Public Safety Telecommunicator - Part Time (2 Vacancies)

Position Type:

Part Time (Continuous)

Closing Date:

September 10, 2026

Salary/Wage Range:

$30.50 - $45.15

Working for the City of Burlington

A great career is closer than you think. Come work for the City of Burlington, where you'll be joining an innovative and progressive workplace focused on building a 21st century city that respects the diversity of our residents, visitors and employees; and prioritizes continuous opportunities for you to learn and grow.

We don't just spend time attracting the best talent. We spend time and resources to keep the best talent. This may include: flexible working hours, mobile and hybrid working arrangements, a great pension and benefits package, as well as programs to foster innovation and leadership.

Type of Vacancy

Existing Vacancy

Hours of Work

Work hours will vary to 42 hours per week

Contract Length

12 months

Department

Fire

Location

This position is required to work in person at Burlington Fire Headquarters.  Work location is subject to change at the discretion of the City due to operational demands.

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.

• Able to quickly assess information provided by callers to correctly dispatch the required fire resources in accordance with established policies and procedures.

• Monitors resource availability within assigned geographic areas and makes appropriate re-assignment of fire apparatus to ensure optimal coverage is maintained based on available resources at any given time in accordance with departmental policies and guidelines.

• Operate computerized radio console and with the ability to manage P25 trunk radio operations including emergency radio traffic and patching talk groups.

• Familiar 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 that utilizes a hybrid call-taker/dispatch model. Must have the ability to dynamically shift between roles depending on the demands for service.

• Must meet and maintain minimum training and certification as a Fire Public Safety Telecommunicator.

Requirements

The successful candidate has the following:

• Minimum education of grade 12 diploma, or validated equivalency, e.g. continuing education certificate or diploma.

• Well developed keyboarding skills with a minimum speed of 50 words per minute, combined with 75% proficiency.

• Successful completion of CritiCall Testing provided by Burlington Fire Communications Division.

• Strong cognitive and psychomotor skills in the areas of reading, spelling, speech, mathematics, written communication, listening and computer skills.

• Strong multi-tasking skills used to organize and prioritize numerous simultaneous calls and required fire resources, including personnel, equipment, and apparatus.

• Able to speak English with a clear authoritative voice over telephone and radio.

• Combination of Public Safety Telecommunicator training and/or related work experience in a Public Safety Communications Centre.

• Has the ability to react quickly, logically, efficiently, and calmly in emergency situations.

• Be able to sit/stand at communications desk for long durations of time.

• Is a dedicated team player who can also work independently without continual guidance or instruction.

• Committed to professional customer service excellence.

• Always exhibits integrity, ethical conduct and maintains confidentiality in relation to activities within the Fire Communications Centre.

• Work up to 12 hours per shift

• Provide availability for a minimum of 15 shifts per month, including a combination of day shifts, night shifts, weekends, and statutory holidays. Availability for short notice shift coverage is required.

• Candidates must complete the Burlington Fire Communications’ training program and demonstrate competency prior to independent dispatching duties.

Preference will be given to candidates who have:

• Public Safety Telecommunicator experience 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.

The following is considered an asset and will be a training requirement for the successful candidate:

• Incident Management System (IMS) 100 - This provincial certification course is an introduction to the Incident Management System. 

• HazMat Awareness Introduction (NFPA 472) course certification.

• Standard First-Aid, CPR and Defibrillation Certification.

• Bilingual or fluent in other language(s)

Police Check Requirement

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

Hourly Range

During the initial training period, the rate is $31.04 per hour. From 2 months to 10 months, the probationary rate increases to $33.86 per hour. After reaching the one-year mark, the rate advances to the 4th class level at $39.50 per hour.

Accommodations

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the City of Burlington accommodates the individual needs of applicants with disabilities within the recruitment process. Please call us at 905-335-7602 or email us at: [email protected] if you require accommodation to ensure your equal participation in the recruitment and selection process.

Note to Applicants:

We thank all those who apply for positions, but only those applicants who are invited for an interview will be contacted.