Recruiting & Employment
The City of Cincinnati typically hires a new class of Emergency 911 Operators two to three times per year. Approximately once per year, the position is posted, and applicants are invited to take a civil service test in order to create an eligibility list. You can subscribe to be notified when we are accepting applications, below! After applicants pass the test, they are placed on the eligibility list which is typically active for one year. As ECC prepares to hold new-hire classes throughout that year, candidates will be called from the list to interview.
The City of Cincinnati posts all positions open for application; check now to see what positions are available. For Emergency 911 Operator, we collect applications approximately once per year to create an eligibility list. To be notified when the position opens again in the future, complete a Job Interest Card and subscribe to the '911 Telecommunications' job category.
Joining Our Team
If you are someone looking to join the City of Cincinnati in our Emergency Communications Center, you could start in one of the following roles:
Emergency 911 Operators are the public's first contact when they need police, fire, or medical assistance in Cincinnati. These full-time staff members answer emergency and non-emergency calls, interview callers to obtain needed information, and provide life-saving instruction. We typically hire two to three new-hire classes of people per year from the eligibility list.
- Learn more about the job and the training involved to become an E911 Operator.
- Learn more about the hiring process including all the steps and timeline to expect.
- Read the E911 Operator job class specification (the official job description) to learn about the requirements and salary of this position.
- Customer Relations Representative (ECC) is a position that is responsible for responding to and processing non-emergency requests for city services, problem resolution, and/or general information. These staff members handle non-emergency telephone requests to assist Emergency 911 Operators and Police Operator & Dispatcher staff, perform data entry, and assist the city's police officers by telephone.
- See the CRR (ECC) job class specification for details about this full-time position.
- Emergency Communications Instructor is a part-time position that is responsible for providing continuing education instruction to ECC personnel on topics such as 9-1-1, dispatch and emergency communications best practices, protocol systems, 9-1-1 technology and PSAP operations. A person in this role will provide one-on-one and classroom-based refresher education for 9-1-1 call-taking and police dispatching staff. Significant experience in a 911 center is required.
- See the ECI job class specification for details about this part-time position.
Advancement Opportunities
Once you are a part of our organization, the following positions are potential promotional opportunities:
- Senior Emergency 911 Operator staff members, in addition to the performing Emergency 911 Operator job duties, assist with performing quality assurance reviews that help to continuously improve the ECC's call-taking performance. See the job class specification for details about this position.
- Police Operator and Dispatcher staff members act as radio dispatchers for the Cincinnati Police Department in addition to the performance of Emergency 911 Operator duties. In their role as dispatcher, these staff members are the lifeline between the ECC and the city's police officers. See the job class specification for details about this position.
- Emergency Services Dispatch Supervisors work around the clock providing operational oversight and supervision in the ECC, directing the work of and supporting our call-taking, dispatching and teletype staff. See the ESDS job class specification for details about this position.
About the ECC
The Cincinnati Emergency Communications Center is the 911 and 311 center for Cincinnati, Ohio.
When you call 911 in the United States, your call is answered by a local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), also known as an Emergency Communications Center (ECC). In the City of Cincinnati, that PSAP is the city's ECC, which answers all emergency calls for police, fire and emergency medical services. The ECC also acts as the 311 center, taking non-emergency calls for City services. In addition to the call-taking function, the Cincinnati ECC serves as the dispatch center for the Cincinnati Police Department. In a typical year, around one million telephone calls pass in and out of the ECC, including around 350,000 received on 911 lines. Those calls result in approximately 300,000 police incidents, 16,000 fire incidents, and 60,000 emergency medical incidents each year.
It takes over 120 people to operate the ECC, including police dispatchers, 911 call-takers, and 311 customer service representatives. If you're looking for a career that is both challenging and rewarding, visit our Recruiting and Employment page. Visit the About ECC page to learn more, or the ECC History page for a deeper look at how the ECC has evolved since it was founded in 1931.
Message from ECC Director Bill Vedra
The dedicated team of professionals in the Cincinnati Emergency Communications Center proudly serve the people who live, work and visit Cincinnati. Day after day, call after call, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, the ECC staff stand ready to assist those in need and support first responders. The work of 911 emergency telecommunicators and 311 customer service representatives often goes unseen, but their impact is felt every day by thousands of people.
Each day we are focused on helping, and also on improving. We have our sights set on being the best metropolitan 911 and 311 center in America, and plan to continuously evolve as we fulfill our high-level mission: Protecting the Queen City.