Fire Department Telecommunication Technician

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Applications will only be accepted on-line.

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Applications will only be accepted on-line. Postmarks are not accepted. Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

ON-LINE APPLICATIONS ONLY

THE AGENCY

THE ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT (ACFD) provides all-risk emergency services to the unincorporated areas of Alameda County (excluding Fairview), the cities of San Leandro, Dublin, Newark and Union City and Emeryville, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. With 29 fire stations and 35 companies serving a population of 394,000, the ACFD serves densely populated urban areas, waterways, industrialized centers, extensive urban interface, agricultural and wildland regions. Over 400 personnel and 100 Reserve Firefighters provide a wide variety of services to an ever expanding, dynamic and diverse community of roughly 508 square miles. These services include:

• Advanced Life Support
• Fire Suppression
• Hazardous Materials Response
• Urban Search & Rescue
• Water Rescue
• Community Outreach & Education
• Disaster Preparedness
• Fire Prevention and Code Compliance
• Regional Dispatch

The Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) was formed on July 1, 1993 as a dependent special district with the Alameda County Board of Supervisors as its governing body. This consolidation brought together into a single jurisdiction the Castro Valley Fire Department, Eden Fire Department and County Fire Patrol (each a dependent special district under the Board of Supervisors).

Prior to 1993 Unincorporated Fire Protection:

• Castro Valley FPD
• Eden Consolidated FPD
• County Fire Patrol
• July 1, 1993 Alameda County Fire Department

Subsequently, the following communities have consolidated with the ACFD:

• July 1, 1995 City of San Leandro
• July 1, 1997 City of Dublin
• August 1, 2002 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• October 1, 2007 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• January 20, 2008 Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC)
• May 1, 2010 City of Newark
• July 1, 2010 City of Union City
• July 1, 2012 City of Emeryville

The ACFD is also responsible for the administration and operation of the Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC). The dispatch center provides dispatch and regional communication center services for the ACFD, the Alameda County Emergency Medical Services Agency, Camp Parks Combat Support Training Center, and the cities of Alameda, Fremont, Livermore and Pleasanton. ACRECC is also the Dispatch/System Status Management Center for Paramedics Plus ambulance service.

THE POSITION

Under direction of  an Alameda County Fire Department Division Chief,  and working closely with the Fire Department Telecommunications Specialist, performs the most complex projects involving the construction, maintenance, testing, and repairing of electro-mechanical and electronic equipment in the Electronic Systems Division of the Communications Division of the Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC); may lead certain projects, ; and  perform related duties as required.

Either I

The equivalent of one year of experience in the class of Telecommunications Technician in the Alameda County classified service.  (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)  

Or II

Education:  

Completion of an accredited electronics training course, courses pertaining to radio frequency systems are highly desirable  

And Experience:   The equivalent of  one year of recent, full-time experience in the installation and repair of land mobile electronic communications equipment.  Experience with mobile technology and Windows or iOS devices is desired.  

Or III  

The equivalent of  two years of progressively responsible experience in the installation and repair of land mobile electronic communications equipment.  Experience with mobile technology and Windows or iOS devices is desired.    

Physical Characteristics  

Ability and willingness to climb poles and towers to maintain audio transmission antenna support towers and power lines, ability to lift up to 60 pounds.  

License Requirement  

Possess a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.

Possess a General Radio Telephone Operator’s license before the completion of the probationary period. 

May be subject to emergency re-call while off duty.  

NOTE:   The Civil Service Commission may modify the above minimum qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the “Examples of Duties” section of this specification.

Knowledge of:  

• Maintenance and repair of land mobiles, base stations, and other related communications equipment.
• Personal computer software applications, including word processing, spreadsheets and radio programming.
• Laws and regulations on the Federal Communications Commission relating to radio systems in the public safety sector.
• Tools, materials, equipment and methods used in the communications industry.
• Radio-telephone procedure and operations.
• Principles and theories of  VHF and, UHF  receivers, transmitters, and auxiliary communications equipment.  

Ability to:  

• Lead and direct the work of  outside vendors assigned to support the Communications needs of  ACRECC.
• Read complex schematic diagrams, diagnose problems and perform repairs on a wide variety of electrical equipment.
• Use tools and related instruments necessary for testing communications equipment, such as frequency meters, signal generators, oscilloscopes, voltmeters and other measuring devices.
• Repair, maintain, modify and install various types of telecommunications equipment.
• Direct and perform the work of large or complex electronics projects.
• Design and fabricate new equipment.
• Learn techniques and procedures specific to the Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center.

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF the following steps:

1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum qualifications. The Supplemental Questionnaire will be used for further screening of minimum qualifications.

2) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components. Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

*The combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Gizelle Huynh, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
510-272-6472
Gizelle.Huynh@acgov.org

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer