Emergency communications technician vs call taker

The differences between emergency communications technicians and call takers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency communications technician has an average salary of $42,950, which is higher than the $38,776 average annual salary of a call taker.

The top three skills for an emergency communications technician include emergency communications, patient care and CPR. The most important skills for a call taker are computer aided dispatch, taker, and CAD.

Emergency communications technician vs call taker overview

	Emergency Communications Technician	Call Taker
Yearly salary	$42,950	$38,776
Hourly rate	$20.65	$18.64
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	61,970	11,539
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 30%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency communications technician vs call taker salary

Emergency communications technicians and call takers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Communications Technician	Call Taker
Average salary	$42,950	$38,776
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $60,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	-	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	City of San Antonio
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between emergency communications technician and call taker education

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

	Emergency Communications Technician	Call Taker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 30%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency communications technician vs call taker demographics

Here are the differences between emergency communications technicians' and call takers' demographics:

	Emergency Communications Technician	Call Taker
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%	Male, 26.0% Female, 74.0%
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 technician and call taker duties and responsibilities

Emergency communications technician example responsibilities.

Compile a supplementary report for incorrect VCIN codes.
Coordinate emergency services for police, fire and ambulances.
Assist and independently train new hires and senior management on new protocols, CPR, and EMD software.
Maintain composure and compassion while handling emergency and non-emergency calls from a diverse community
Receive training regarding updates and changes of policies, procedure and regulations to CJIS.

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 communications technician vs call taker skills

Common emergency communications technician skills

Emergency Communications, 12%
Patient Care, 12%
CPR, 9%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 9%
Data Entry, 7%
Medical Services, 7%

Common call taker skills

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

Emergency Communications Technician vs. similar jobs

Emergency Communications Technician related careers

Emergency Communications Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Emergency Communications Technician
Emergency Communications Technician vs Call Taker

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs