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

What is an emergency communications operator 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 operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.07 an hour? That's $39,661 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 OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,661

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 71.48%

male 28.52%

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 operator

Explore emergency communications operator education requirements

Most common emergency communications operator degrees

Bachelor's

44.9 %

Associate

19.3 %

High School Diploma

18.2 %

Start to develop specific emergency communications operator skills

Skills	Percentages
CAD	13.20%
Computer Aided Dispatch	12.59%
Emergency Communications	9.91%
Emergency Services	8.69%
Data Entry	7.59%

Complete relevant emergency communications operator training and internships

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

Research emergency communications operator duties and responsibilities

Manage busy company switchboard, operating PBX or private branch exchange systems to facilitate connections.
Dispatch various emergency personnel including police officers, fire department and EMT personnel utilizing several software programs and multi-tasking ability.
Certify by APCO as a nationally recognize emergency dispatcher.

Prepare your emergency communications operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your emergency communications operator 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 operator 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 operator resume templates

Build a professional emergency communications operator 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 operator resume.