Alarm operator vs public safety dispatcher

The differences between alarm operators and public safety dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a public safety dispatcher has an average salary of $35,063, which is higher than the $29,349 average annual salary of an alarm operator.

The top three skills for an alarm operator include alarm signals, emergency situations and customer service. The most important skills for a public safety dispatcher are computer aided dispatch, customer service, and CAD.

Alarm operator vs public safety dispatcher overview

	Alarm Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$29,349	$35,063
Hourly rate	$14.11	$16.86
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	30,893	25,700
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Alarm operator vs public safety dispatcher salary

Alarm operators and public safety dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Alarm Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average salary	$29,349	$35,063
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $34,000	Between $26,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Kirkland, WA	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Pennsylvania
Best paying company	ASRC Federal	City of San Jos
Best paying industry	Utilities	Government

Differences between alarm operator and public safety dispatcher education

There are a few differences between an alarm operator and a public safety dispatcher in terms of educational background:

	Alarm Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Alarm operator vs public safety dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between alarm operators' and public safety dispatchers' demographics:

	Alarm Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8%	Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4%
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 alarm operator and public safety dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Alarm operator example responsibilities.

Interpret and respond to system messages through use of JES2, MVS, SDSF and automate commands.
Supervise telecommunication operations and reinforce the confidentiality in telecommunications.
Enter data into various databases including TCIC and NCIC.
Enter stolen, re-cover and missing property into TCIC and NCIC database.
Supervise telecommunication operations and reinforce the confidentiality in telecommunications.

Public safety dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage the response and allocation of police, fire, ems personnel when call for service.
Provide a and CPR instructions.
Conduct layperson CPR instruction to local communities.
Train entry dispatchers on Fire/EMS call taking and dispatching.
Provide determinant dispatch codes base on EMD and EFD standards.
Job duties are the answering, processing and dispatching of police, fire and ems services.

Alarm operator vs public safety dispatcher skills

Common alarm operator skills

Alarm Signals, 15%
Emergency Situations, 14%
Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 8%
Emergency Services, 7%
Security Systems, 7%

Common public safety dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 15%
Customer Service, 6%
CAD, 6%
Patrol, 5%
Dispatch System, 4%
NCIC, 3%

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Alarm Operator
Alarm Operator vs Public Safety Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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