911 emergency dispatcher vs emergency communications officer

The differences between 911 emergency dispatchers and emergency communications officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency communications officer has an average salary of $39,422, which is higher than the $36,782 average annual salary of a 911 emergency dispatcher.

The top three skills for a 911 emergency dispatcher include EMS, computer aided dispatch and NCIC. The most important skills for an emergency communications officer are patrol, computer aided dispatch, and emergency situations.

911 emergency dispatcher vs emergency communications officer overview

	911 Emergency Dispatcher	Emergency Communications Officer
Yearly salary	$36,782	$39,422
Hourly rate	$17.68	$18.95
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	27,140	93,158
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

911 emergency dispatcher vs emergency communications officer salary

911 emergency dispatchers and emergency communications officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	911 Emergency Dispatcher	Emergency Communications Officer
Average salary	$36,782	$39,422
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Bloomington, IL
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	Oregon
Best paying company	Clark County	City of Austin
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between 911 emergency dispatcher and emergency communications officer education

There are a few differences between a 911 emergency dispatcher and an emergency communications officer in terms of educational background:

	911 Emergency Dispatcher	Emergency Communications Officer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

911 emergency dispatcher vs emergency communications officer demographics

Here are the differences between 911 emergency dispatchers' and emergency communications officers' demographics:

	911 Emergency Dispatcher	Emergency Communications Officer
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	17%	17%

Differences between 911 emergency dispatcher and emergency communications officer duties and responsibilities

911 emergency dispatcher example responsibilities.

Help deliver several healthy babies with the assistance of the 911 EMD cards.
Help callers perform CPR, Heimlich maneuver, and other lifesaving measures of injure subjects.
Answer emergency and non-emergency calls and dispatch the appropriate department whether it be police, fire, or ems.
Operate a nationwide computerize crime information system (NCIC) to all criminal justice agencies-local, state and federal.
Log warrant entries, missing persons, and stolen vehicles as well as other miscellaneous items into the national NCIC program.
Administer CPR instructions to numerous third party individuals.

Emergency communications officer example responsibilities.

Dispatch all patrol units to calls for service.
Monitor Fire/EMS calls of adjacent jurisdictions.
Maintain composure and compassion while handling emergency and non-emergency calls from a diverse community
Retrieve sensitive information such as, DMV files and background histories.
Insert foley catheter or straight cath a patient as directed.
Receive training regarding updates and changes of policies, procedure and regulations to CJIS.

911 emergency dispatcher vs emergency communications officer skills

Common 911 emergency dispatcher skills

EMS, 12%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 10%
NCIC, 6%
CAD, 6%
Public Safety Agencies, 6%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%

Common emergency communications officer skills

Patrol, 20%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 10%
Emergency Situations, 7%
CPR, 6%
CAD, 6%
EMS, 6%

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Office and Administrative Industry
911 Emergency Dispatcher
911 Emergency Dispatcher vs Emergency Communications Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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