Director of Public Safety Communications, Ft Smith, AR

About this Position

Welcome to Fort Smith, Arkansas—where you can relive America’s frontier heritage, explore a remarkably scenic landscape, and discover an unexpected urban contemporary art scene.

Located on the Arkansas River at the Arkansas-Oklahoma border, scenic Fort Smith is where you can “expect the unexpected.” Covering just over 65 square miles, the City sits at the crossroads of Interstates 40 and 49 and US Highways 64 and 71 in Sebastian County. Fort Smith is the third largest city in the state and has a population approaching 91,000.

Under the direction of the City Administrator, the Director of Public Safety Communications serves as head of the Public Safety Communications Department and handles the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and radio governance.

The Public Safety Communications Department will oversee the consolidation of the Sebastian County Public Safety Answering Point/911 Dispatching Center, which is a 24-hour, 7-day-per-week operation involving multi-agency dispatching of fire, police, sheriff, and emergency medical services. Called the River Valley Communications Center (RVCC), it will be operated and managed by the Director of Public Safety Communications, who will also handle personnel oversight and training, fiscal operations and planning, communications systems operations, and records management associated with the RVCC.

The City of Fort Smith seeks an experienced leader with excellent communication skills to serve as the Director of Public Safety Communications. The ideal candidate will have organization and prioritization skills to manage the many responsibilities of this role, as well as experience with multiple emergency service agencies and consolidating operations.

This position requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in emergency management, public safety administration, criminal justice, public administration, business management, or a related field. A master’s degree in emergency management, public safety administration, criminal justice, public administration, business management, or a related field is preferred. Five (5) years’ progressively responsible managerial, supervisory, and administrative experience in public safety communications or similar field is required, plus at least three (3) years in a supervisory capacity. Ten (10) years’ progressively responsible experience with eight (8) years in a supervisory capacity is preferred.

Required certifications include:

• Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) and National Crime Information Center (NCIC) certification (or obtain within 9 months).
• Considerable knowledge of computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems.
• Considerable knowledge of emergency service agencies and their operation.
• Considerable knowledge of Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) principles and practices.
• Ability to plan, implement, and direct a large, consolidated emergency communications operation and effectively supervise and direct the work of related personnel.
• Emergency Number Professional (ENP) issued by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) or Registered Public-Safety Leader (RPL) issued by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) is preferred.

A combination of education, experience, and training that demonstrates equivalent education will be considered.

The annual salary range for this position is $100,276-$150,404, dependent on qualifications and experience. Living within the general area of Fort Smith is required.

For a complete job description or to apply online, click here

For more information on this position contact:

Larry Bell, Sr. Vice President
Strategic Government Resources
LarryBell@GovernmentResource.com
325-669-3671