How To Become An Emergency Communications Dispatcher: What It Is and Career Path

What is an emergency communications dispatcher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an emergency communications dispatcher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.98 an hour? That's $37,403 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 3,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreEmergency Communications DispatcherUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,403

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 62.61%

male 37.39%

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 an emergency communications dispatcher

Explore emergency communications dispatcher education requirements

Most common emergency communications dispatcher degrees

Bachelor's

41.1 %

Associate

30.6 %

High School Diploma

19.4 %

Start to develop specific emergency communications dispatcher skills

Skills	Percentages
Computer Aided Dispatch	12.40%
Emergency Communications	11.00%
CPR	10.01%
CAD	8.86%
Dispatch System	6.94%

Complete relevant emergency communications dispatcher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New emergency communications dispatchers 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 an emergency communications dispatcher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real emergency communications dispatcher resumes.

Research emergency communications dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Operate and monitor local, state (ACIC) and national (NCIC) crime information computer systems.
Maintain composure and compassion while handling emergency and non-emergency calls from a diverse community
dispatch proper police/fire personnel to emergencies/ other situations, e911 dispatcher

Prepare your emergency communications dispatcher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your emergency communications dispatcher 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 an emergency communications dispatcher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable emergency communications dispatcher resume templates

Build a professional emergency communications dispatcher 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 emergency communications dispatcher resume.