Public Safety Telecommunicator - Part Time (2 Vacancies)

Position Details

• Position Type: Part Time (Continuous)
• Closing Date: September 10, 2026
• Salary/Wage Range: $30.50 - $45.15
• Hours of Work: Up to 42 hours per week
• Contract Length: 12 months
• Department: Fire
• Location: Burlington Fire Headquarters (work location subject to change at discretion of the City)

Position Overview

The City of Burlington is seeking part-time Fire Public Safety Telecommunicators to support the Fire Communications Centre in responding to emergency and non-emergency calls. Working in a fast-paced, hybrid call-taker/dispatch environment, this position assesses information, coordinates fire resources, and maintains communication with responding crews to support safe and effective emergency responses.

The successful candidate will demonstrate sound judgment, strong communication skills, the ability to remain calm under pressure, and the flexibility to quickly adapt to changing operational demands. Work hours will vary, up to 42 hours per week.

Responsibilities

• Receive incoming calls on emergency 911 lines, assess and prioritize the needs, and initiate the appropriate fire resources using computer aided dispatch (CAD) system.
• Receive incoming calls on the non-emergency lines from the public.
• Quickly assess information provided by callers to correctly dispatch the required fire resources in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Monitor resource availability within assigned geographic areas and re-assign fire apparatus to ensure optimal coverage based on available resources according to departmental policies and guidelines.
• Operate computerized radio console and manage P25 trunk radio operations including emergency radio traffic and patching talk groups.
• Familiarity with fire station alerting systems, mobile data terminal in fire apparatus.
• Maintain communication with responding fire crews to ensure safety and resource requirements are met, including tracking benchmarks and actioning critical resource requests from the Incident Commander.
• Operate effectively in a Fire Communications Centre using a hybrid call-taker/dispatch model, dynamically shifting between roles depending on service demands.
• Meet and maintain minimum training and certification as a Fire Public Safety Telecommunicator.

Requirements

• Minimum education of grade 12 diploma, or validated equivalency such as continuing education certificate or diploma.
• Well developed keyboarding skills with minimum speed of 50 words per minute at 75% proficiency.
• Successful completion of CritiCall Testing provided by Burlington Fire Communications Division.
• Strong cognitive and psychomotor skills in reading, spelling, speech, mathematics, written communication, listening, and computer skills.
• Strong multi-tasking skills to organize and prioritize numerous simultaneous calls and fire resource requirements.
• Clear authoritative voice in English over telephone and radio.
• Combination of Public Safety Telecommunicator training and/or related work experience in a Public Safety Communications Centre.
• Ability to react quickly, logically, efficiently, and calmly in emergency situations.
• Able to sit/stand at communications desk for long durations.
• Dedicated team player capable of working independently without continual guidance.
• Committed to professional customer service excellence and maintaining integrity, ethical conduct, and confidentiality in Fire Communications Centre activities.
• Work up to 12 hours per shift with availability for a minimum of 15 shifts per month, including day, night, weekends, and statutory holidays.
• Availability for short notice shift coverage is required.
• Complete Burlington Fire Communications training program and demonstrate competency prior to independent dispatching duties.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as a Public Safety Telecommunicator in an emergency Communications Centre.
• Fire Communications experience managing composite fire service resources.
• APCO Public Safety Telecommunicator certification.
• APCO Fire Service Communications certification.
• Certificate from an accredited educational institution in Emergency Telecommunications.

Assets and Training Requirements

• Incident Management System (IMS) 100 provincial certification course (introduction to IMS).
• HazMat Awareness Introduction (NFPA 472) course certification.
• Standard First-Aid, CPR and Defibrillation Certification.
• Bilingual or fluency in other languages.

Additional Requirements

This position requires a clear criminal record check with vulnerable sector screening provided by the successful candidate at their own expense.