatched to the scene. Monitors fire, intrusion and pump alarms in multiple locations. Monitors activities of LE Rangers and public safety field personnel and assists in coordinating prompt response to incidents in progress. All-risk incidents may include law enforcement, wild-land fire, structural fire, prescribed fire, medical emergencies, and search and rescue operations. Working Conditions: The work is normally performed in a well-lighted and temperature-controlled room. Noise levels are routinely high due to electronic equipment, telephones, radios, and other discussions ongoing in the performance of duties. The setting is typically confined and secure, and entrance and egress is controlled. During the training period and/or on other occasions, the incumbent will be assigned to accompany field law enforcement personnel in patrol vehicles to learn or gain a more detailed familiarization with agency field operating procedures and jurisdictional boundaries. Incumbent may not leave the center unless relieved by another qualified dispatcher. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the positions supervisor. Promotion Potential: Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the positions supervisor. Mount Rushmore National Memorial is located three miles west of Keystone, South Dakota, in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota. Housing for purchase or rent, schools, medical and dental facilities, churches of most faiths, and shopping are available in Rapid City, 25 miles northeast of Park Headquarters, and in nearby Hill City and Custer.. For additional information contact Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Todd Grabow, 605-574-3461, toddgrabow@nps.gov Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments and must be met by the closing date of this announcement. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued drivers license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued drivers license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid drivers licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State drivers license. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/11/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either “full-time” (or “40 hours a week”) or “part-time” with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. SELECTIVE FACTOR: This position performs dispatch duties and must meet minimum age (18) requirement to operate the Criminal Justice Information System in South Dakota. is required. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. – AND – To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skill, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include1) Operating radio communication equipment to dispatch services; 2) Receiving incoming telephone or alarm systems calls; 3) working as a receptionist or other comparable administrative position that performs general communications center clerical duties such as data entry, records management or verification and maintenance of contact listings. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four (4) years of education above high school (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelors degree from an accredited college or university in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. NOTE: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelors degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to one year of specialized experience. For example, I have six months of specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and three years of college study from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) that equals 100% of the total requirement. To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level. For this position, specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skill, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include working as a dispatcher in person, by telephone, or by radio; operating a telephone switchboard; operating a radio base station; working an information desk that involved in-person, and either telephone or radio contacts; working as a receptionist or other comparable administrative position that involved providing support and public safety to incident responders. Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-06 grade level(s) of this position. Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Physical Demands: Incumbent must function efficiently in a confined space for extended periods with no breaks and no opportunity to leave the confines of the Communications Center. The dispatcher is considered an “essential employee,” meaning he/she is required to work most holidays, report for duty during adverse weather conditions, and be expected to work for long hours exceeding normally scheduled shifts in case of emergencies. Position is sedentary with high amounts of stress. Incumbent is subject to shift work, rotating shift work, and uncommon tours of duty. Work requires use of the voice in vocal communications for periods of hours at a time. Voice must be clear, audible, and tone effective with words plainly spoken and understandable. Incumbent must be able to hear clearly and discern a variety of audible communications and signals simultaneously. Incumbent must be able to read critical information from multiple sources, including computer screen, fax, and written log quickly and accurately. The work is of an emergency nature and is emotionally stressful. Incumbent must possess manual dexterity sufficient to operate computer terminals/keyboards and related equipment and to maintain written logs. Work involves occasional lifting of boxes and supplies up to weights of 50 pounds. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance consistent with your SF50s.