How To Become A 911 Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a 911 operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a 911 operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.0 an hour? That's $39,511 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 3,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

Score911 OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,511

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 0.90%

Black or African American 9.14%

Hispanic or Latino 11.11%

Unknown 6.00%

White 72.13%

Gender

female 77.77%

male 22.23%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.9

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.7

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a 911 operator

Explore 911 operator education requirements

Most common 911 operator degrees

Bachelor's

34.7 %

High School Diploma

26.0 %

Associate

24.1 %

Start to develop specific 911 operator skills

Skills	Percentages
EMS	10.55%
Computer Aided Dispatch	9.73%
Public Safety Agencies	9.07%
CAD	7.37%
NCIC	7.31%

Complete relevant 911 operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New 911 operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a 911 operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real 911 operator resumes.

Research 911 operator duties and responsibilities

Dispatch the police, fire, and ems as necessary.
Qualify to give first aid and CPR instruction by phone.
Pass a training academy and take an EMD state test.
Classify all incoming fire side calls per the correct EMD nature.

Prepare your 911 operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your 911 operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a 911 operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable 911 operator resume templates

Build a professional 911 operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your 911 operator resume.