Emergency dispatch operator vs emergency communications officer

The differences between emergency dispatch operators and emergency communications officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency dispatch operator has an average salary of $45,398, which is higher than the $39,422 average annual salary of an emergency communications officer.

The top three skills for an emergency dispatch operator include departmental procedures, emergency dispatch and customer service. The most important skills for an emergency communications officer are patrol, computer aided dispatch, and emergency situations.

Emergency dispatch operator vs emergency communications officer overview

	Emergency Dispatch Operator	Emergency Communications Officer
Yearly salary	$45,398	$39,422
Hourly rate	$21.83	$18.95
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	48,634	93,158
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency dispatch operator vs emergency communications officer salary

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

	Emergency Dispatch Operator	Emergency Communications Officer
Average salary	$45,398	$39,422
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $64,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Bloomington, IL
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	City of Austin
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between emergency dispatch operator and emergency communications officer education

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

	Emergency Dispatch Operator	Emergency Communications Officer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency dispatch operator vs emergency communications officer demographics

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

	Emergency Dispatch Operator	Emergency Communications Officer
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
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 dispatch operator and emergency communications officer duties and responsibilities

Emergency dispatch operator example responsibilities.

Train in first responder, CPR, hazmat, wreckmaster.
Educate customers in event history, update data, and troubleshoot their alarm system.
Analyze, troubleshoot and resolve customer telephone inquiries regarding billing issues, service offerings, and equipment usage.
Deploy fire, police, EMT workers to designate locations to assist with crime, injuries, or fire.
Have current appropriate plans, procedures, guidance and laws issue by the county and FEMA available within the EOC.
Answer emergency calls/dispatch police fire and sheriff, enter and cancel stolen property and vehicles, run criminal history

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 dispatch operator vs emergency communications officer skills

Common emergency dispatch operator skills

Departmental Procedures, 15%
Emergency Dispatch, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Inbound Calls, 10%
Outbound Calls, 10%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%

Common emergency communications officer skills

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

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Office and Administrative Industry
Emergency Dispatch Operator
Emergency Dispatch Operator vs Emergency Communications Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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