Emergency communications officer vs emergency operator

The differences between emergency communications officers and emergency operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency communications officer has an average salary of $39,422, which is higher than the $38,458 average annual salary of an emergency operator.

The top three skills for an emergency communications officer include patrol, computer aided dispatch and emergency situations. The most important skills for an emergency operator are emergency situations, emergency operations, and emergency services.

Emergency communications officer vs emergency operator overview

	Emergency Communications Officer	Emergency Operator
Yearly salary	$39,422	$38,458
Hourly rate	$18.95	$18.49
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	93,158	52,229
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency communications officer vs emergency operator salary

Emergency communications officers and emergency operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Communications Officer	Emergency Operator
Average salary	$39,422	$38,458
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $53,000	Between $26,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	Bloomington, IL	-
Highest paying state	Oregon	-
Best paying company	City of Austin	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between emergency communications officer and emergency operator education

There are a few differences between an emergency communications officer and an emergency operator in terms of educational background:

	Emergency Communications Officer	Emergency Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Emergency communications officer vs emergency operator demographics

Here are the differences between emergency communications officers' and emergency operators' demographics:

	Emergency Communications Officer	Emergency Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 41.1% Female, 58.9%
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 emergency communications officer and emergency operator duties and responsibilities

Emergency communications officer example responsibilities.

Dispatch all patrol units to calls for service.
Monitor Fire/EMS calls of adjacent jurisdictions.
Maintain composure and compassion while handling emergency and non-emergency calls from a diverse community
Retrieve sensitive information such as, DMV files and background histories.
Insert foley catheter or straight cath a patient as directed.
Receive training regarding updates and changes of policies, procedure and regulations to CJIS.

Emergency operator example responsibilities.

Manage busy company switchboard, operating PBX or private branch exchange systems to facilitate connections.
Utilize CCTV system to monitor and record activity in and around the facility.
Answer emergency calls/dispatch police fire and sheriff, enter and cancel stolen property and vehicles, run criminal history
Certify by APCO as a nationally recognize emergency dispatcher.

Emergency communications officer vs emergency operator skills

Common emergency communications officer skills

Patrol, 20%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 10%
Emergency Situations, 7%
CPR, 6%
CAD, 6%
EMS, 6%

Common emergency operator skills

Emergency Situations, 23%
Emergency Operations, 19%
Emergency Services, 11%
EMS, 8%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 7%
Emergency Response, 6%

Emergency Communications Officer vs. similar jobs

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Emergency Communications Officer
Emergency Communications Officer vs Emergency Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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