The week of September 18th, a panel of experienced 9-1-1 Supervisors and Managers from various Oregon 9-1-1 Centers came together at Astoria 9-1-1 to review applications and conduct interviews for the position of Operations Supervisor. The Panel made their recommendation to Astoria 9-1-1 Manager Jeff Rusiecki and Police Chief Geoff Spalding.
Several internal command meetings were held to discuss the Panel’s recommendations, and a Command Interview was held with the finalist. Upon the conclusion of that interview the position was offered to, and accepted by Candace Pozdolski, a Lead Astoria Dispatcher.
Candace brings the right experience, perspective and insight to this position which will be of great value.
Candace has been with Astoria 9-1-1 for nearly three years and was one of the first to assume the Lead Dispatcher position. In addition to her time with this Agency she has previous dispatch experience with the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office, the Atascadero Police Department, Morro Bay Police and the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Her diverse background, coupled with her self-determination, were two attributes not lost on the Panel members. Candace has a great perspective on what current challenges the Center is facing and well-reasoned ideas and thoughts on how to improve and meet the increasing demands of the Center.
Candace was recently involved with the implementation of Text to 9-1-1 for our region and was part of the subcommittee tasked with creating a model policy for the use of this technology. Candace also serves on the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Telecommunications Policy Committee. This committee provides guidance on policies and training as well as reviewing disciplinary reports.
Because we had internal candidates applying for this position we wanted to rely on the experience and recommendations from other 9-1-1 Center Supervisors and Managers, said Rusiecki.
This is truly a specialized occupation, and if we are not training our future Supervisors, Managers and Directors today we will be facing a shortfall tomorrow.
The Operations Supervisor will assist in the planning, training and supervision of the daily operations of the Center which serves many public safety agencies. They will also assist in the development of specifications and policies and work closely with vendors on equipment and technology purchases and maintenance.