Call taker vs emergency dispatch operator

The differences between call takers and emergency dispatch operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency dispatch operator has an average salary of $45,398, which is higher than the $38,776 average annual salary of a call taker.

The top three skills for a call taker include computer aided dispatch, taker and CAD. The most important skills for an emergency dispatch operator are departmental procedures, emergency dispatch, and customer service.

Call taker vs emergency dispatch operator overview

	Call Taker	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Yearly salary	$38,776	$45,398
Hourly rate	$18.64	$21.83
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	11,539	48,634
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Call taker vs emergency dispatch operator salary

Call takers and emergency dispatch operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Call Taker	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Average salary	$38,776	$45,398
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $32,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	City of San Antonio	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between call taker and emergency dispatch operator education

There are a few differences between a call taker and an emergency dispatch operator in terms of educational background:

	Call Taker	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Call taker vs emergency dispatch operator demographics

Here are the differences between call takers' and emergency dispatch operators' demographics:

	Call Taker	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 26.0% Female, 74.0%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
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 call taker and emergency dispatch operator duties and responsibilities

Call taker example responsibilities.

Manage truck and equipment inventory, rental tracking and GPS monitoring.
Dispatch all patrol officers and fire departments.
Enter confidential info through NCIC directly under SLED/FBI.
Place outbound calls to advise members of eta.
Dispatch need help such as fire ems and law.
Receive emergency calls and route calls to patrol units.

Emergency dispatch operator example responsibilities.

Train in first responder, CPR, hazmat, wreckmaster.
Educate customers in event history, update data, and troubleshoot their alarm system.
Analyze, troubleshoot and resolve customer telephone inquiries regarding billing issues, service offerings, and equipment usage.
Deploy fire, police, EMT workers to designate locations to assist with crime, injuries, or fire.
Have current appropriate plans, procedures, guidance and laws issue by the county and FEMA available within the EOC.
Answer emergency calls/dispatch police fire and sheriff, enter and cancel stolen property and vehicles, run criminal history

Call taker vs emergency dispatch operator skills

Common call taker skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 15%
Taker, 13%
CAD, 8%
Data Entry, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
EMS, 4%

Common emergency dispatch operator skills

Departmental Procedures, 15%
Emergency Dispatch, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Inbound Calls, 10%
Outbound Calls, 10%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%

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Call Taker vs Emergency Dispatch Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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