Emergency communications officer vs radio dispatcher

The differences between emergency communications officers and radio dispatchers 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 $35,529 average annual salary of a radio dispatcher.

The top three skills for an emergency communications officer include patrol, computer aided dispatch and emergency situations. The most important skills for a radio dispatcher are computer aided dispatch, patrol, and emergency situations.

Emergency communications officer vs radio dispatcher overview

	Emergency Communications Officer	Radio Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$39,422	$35,529
Hourly rate	$18.95	$17.08
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	93,158	6,830
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency communications officer vs radio dispatcher salary

Emergency communications officers and radio dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Communications Officer	Radio Dispatcher
Average salary	$39,422	$35,529
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $53,000	Between $27,000 And $46,000
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 radio dispatcher education

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

	Emergency Communications Officer	Radio Dispatcher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency communications officer vs radio dispatcher demographics

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

	Emergency Communications Officer	Radio Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 44.5% Female, 55.5%
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 radio dispatcher 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.

Radio dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Enter, clear and update records NCIC system.
Dispatch and coordinate response of private arm patrol by radio.
Perform booking procedures which consist of fingerprinting, checking NCIC computer for further charges or warrants.
Discuss cable television equipment operation with customers over telephone to explain equipment usage and to troubleshoot equipment problems.
Certify by APCO as a nationally recognize emergency dispatcher.

Emergency communications officer vs radio dispatcher skills

Common emergency communications officer skills

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

Common radio dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 17%
Patrol, 12%
Emergency Situations, 10%
CAD, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Non-Emergency Calls, 8%

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Emergency Communications Officer
Emergency Communications Officer vs Radio Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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