Fire Operator (Lateral)

Cook County Sheriff's Office

Human Resources Department

Contact Information

Address:

Website:

• www.cookcountysheriff.org

Phone:

• 773-674-8427

Application Deadline:

• 04/21/26

Salary:

• Starting: $82,612

  Top Off Pay: $107,106

  Grade: 18

  Fire Operators receive an excellent benefit package and ongoing training opportunities.

  Benefits:

  • Health Insurance Program – Health insurance coverage includes medical, dental and vision care and is available for an employee and his/her eligible dependents.
  • Holidays – 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
  • Sick Leave – 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.
  • Vacation Leave – 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.
  • Life Insurance – 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.
  • Pension Plan – 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.
  • Deferred Compensation Program – Employees may elect to enroll in a deferred compensation plan, a tax deferred plan which may be used as a supplemental retirement option.

  The 2025 Cook County Employee Benefits Overview can be viewed at:

  https://www.cookcountyil.gov/sites/g/files/ywwepo161/files/documents/2025-09/OE26.Employee%20Benefits%20Overview%20%28EBO%29_County.pdf

Sworn:

• 6,700

Population:

• 375,000

Position Details

Job Code:

4733

Department:

Sheriff’s Police Department

Bargaining Unit:

FOP

Position Details:

Civilian (non-sworn) / non-merit ranked / internal & external candidates

FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

Probation Period:

365 Days

Designation – SEAM EE:

Non-Applicable

If interested in this position, please apply online at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office website:

www.cookcountysheriff.org

Please note that you can only apply for this position online and you must have a valid e-mail address to apply.

For more information on this Notice of Job Opportunity, please contact:

Cook County Sheriff’s Office Human Resources Department

3026 S. California, Building #2

Chicago, IL 60608

773-674-8427

Office Hours:

Monday through Friday

8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Characteristics of the Position: 

General Overview:

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 2,000 phone calls a day. The Fire Operator position supports a twenty-four (24) hour, seven (7) days a week operation 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.

View our recruitment video at:

http://www.cookcountysheriffil.gov/departments/cook-county-e-911/careers/

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Miscellaneous Requirements: WORKING CONDITIONS:

This position is in a call center environment, with exposure to multiple computer screens and requires work under stressful conditions. Essential and marginal functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for sitting for prolonged periods of time and continuously wearing a headset which restricts movement in the work area.

The hours of operation are twenty-four (24) hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five (365) days a year.

The employee is primarily scheduled for shift work hours and work periods may have permanent or rotating days off, frequently requiring the employee to work holidays, weekends, evenings, and nights.

Minimum Qualifications for Lateral Hires:

As part of the assessment process, you will encounter simulated 9-1-1 calls and scenarios that may include disturbing or emotionally upsetting content, such as:

• Profanity and abusive language
• References to violence or traumatic events
• Highly emotional or confrontational callers 

These elements are not intended to cause distress but rather to reflect the realities of work in a 9-1-1 emergency communications center. Telecommunicators are often exposed to callers who are panicked, hostile, grieving, or in crisis. Assessment results are aided with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate how candidates manage focus, composure, and professionalism in the face of such challenges.

The duties listed are not set forth for purposes of limiting the assignment of work. They are not to be construed as a complete list of the many duties normally to be performed under a job title or those to be performed temporarily outside an employee’s normal line of work.

**Article EE, Civilian Recruitment and Selection Process, of the Sheriff’s Employment Action Manual (SEAM), applies to this employment process and can be found at the following link: https://cookcountysheriffil.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/SEAM-Article-EE-Civilian-Selection-Process-updated-11-15-25.pdf

Please note that there are no remote job opportunities, all positions are located onsite.

All Cook County Sheriff’s Office employees must apply on the internal employment page to be considered; the application may be accessed via the SheriffNet site on the Human Resource page.

*Note: All Internal Applicants are subject to Cook County Promotional salary rules if selected.

EEO Statement:

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits all unlawful discrimination in its hiring and promotional process. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office employment decisions will not be based on race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or parental status, disability, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace:

It is the policy of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to provide a drug- and alcohol-free workplace for all members.

It is imperative that all Sheriff’s Office members are capable of devoting constant and uninterrupted attention to the performance of all assigned duties without risk to safety and security for themselves, other members, or the public. To ensure the goals of this policy are met, all Sheriff’s Office members shall be subject to drug and alcohol testing, whether mandatory, random, or based on reasonable suspicion.

*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. Falsification of any information in the application process will result in disqualification and ineligible for appointment to, or employment in, a position in the County service for a period of five years. For current Cook County Sheriff’s employees, such falsification may result in discipline, up to and including termination, and ineligible for appointment to or employment in a position in the County service for a period of five years. See Cook County Code of Ordinances, Article II, Sections 44-54 Unlawful Practices Relating to Employees and Employment - Penalty, 44-56 Political Discrimination; Cook County Employment Plan, Section V.N. Pre-Interview License and Certification Verification; Supplemental Policy No. 2014-2.13 Ineligible for Rehire List; and Cook County Personnel Rules 3.3(b) (7) (8) (18).

Sheriff’s Employment Action Manual (SEAM):

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office hiring process is governed by the Sheriff’s Employment Action Manual (SEAM) which prohibits employment actions from being influenced by any Political Reasons or Factors for Non-Exempt Positions. Cook County Sheriff’s officials and employees who become aware of or receive a complaint that involves an allegation of Political Reasons or Factors being considered in the hiring process of Non-Exempt positions are obligated to refer the complaint to the Cook County Sheriff’s Director of Compliance. If the Cook County Sheriff’s Director of Compliance sustains allegations of Political Reasons or Factors being considered, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office will disqualify the Applicant or Candidate from consideration for employment and disciplinary action will be imposed on any involved Cook County employees, if applicable.”

The advertisement of this position by any individual does not constitute an offer or promise of employment, promotion, or any other employment action and shall not influence the Cook County Sheriff’s Office hiring decision.

The Cook County Sheriff Office is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office prohibits all unlawful discrimination in its hiring and promotional process. 

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