VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is looking to hire some heroes.

Right now, the department is in need of 15 to 20 telecommunicators, who will answer 911 calls.

For the first time ever, the Sheriff’s Office is having A “Hiring 911 Heroes" event on December 12 in the hopes of hiring qualified candidates on the spot.

“We want to get our staff up to full speed as much as possible I mean it is common knowledge that 911 centers across the country are hurting for people,” said James Soukup, director of communications for the Sheriff’s Office. 

While they are able to answer calls in about 10 seconds or less, Sheriff Mike Chitwood believes having empty desks does cause strain.

“Dispatch never closes," Chitwood said. "It is 24/7, 365 and when we get these vacancies it puts stress on the current employees there because they have to work overtime, their days off get cancelled. There is mandatory over time because the phone doesn’t stop ringing because people are our sick, because we can’t fill our vacancies, the phones never stop.”​

Therefore, they are looking for qualified candidates they can train to do this job. They are looking for quick-thinking people that can remain calm under pressure, show good character, multitask and type quickly. 

“When I first started answering phone calls it was a rush not knowing what I would get,” said Janiel Marquez, who has been working as a telecommunnicator for the last two years. 

Marquez said not only is it great to have an essential job that will always be needed, but also one that is rewarding as well. 

“I am happy to be able to help somebody , you know I might not be out in the field like some of our officers or EMTs, firefighters but it is nice knowing I was able to provide somebody help.”

Anyone that is interested in applying for this job needs to fill out this application online before showing up to the hiring event that goes from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on December 12.

At the event, all candidates will be interviewed and take a CritiCall test.

“And what that test primarily does is look for things like your instant memory recall, your data speed and things like that, map reading skills which are essential to succeed in 911,” Soukup said. 

No experience is required to be considered for this career path.  

“When people say oh I am unemployed I can get a job I mean, here is an opportunity, you can’t do more than that," Chitwood said. "I mean show up  with your driver’s license, your birth certificate, your social security card we will give you the test, if you pass the test you are going to be hired on the spot to begin training”

If hired, you could begin with a starting pay of $30,000 and up. 

For more information, visit the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office website.