Emergency dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher

The differences between emergency dispatchers and public safety dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency dispatcher has an average salary of $36,748, which is higher than the $35,063 average annual salary of a public safety dispatcher.

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

Emergency dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher overview

	Emergency Dispatcher	Public Safety Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$36,748	$35,063
Hourly rate	$17.67	$16.86
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	29,409	25,700
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher salary

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

	Emergency Dispatcher	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average salary	$36,748	$35,063
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $26,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Allentown, PA	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
Best paying company	Clean Harbors	City of San Jos
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between emergency dispatcher and public safety dispatcher education

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

	Emergency Dispatcher	Public Safety Dispatcher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher demographics

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

	Emergency Dispatcher	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2%	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 dispatcher and public safety dispatcher 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.

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 dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher 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 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 Dispatcher
Emergency Dispatcher vs Public Safety Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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