Public Safety Dispatchers perform communications duties for the Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) coordination of the Town of Tonawanda. The center is also responsible for dispatching EMS in the Village of Kenmore. They answer citizen calls for service, both emergency and non-emergency; dispatching police officers, firefighters and equipment to handle any type of situation. Communications Center personnel provide the vital first-link between citizens and the Town's resources. Their performance directly contributes to the safety and well-being of the Department's officers and the Town's residents.

Staff
The Communications Bureau has 21 full-time employees and nine part-time employees.

The Town of Tonawanda Communications center handles incoming calls for service in a two-step method. The calls are received by complaint dispatchers, who screen the call and either, refer the caller to the appropriate radio operator, or take information for referral to the front desk officer. Incident information is entered into the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) computer, which records all incident information and tracks the status of all officers and units in the field.

Communications center personnel also maintain various files of information in the communications center, including lists of stores owners, alarms and wanted vehicles to name a few.

The Communications Center is staffed by 18 Full Time Public Safety Dispatchers (PSD's) 3 of which are (Lead) Senior Public Safety Dispatchers. The communications center also has 9 Part Time PSD’s that answer calls exclusively.

The communications center can be a busy, noisy, high paced place to work, and dispatchers must often devote total concentration to the radio for long periods.

The communications center is managed by the Records Commander. Direct supervision is performed by a Senior Public Safety Dispatcher or Acting SPSD on all shifts.

The communications center provides dispatching services for both the police and fire department. Many aspects of dispatching are similar for both departments. However, each department has its own special needs as dictated by the type of calls they handle and their established procedures.

Becoming a Full-Time dispatcher in the Town of Tonawanda is competitive through Erie County Civil Service; an exam must be taken along with a requirement of 60 credit hours of college education. If you are interested in a fulltime dispatcher career, please go to http://www.erie.gov/employment/public_deadline.aspx and watch for future exams. The exams are good for an average of 4 years (or as necessary) so don’t miss out on a great opportunity.

Becoming a Part-Time Dispatcher employment, an individual must be a Town or Village resident, and have at least 60 credit hours / Dispatcher and or Fire Experience a plus. No exam needed. Applications can be obtained through the Town Of Tonawanda Personnel office located at 291 Ensminger Road, Suite 2 Tonawanda, NY 14150. Application must be completed in person.