911 emergency dispatcher vs fire dispatcher

The differences between 911 emergency dispatchers and fire dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fire dispatcher has an average salary of $37,441, 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 a fire dispatcher are BLM, computer applications, and computer aided dispatch.

911 emergency dispatcher vs fire dispatcher overview

	911 Emergency Dispatcher	Fire Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$36,782	$37,441
Hourly rate	$17.68	$18.00
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	27,140	7,959
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

911 emergency dispatcher vs fire dispatcher salary

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

	911 Emergency Dispatcher	Fire Dispatcher
Average salary	$36,782	$37,441
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $28,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Grants Pass, OR
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	Oregon
Best paying company	Clark County	Mayor Ethan Berkowitz
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between 911 emergency dispatcher and fire dispatcher education

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

	911 Emergency Dispatcher	Fire Dispatcher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

911 emergency dispatcher vs fire dispatcher demographics

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

	911 Emergency Dispatcher	Fire Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
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 fire dispatcher 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.

Fire dispatcher example responsibilities.

Certify as APCO Telecommunicator and APCO EMD.
Dispatch police, fire, and ems to location for resident assistance.
Dispatch fire and ems as needed as well as the fire marshals.
Check for wanted/warrants using NCIC, ALACOP, and computer generate warrant lists.
Perform warrant checks when request through the ACIC and NCIC criminal information centers.
Save an infant by telling the mother how to give CPR to the non-responsive infant.

911 emergency dispatcher vs fire dispatcher 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 fire dispatcher skills

BLM, 20%
Computer Applications, 16%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 6%
Firefighting, 5%
EMS, 5%
CAD, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
911 Emergency Dispatcher
911 Emergency Dispatcher vs Fire Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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