Fairfax County's 9-1-1 Public Safety Communicators (PSC) are the critical link in providing assistance to those in need of emergency services in the county. These uniformed professionals are part of the public safety infrastructure, working in close partnership with county Police, Fire and Sheriff's departments as well as the county's Office of Emergency Management to deliver world class public safety services to the citizens of Fairfax County. Fairfax County 9-1-1 is always there; always ready!
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Call takers operate a CAD console equipped with multiple computer terminals, including a mapping program. In addition to CAD, police and fire dispatchers have a radio console with multiple radio channels to dispatch police and fire and rescue units. They monitor and control numerous public safety resources and emergency services throughout Fairfax County. They also obtain and enter data from the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) and National Crime Information Center (NCIC) data files, such as information on stolen articles, wanted persons and missing persons. |
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Fairfax County 9-1-1 call takers work a 12.5-hour shift, either from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (days) or from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (nights) on scheduled days of the week. Once a call taker is assigned to 1 of 4 available shifts ( 2 day shifts and 2 night shifts), that call taker works the scheduled hours of that shift, and will not be required to rotate schedules. PSC's are considered Essential Personnel, and work 182 days a year, with 183 days scheduled off, and are also off every other weekend, Friday through Sunday. During the Academy training period, call takers work an 8-hour day or evening shift during the day or evening, depending on the class assigned. Click here to go to the Public Safety Training Academy page. |
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