JobsAdvocate Health

Public Safety Telecommunicator

Advocate Health · Park Ridge, IL

Posted Sep 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Tell me about a time you had two urgent situations happening at once. How did you decide what to handle first?

ability to triage competing emergencies without freezing or dropping one

Tell me about a time you had to give instructions over a radio or phone to someone who wasn't following you or wasn't cooperating.

clarity of communication and patience under pressure

This job means sitting at a workstation with headset on for most of an eight-hour shift, overnight, every other weekend and holidays included. How have you handled that kind of schedule before, and how do you stay alert at 3am?

realistic fit with the physical demands and shift pattern, not just willingness to say yes

Tell me about a mistake you made logging or documenting an incident, and what happened as a result.

honesty about error and understanding of why accurate logs matter for accountability and investigations

Describe a time you had to keep information confidential even though people around you were curious or pushing for details.

trustworthiness given constant exposure to sensitive security and patient-adjacent information

Technical

Walk me through what happens from the second an alarm comes into the SOC to the moment you've dispatched someone to it.

whether the candidate actually understands the call-to-dispatch workflow and can prioritize under real conditions

What experience do you have monitoring things like CCTV, burglar or fire panels, or alarm monitoring software?

direct match to the required one year of hands-on monitoring experience

What does APCO's Public Safety Telecommunicator 1 certification cover, and are you comfortable working toward it within twelve months of starting?

awareness of the required credential and genuine willingness to complete it on the job's timeline

How fast do you type, and how comfortable are you entering information into a system while you're still talking to a caller?

whether the candidate can multitask between listening, typing, and dispatching in real time

Situational

Say you get a call from someone who is panicking and can barely get words out. How do you get the information you actually need from them?

composure and questioning technique with distressed callers

If you saw something odd on a camera feed but couldn't tell if it was actually a threat, what would you do before deciding to dispatch someone?

judgment on escalation thresholds and avoiding both overreaction and complacency

A visitor management or infant protection alert goes off at the same time you're tracking a fire alarm elsewhere in the building. Walk me through what you do.

ability to manage simultaneous alerts across different life-safety systems without losing track of either

If a supervisor and a caller are giving you conflicting instructions about how to handle an active incident, what do you do in that moment?

judgment on chain of command and staying calm when guidance conflicts mid-crisis

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 11733 Support Operations Division - Security: Corp Command Branch Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: Full-Time 3rd Shift 10:00pm to 6:30am. Work every other weekend and holidays as scheduled. Pay Range: $21.85 - $32.80 It's More Than a Job, It's a Calling! Position: Public Safety Telecommunicator Location: Lutheran General hospital command center; Park Ridge, IL. Full Time; 3rd shift ~10:00pm-6:30am. Work every other weekend and holidays as scheduled. MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES • Monitors and utilizes security systems to maintain common operating picture of the enterprise.  Uses advanced technology systems in the SOC for situational awareness, threat management, and investigative purposes. Monitors risks that could adversely impact the organization using internal and external systems (internet, newsfeeds, and other data sources). Monitors and utilizes the security management system, CCTV, visitor management, infant protection, burglar alarm, fire alarm, and related systems to detect emergencies such as fires, emergencies, or criminal activity. Maintains status and locations of on-duty Public Safety/Security personnel. Monitors and dispatches Public Safety/Security staff activity and assignments via radio systems and computer-aided dispatch systems. Maintains automated logs of Public Safety/Security staff communications and activity. • Responds to Security, Fire, and Safety service requests, incidents, and alarms. Receives emergency and non-emergency calls from team members, public, Public Safety/Security staff, law enforcement, and others via telephone, radio, and computer-aided dispatch systems and inputs pertinent data into security management systems.  Evaluates incoming information. Questions callers to determine their location and the nature of their problem. Follows established procedures to determine the severity and validity of the call or alarm. Prioritizes calls and dispatches Public Safety personnel and/or others. • Communicates effectively in routine, urgent, and emergency situations.  Maintains central database information to facilitate efficient operations and continuously update organizational data.  Seeks guidance from supervisors and peers to effectively communicate with stakeholders throughout an incident life cycle. • Keeps informed of organizational and departmental policies and procedures. • Maintains appropriate security and confidentiality of information created or encountered in the performance of assigned duties. License/Registration/Certification Required: Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO); specifically, APCO’s Public Safety Telecommunicator 1 certification within (12) months of employment. Education Required: GED or HS Equivalency Diploma Experience Required: 1 year responding to alarms such as burglar, fire, etc. Monitoring hardware and/or software such as signal receivers, alarm monitoring software; Security and Fire hardware, CCTV, burglar, or fire panels; Emergency Response protocols and processes (public and private). KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED • Strong computer skills. Ability to type 35-40 wpm. • Read, understand, and clearly speak English; constantly use speech and hearing (correctable to normal level required) in communicating with public/co-workers, providing, and receiving instructions, using phones and radio. Constant mental alertness and attention to detail required while setting priorities and following up on assignments • Must possess effective written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with ability to deal with all levels of personnel and the public in a professional and effective manner. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS • The AAH Security Operations Center provides security monitoring and dispatch to the Advocate Aurora enterprise on a 24/7/365 basis. Public Safety Telecommunicators must be willing to work in a 24/7 operation. • Incumbents function in a stressful, fast paced environment and work shifts are specified by department need and management direction.  The shifts may include nights, weekends, holidays, as well as mandatory overtime as required. Sitting is required for extended periods at a workstation wearing communications equipment, which limits mobility, except for scheduled work breaks. • Work is performed onsite in a secured, controlled, closely supervised, and highly structured work environment. • Work requires visual and muscular dexterity to operate communications equipment (computer-aided dispatch equipment, telephones, and radios). • Constant use of eyes (correctable vision to normal level required) to observe, read, interact with public and co-workers, view security monitors; includes hand/eye coordination. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health  Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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