James McCloskey

I work as a 911 dispatcher and call taker, handling both emergency and interfacility calls. My schedule consists of 12-hour shifts, rotating between four days on and three days off, or three days on and four days off.

When I assumed the role of acting Communications Manager, I transitioned from my previous position as acting supervisor. In this new capacity, I expanded my responsibilities to include managing the department's scheduling, handling time off (vacation and call-offs), approving time punches, overseeing payroll, billing, and assisting with budgeting. I was on-call 24/7, 365 days a year. Additionally, I developed improved processes to manage the 911 system to address increased call volume. During my tenure, I created numerous policies and procedures to improve departmental effectiveness and efficiency. I ensured the company's values were upheld, delivered fair corrective action, and maintained daily oversight to ensure procedures were followed correctly. I also led the department's Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement program, collaborating daily with other department heads.

As the Communications Supervisor, I work on the GEAC CAD daily, engaging with both the front and back ends of the CAD system. My responsibilities include creating new employees, setting up pickup locations for new facilities, and managing tasks such as assigning new Bell Codes. Alongside this, I conduct daily QA/QI and track employee performance metrics. I also help develop new policies and procedures, and have expanded my expertise to include billing procedures. Our team coordinates with multiple agencies, including Medical and Law Enforcement, in an always-evolving environment. Frequent system changes require us to adjust everything from posting plan updates to call coding, assignment times, and scheduling. I assisted with two CAD changes, setting them up before implementing them in the communications center. One of my main responsibilities with this was ensuring the department transitions smoothly, maintains compliance with all county and city requirements, and sustains strong work performance. I oversaw 20 employees in my department during that time. I also worked many large events as a dispatcher from EDC, Las Vegas Raiders games and many others.

I began my role in the supply department, where I restocked the ambulance, took inventory of medical supplies, and checked out daily equipment, including hand packs, EPCR computers, and jump bags, to crews. After finishing my work in supply, I transitioned into the transport department at AMR. In this department, I did wheelchair and gurney transports, picking up people from hospitals, rehab centers, doctors' offices, and homes. This role helped me learn about the paperwork needed for transport, such as discharge summaries, MARs, legal holds, and their processes. While working in the transport department, I also attended EMT Basic school and later pursued EMT Intermediate training, now known as EMT Advanced. After earning my EMT certification, I transitioned into an EMT role on an ambulance, where I applied my skills using Clark County protocols, worked with SOAP charts, learned to complete these charts on an EPCR, and became familiar with other legal requirements and interagency collaboration. My next transition was to dispatch, where I worked with a DOS-based CAD system (GEAC). One of my main responsibilities was system status management, which included assigning calls and managing post moves. In dispatch, I collaborated with agencies such as Metro PD and various fire departments, including CCFD and the City of Las Vegas Fire Department. As a lead, my daily tasks included exception reporting and monitoring compliance numbers. Before leaving AMR, I assisted in the transition from the old GEAC CAD system to Tritech. During the first two days, I worked from the Fire Alarm Office to input hundreds of calls as the new interface link was established. I will always be appreciative of the experience I got at AMR.