Be the first voice someone hears on the worst day of their life.
Coosada 911 is hiring Public Safety Telecommunicators. Bring your certifications and start at a higher rate, or come in with no experience and we will train you and pay you while you earn them. Paid training starts at $18.00 per hour and up.
Public Safety Telecommunicator
You answer 911 and non-emergency calls, determine what is happening and where, dispatch police, fire, and EMS, give life-saving pre-arrival instructions, and keep responders informed until the incident is over. It is demanding, technical, and it matters.
What you will do
- Answer 911, TTY, and non-emergency calls using next generation call handling equipment
- Verify caller location using GIS and device-based location data
- Dispatch and coordinate law enforcement, fire, and EMS units by radio and CAD
- Provide protocol-driven pre-arrival instructions, including Telecommunicator CPR
- Run NCIC/ACJIC queries and enter records for officers in the field
- Monitor live caller video and push updates to responders en route
- Document every call accurately in CAD and maintain records
- Work as a team through multi-agency and large-scale incidents
What we offer
- Paid training from $18.00 per hour, with increases as you certify
- Pay for certified telecommunicators significantly above most centers in the region
- Every required certification paid for by the district, on the clock
- Alabama's most advanced platform: full CAD, NG911 call handling, live video, alerting
- Rotating 12-hour shifts with built-in days off
- Paid holidays and leave; overtime available
- A leadership team that came up through the console
- Growth into training officer, supervisor, and QA roles
Minimum qualifications
These are the basics to be considered. Certifications are not required to apply; we train and certify new hires. If you already hold them, you start further along and at a higher rate.
To apply, you must
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a high school diploma or GED
- Be authorized to work in the United States
- Have no felony convictions and no disqualifying misdemeanors
- Pass a fingerprint-based criminal history (CJIS) background check
- Pass a drug screening
- Type accurately at 35+ words per minute (we will test)
- Hear, speak, and read clearly, with accommodation where appropriate
- Be able to work 12-hour rotating shifts including nights, weekends, holidays, and mandatory overtime during emergencies
Preferred, not required
- APCO Public Safety Telecommunicator (7th Edition)
- Current Alabama ALPST-1 certification
- APCO EPD, EFD, and EMD with Telecommunicator CPR
- ALEA NCIC/ACJIC certification
- Experience with CAD, NG911 call handling, and radio consoles
- Prior PSAP, military, or public safety experience
- Bilingual ability
What Alabama requires, and how we get you there
Alabama law (Act 2022-387, Code of Alabama §11-98-16) requires every Public Safety Telecommunicator at a primary PSAP to be certified through the Alabama 911 Board. Here is what that means for you.
ALPST-1 certification
The Alabama Public Safety Telecommunicator-1 course is a Board-approved, 40-hour program built on the National 911 Program's minimum training guidelines. New hires must be enrolled and certified within 180 days of hire, with 70% or better on each assessment and the final exam. We schedule you into the course during paid training, and the district pays for it.
APCO PST 7th Edition
Our telecommunicators are certified under APCO's Public Safety Telecommunicator course, which satisfies the ALPST-1 requirement and is recognized nationally. If you already hold a current APCO PST or ALPST-1 from another Alabama agency, it transfers with you.
Protocol certifications
Every telecommunicator here is certified in APCO Emergency Police Dispatch, Emergency Fire Dispatch, and Emergency Medical Dispatch with Telecommunicator CPR. These are typically 24 to 32 hours each and are completed during your training period at district expense.
NCIC / ACJIC
Because you will run driver, vehicle, wanted-person, and stolen-property queries for officers, you must be fingerprinted and certified through the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to access the state and national criminal justice information systems. We handle the enrollment.
Continuing education
Alabama requires 12 hours of approved continuing education every 12 months to keep ALPST-1 certification, and APCO protocol certifications require periodic recertification. The district provides and tracks all of it; you will never pay out of pocket.
Advanced training
Beyond the minimums, our staff complete active shooter response, domestic violence intervention, crisis and suicide intervention, hostage negotiation, homeland security for telecommunicators, and more. You will too.
Sources: Alabama 911 Board PST Certification Program · Code of Alabama §11-98-16 · Ala. Admin. Code 585-X-5
What happens after you apply
Application review
Administration reviews your application and contacts you within five business days.
Skills assessment
Typing, multitasking, and listening exercises, plus a sit-along on the floor so you can see the job.
Interview
A conversation with the director and a shift supervisor about you, the job, and the schedule.
Background and screening
Fingerprint-based CJIS background check, drug screen, and reference checks.
Paid training begins
Classroom, certification courses, and one-on-one time with a Communications Training Officer until you are ready to work solo.
Apply to Coosada 911
Answer everything you can. If you do not hold a certification, just say so; most of our best telecommunicators started with none. Fields marked * are required. Administration reviews every application and will contact you within five business days.
Questions about the job before you apply?
Call Administration at (334) 848-0110, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Central, or email admin@coosada911al.gov. We are glad to set up a visit so you can see the center.