GPSDC 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator

The Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center is hiring!  We are a 9-1-1 dispatch center run by dispatchers. Our leadership team has worked its way up from the front line, creating two dispatch centers serving 19 agencies. We are seeking professional, dedicated individuals, looking to make a difference in the lives of citizens, first responders and fellow Telecommunicators!

We have a program in place for lateral hires, currently employed in State, County, or Municipal 911 centers. While we may prefer experience, you don’t need experience to apply, we will train those with no experience.  

Laterals can receive credit for one step in our salary table for every two years of current experience.  Those with new experience will start at Step 1.

We work a 12-hour schedule. One week is 36 hours, and the other is 48, which requires 8 hours of pay at a time-and-a-half overtime rate. This means the actual pay for our Telecommunicators is higher than the salary table in our Collectively Bargained Agreement (aka “The Contract” or CBA). The table below shows how each step changes from the contract to the actual pay. Laterals max out at step 5 regardless of years of experience. 

Step          Contract Salary Table               Adjusted for 12 hour shift             Lateral Incentive

1                   $59,474                                 $65,421

2                   $62,470                                 $68,717                                       2 years of experience

3                   $65,571                                 $72,128                                       4 years of experience

4                   $68,849                                 $75,734                                        6 years of experience

5                   $72,292                                 $79,521                                        8 + year of experience 

6                   $75,905                                 $83,496

7                   $79,702                                 $87,672

8                   $85,751                                 $94,326

GPSDC dispatches for 19 police and fire agencies and has two dispatch centers located in Glenview and Highland Park. The two dispatch centers serve approximately 240,000 residents, answer approximately 300,000 calls and handle over 200,000 calls for service per year.

The purpose of this position is to:

• Receive and process emergency and non-emergency calls from the public requesting police, fire, medical or other emergency services.
• Determine the location and nature of the emergency, establish priorities, and dispatch police, fire, ambulance or other emergency units as necessary in accordance with GPSDC’s policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Receive and process 911 emergency calls, maintain contact with all units on assignment, maintain status and location of police, fire and medical units.
• Monitor and process emergency alarms,
• Answer and process non-emergency calls for assistance.
• Enter, update and retrieve information from a variety of computer systems.
• Receive requests for information regarding vehicle registration, driving records and warrants, and provides pertinent data.
• Monitor multiple public safety radio frequencies.
• Operate a variety of communications equipment including Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), radio consoles, telephones and other computer systems.
• Additional duties include monitoring dispatch equipment and systems; researching computer records, updating and maintaining computer files and databases; answering routine questions, and completing general office duties.

Our recruitment process:

For candidates with no experience

• Our process is ongoing. There is a benefit to applying early as we typically send out screening tests every two weeks and conduct interviews on a rolling basis. 
• The recruitment will include an at-home, online skills test*, virtual interview, and an in-person interview/sit-along, background investigation and polygraph screening. Each segment must be passed to go on to the next. 
  • For example, a candidate must pass the skills test to be scheduled for a virtual interview. 
  • Passing a segment does not guarantee moving forward. Being invited to participate in a background screening is dependent on open positions.
• If all segments listed above are passed, a candidate may be invited to join our team, and will be required to complete a psychological and medical screening prior to starting.

*If a candidate does not have access to a computer and/or internet at home, a test can be arranged at our facility

For Lateral candidates

An in-person interview and Expedited background check

A psychological and medical screening if a conditional offer of employment is extended

Qualifications

Requirements include a high school degree or equivalent. Must have the ability to read and speak English, read contents on a computer screen and observe the work site simultaneously. The successful candidate will have a strong work ethic and a sense of duty and responsibility to the safety and welfare of the public, and be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. Attention to detail and ability to work successfully with other team members is a must. The ability to work effectively under sometimes stressful situations is a must. Successful candidate must be willing to work days, evenings, weekends, and holidays, and must be available for shift coverage with short notice or very short notice. Candidates must successfully complete the EMD and LEADS course as a part of the structured training program.