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Working at WCCCA
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Working at WCCCA

Here is some general information about employment at WCCCA and Washington County.


WCCCA is the second largest 9-1-1 center in Oregon. We are a creative, innovative center that takes pride in customer service and high-quality work. We are a stand-alone unit of local government comprised of administrative, operational and technical staff. The Operations Department is the largest department within WCCCA and is overseen by an Operations Manager. This department is currently budgeted for 67 Calltakers/Dispatchers and 6 Operations Supervisors.

Washington County, Oregon is a developing community with a population of is 606,318, according to the Population Research Center College of Urban and Public Affairs, Portland State University. The largest cities in the County are Beaverton and Hillsboro. With easy access to mountains, rivers and ocean beaches, the region offers abundant recreational and cultural opportunities. The livability is high and the cost of living is medium.

Check out www.co.washington.or.us for more information.

WCCCA Pay & Benefits

WCCCA Call Takers and Dispatchers wages range from $26.84 to 42.97/hour. WCCCA provides for competitive wages in all our other positions as well.

We offer excellent medical, dental and vision plans through Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Kaiser medical and dental, Delta Dental, Willamette Dental and VSP vision care.

This program provides strictly confidential counseling (in-person or e-support) and referral services for all benefit eligible employees and their family members enrolled on their insurance plan.

These voluntary plans are designed to provide you with tax savings on certain health care and dependent care expenses.

WCCCA provides a specified amount of Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance to you, your spouse and dependent children. You can also choose to add more coverage for yourself, your spouse and your dependents at your cost.

Coverages provided by CIGNA and through optional AFLAC coverage.

WCCCA is a State of Oregon Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) covered employer. You will be enrolled in the PERS program automatically after fulfilling the required waiting period. Most PERS eligible employees pay a 6% employee contribution, however, WCCCA “picks up” this 6% employee contribution for its PERS eligible employees in addition to paying the employer portion.

If you are a benefit-eligible employee, you are invited to participate in the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan. This voluntary program allows you to save money and defer taxes until you take a distribution at retirement. If enrolled in this plan, WCCCA will match 1% of your gross wages after a six-month waiting period.

WCCCA contributes monthly into a VEBA Trust Account for benefit eligible employees. The VEBA account can be used for reimbursement of medical expenses or for purchasing insurance during retirement.

WCCCA offers generous paid time off benefits such as vacation time, holiday leave and sick leave.

WCCCA offers bilingual incentive pay for authorized secondary languages.


Frequently Asked Questions

To be a Dispatcher, WCCCA looks for:

  • Ability to type 45 WPM (net)
  • High school diploma or GED certification
  • 18 years of age at the time of application
  • Possess at least 1-year of customer service experience
  • Possess at least 1-year of computer data entry and retrieval of information
  • No disqualifying criminal history


Testing for Dispatcher positions consists of several steps, including but not limited to:

  • Aptitude tests
  • Skills based test
  • Oral board interviews
  • Comprehensive background investigation *
  • Physical capacities examination
  • Psychological examination
  • Drug screening**
*Applicants with a felony conviction will not be considered for the position.

**Applicants who fail a drug screening, which includes screening for marijuana, will not move forward in the process.


No, WCCCA has a comprehensive training program, during which you will become familiar with the dispatch equipment and develop a working knowledge of the systems.


The initial training for a new hire will last anywhere between 9-12 months. At WCCCA we understand that people have a variety of learning styles and not everyone progresses in their training at the same speed. Not only do we want our employees to be successful in their initial training here at WCCCA, we want our career employees to continue their successes. The state of Oregon requires 16 hours a year for continued education training for dispatchers, however WCCCA employees typically receive 30 hours or more of continued education training yearly.


Since we operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, it is necessary as a Dispatcher to have a variety of day, swing, and nightshifts. While in training you will experience various shift hours and days off as you will work with several coaches while in training. WCCCA doesn’t have shifts that vary from week to week – while you are on a shift, you will work that shift schedule. The general schedule is 4/10s.

Once you successfully complete our training program, you will be eligible to select a shift. Shifts are selected via a seniority based bidding process which is done once a year. During the bidding process, Dispatchers select two 6-month shifts for the year. Shift rotations occur in April and October.

Currently, our first dayshift begins at 04:00 and our last nightshift begins at 22:00. Employees work 10 hour shifts for a 40 hour work week and have 3 consecutive days off; there is also mandatory overtime at times which would extend the work day an additional two hours. There is also opportunity for employees to work overtime during their work week or on their scheduled day off. Due to the nature of our work and being open 24/7/365, we do work all holidays and often employees must make the sacrifice to miss out on family functions, events with friends, birthdays, etc. This is something to consider when applying.


Although we provide all of the necessary on-the-job training, there are some skills that we look for that we believe are necessary to be a successful 9-1-1 dispatcher. Some of those skills are:

  • Ability to type quickly - at least 55 WPM is preferred, although 45 WPM is the minimum. The faster someone can type, the easier this job will be.
  • Ability to multi-task, including split ear listening, which is listening to two different things at once – such as a radio in one ear and a phone in the other.
  • Ability to be professional and maintain a level head, under pressure, at all times.
  • Ability to work and thrive in a team environment.
  • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality and be trustworthy.


WCCCA recruits for dispatchers when we have the need, which can be ongoing or in specific recruitments during the year. If you are interested in applying, please complete the "Notification about job opportunities" at the top of our career page. To view the current jobs available at WCCCA check out Careers at WCCCA.


Equal Employment Opportunity

WCCCA is an Equal Opportunity employer and committed to supporting a diverse workplace.

Immigration Law Notice

Only U.S. Citizens and individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States will be hired. All new employees will be required to complete and sign an Employment Eligibility Verification Form and present documentation verifying identity and employment eligibility.