Emergency dispatcher vs call taker

The differences between emergency dispatchers and call takers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a call taker has an average salary of $38,776, which is higher than the $36,748 average annual salary of an emergency dispatcher.

The top three skills for an emergency dispatcher include computer aided dispatch, EMS and customer service. The most important skills for a call taker are computer aided dispatch, taker, and CAD.

Emergency dispatcher vs call taker overview

	Emergency Dispatcher	Call Taker
Yearly salary	$36,748	$38,776
Hourly rate	$17.67	$18.64
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	29,409	11,539
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 30%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency dispatcher vs call taker salary

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

	Emergency Dispatcher	Call Taker
Average salary	$36,748	$38,776
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Allentown, PA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	California
Best paying company	Clean Harbors	City of San Antonio
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between emergency dispatcher and call taker education

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

	Emergency Dispatcher	Call Taker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 30%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency dispatcher vs call taker demographics

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

	Emergency Dispatcher	Call Taker
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2%	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 dispatcher and call taker duties and responsibilities

Emergency dispatcher example responsibilities.

Perform (EMD) emergency medical dispatch procedures until the police, fire fighters or paramedics arrive.
Receive emergency and non emergency calls via telephone, TDD or radio.
Assist with over the phone medical instruction, CPR instruction, and traumatic emergencies.
Coordinate response of ambulances and public safety units to emergency sites or in-progress crime situations.
Coordinate response of ambulances, fire, and police units to emergencies and in-progress crime situations.
Assist with leading callers through various procedures such as CPR while waiting for units to arrive on scene.

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 dispatcher vs call taker skills

Common emergency dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 12%
EMS, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
CAD, 6%
Public Safety Agencies, 6%
Non-Emergency Telephone Calls, 6%

Common call taker skills

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