Fire Operator (Lateral) / 9-1-1 Communications

Cook County•Chicago, IL

11d•$82,612 - $107,106•Onsite

About The Position

Starting pay for this position is $82,612 with a top off pay of $107,106. The Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department Emergency Communications Center, located in Des Plaines, Illinois is seeking applicants for the position of (Lateral) Fire Operator. The center continues to rapidly grow as additional agencies are consolidated into the Cook County ETSB. The service population is 375,000 residents and expected to grow to 450,000 residents by the end of 2026. The Emergency Communications Center is multi-jurisdictional operation that receives and dispatches EMS, fire and police for service in Cook County, as well as Metra rail lines located in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kenosha (WI), Lake, McHenry and Will counties. The center is a high activity environment that processes over 2,100 phone calls a day. The Fire Operator position supports a twenty-four (24) hour, seven (7) days a week, where applicants must have the ability to work rotating shifts that include weekends and holidays. Fire Operators are responsible for answering Emergency 911 and non-emergency calls for all unincorporated areas of Cook County, as well as assisting those jurisdictions that do not have Emergency 911 systems and contract dispatch agencies. Fire Operators enter all emergency data into the Premier One Computer Aided Dispatch (P1 CAD) system. The Fire Operator, from the information received, determines the nature of the call (EMS, fire, police or other services) and assigns its priority using designated codes and dispatches the appropriate first responder to the scene using the radio and P1 CAD system. Fire Operators are responsible for entering, retrieving and accurately interpreting information contained in the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (L.E.A.D.S.) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system and for responding to public works, utilities, and community service calls for assistance and/or repair. Qualified candidates will be placed on an eligibility list. Fire Operators receive an excellent benefit package and ongoing training opportunities. View our recruitment video at: https://www.cookcountysheriffil.gov/departments/cook-county-e-911/careers/

Requirements

Possession of a High School Diploma or General Education Development (G.E.D.) test certificate.
As of the date of application, candidates must have reached their 19th birthday.
Lateral candidates will have a minimum of 3 years of fire operations dispatch experience in the last 6 years of employment. This experience must include a center that is also a MABAS division.
Must be capable of working up to fifteen (15) hours at a time, continuously wearing a communications headset that will cover one (1) ear or fit within the ear canal of an ear, while retaining the ability to hear and understand other outside sound sources not coming to this ear piece; ability to read and discern visual images on a variety of media; ability to remain seated at the same workstation for up to fifteen (15) hours at a time, while maintaining the ability to type accurately on a computer keyboard, all while conversing with callers.
Must successfully pass an oral interview panel.
Must successfully pass a hearing and vision test.
Must successfully pass background investigation(s).
Must meet all unit requirements to the satisfaction of the Director of Communications within the contracted three hundred and sixty-five (365) day probationary period.
Must possess the ability and willingness to work any or all assigned shifts of a twenty-four (24) hour day period and be available to emergency call-in; overlapping of shifts and/or overtime may be required.
Must successfully obtain certification from the State of Illinois as a Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS) Operator within ninety (90) days of hire and maintain current certification throughout course of employment.
Must successfully obtain additional certifications for 9-1-1 center protocol provider within (90) days of hire and maintain certification throughout the course of employment.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
This position requires successful completion of post-offer tests, which may include a background check, drug screen and/or medical examination.

Responsibilities

Enter all emergency data into a Premier One Computer Aided Dispatch (P1 CAD) system.
Receive information and requests for additional personnel or equipment from field units; informs field units of potential threats, risk, and hazards, such as involvement of weapons, hazardous materials, or violent subjects.
Field 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls for service for EMS, fire and police. Provides prearrival instructions to callers while adhering to department policy and procedure.
Monitor alarms; create and dispatch calls for service.
Dispatch and maintain accountability for agencies and equipment/resources.
Dispatch, via radio or telephone, emergency and other calls for service to the proper fire agencies and units; always maintains strict radio discipline; complies with Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) regulations; department policies and procedures in the transmission of all radio traffic; maintains radio communications with department units to aid and coordinate operations.
Assist with the maintenance of records, maps and all communications equipment and performs administrative, clerical tasks and data entry and retrieval essential to the efficient operation of the communications center.
Cancel, Confirm, Enter, Locate, Modify and Validate records into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS) and/or the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system. Responsible for adhering to LEADS policies.
May assist in the on-the-job training of new personnel, and/or assist or relieve other personnel, as required.
Keep informed of County ordinances, Department Policies, State Statutes, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other law enforcement related information/documents.
Maintain and care for communications console station and related equipment.
May be required to review transcripts and/or tape recordings related to the investigation of complaints/calls for service and may be required to testify in court.

Benefits

Health insurance coverage includes medical, dental and vision care and is available for an employee and his/her eligible dependents.
Thirteen (13) Holidays are granted in each Fiscal Year. Employees who are active at the beginning of the fiscal year (December 1st) also qualify for a floating holiday.
Granted sick leave is earned and accrued at the rate of one (1) day for each month of service and may be accumulated up to one hundred and seventy-five (175) working days.
Granted Vacation leave is earned and accrued, with employees having the opportunity to accrue fifteen (15) days within the Fiscal Year; Vacation leave accruals increase based on an employee’s anniversary date of employment.
Basic term life insurance, equal to one (1) time the employee’s annual salary, is offered to every employee at no cost and the employee may elect to purchase supplemental coverage.
Employees contribute into the Cook County Pension Fund and earn a prescribed percentage for each year of service; employees may be eligible for an annual annuity after ten (10) years of service and upon reaching a certain age based on when the employee started employment.
Employees may elect to enroll in a deferred compensation plan, a tax deferred plan which may be used as a supplemental retirement option.

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