Emergency communications technician vs public safety dispatcher

The differences between emergency communications technicians and public safety dispatchers 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 $35,063 average annual salary of a public safety dispatcher.

The top three skills for an emergency communications technician include emergency communications, patient care and CPR. The most important skills for a public safety dispatcher are computer aided dispatch, customer service, and CAD.

Emergency communications technician vs public safety dispatcher overview

	Emergency Communications Technician	Public Safety Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$42,950	$35,063
Hourly rate	$20.65	$16.86
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	61,970	25,700
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency communications technician vs public safety dispatcher salary

Emergency communications technicians and public safety dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Communications Technician	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average salary	$42,950	$35,063
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $60,000	Between $26,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	-	Pennsylvania
Best paying company	-	City of San Jos
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between emergency communications technician and public safety dispatcher education

There are a few differences between an emergency communications technician and a public safety dispatcher in terms of educational background:

	Emergency Communications Technician	Public Safety Dispatcher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency communications technician vs public safety dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between emergency communications technicians' and public safety dispatchers' demographics:

	Emergency Communications Technician	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%	Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4%
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 public safety dispatcher 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.

Public safety dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage the response and allocation of police, fire, ems personnel when call for service.
Provide a and CPR instructions.
Conduct layperson CPR instruction to local communities.
Train entry dispatchers on Fire/EMS call taking and dispatching.
Provide determinant dispatch codes base on EMD and EFD standards.
Job duties are the answering, processing and dispatching of police, fire and ems services.

Emergency communications technician vs public safety dispatcher 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 public safety dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 15%
Customer Service, 6%
CAD, 6%
Patrol, 5%
Dispatch System, 4%
NCIC, 3%

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Emergency Communications Technician
Emergency Communications Technician vs Public Safety Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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