How to hire an emergency dispatcher

How to hire an emergency dispatcher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step emergency dispatcher hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an emergency dispatcher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new emergency dispatcher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an emergency dispatcher, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An emergency dispatcher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, emergency dispatchers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of emergency dispatchers.

   Type of Emergency Dispatcher	Description	Hourly rate
   Emergency Dispatcher	Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers, also called public safety telecommunicators, answer emergency and nonemergency calls.	$12-23
   Call Taker	A call taker works at a call or dispatch center, where they are primarily in charge of answering calls, identifying the callers' needs, and coordinating services to assist them right away. Although their responsibilities depend on their company or industry of employment, it usually involves answering inquiries, processing requests, arranging appointments or reservations, and handling issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently... Show more	$13-24
   Telecommunication Operator	A Telecommunication Operator handles all incoming calls and transfers them when necessary to appropriate quarters. As a Telecommunication operator, you will be tasked with responding to inquiries, answering messages, and passing along communication to the right individuals... Show more	$14-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Computer Aided Dispatch
   • EMS
   • Customer Service
   • CAD
   • Public Safety Agencies
   • Non-Emergency Telephone Calls
   • Data Entry
   • Emergency Situations
   • CPR
   • Law Enforcement Agencies
   • NCIC
   • Computer System
   • Dispatch Police
   • Dispatch System

   Check all skills

   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.

   More emergency dispatcher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the emergency dispatcher job description is a good way to get more applicants. An emergency dispatcher salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an emergency dispatcher in Alabama may be lower than in Pennsylvania, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level emergency dispatcher. Additionally, an emergency dispatcher with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average emergency dispatcher salary

   $36,748yearly

   $17.67 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level emergency dispatcher salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average emergency dispatcher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Pennsylvania	$56,868	$27
   2	Iowa	$46,165	$22
   3	California	$45,259	$22
   4	Colorado	$43,059	$21
   5	North Dakota	$42,007	$20
   6	Massachusetts	$41,283	$20
   7	New Jersey	$40,975	$20
   8	Alaska	$37,724	$18
   9	Maryland	$37,327	$18
   10	Nebraska	$36,011	$17
   11	Idaho	$33,026	$16
   12	New Mexico	$32,026	$15
   13	Ohio	$31,926	$15
   14	Florida	$29,719	$14
   15	Texas	$28,231	$14
   16	Oklahoma	$27,577	$13

   Average emergency dispatcher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Clean Harbors	$45,879	$22.06	6
   2	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$44,976	$21.62
   3	City and County of Denver Government	$44,399	$21.35	2
   4	Idaho National Lab	$40,442	$19.44
   5	Hackensack Meridian Health	$39,541	$19.01	32
   6	City of Mentor	$39,372	$18.93
   7	City of Helotes	$38,195	$18.36
   8	City of De Soto	$36,908	$17.74
   9	City of Cedar Park	$36,006	$17.31
   10	City Of Miami	$35,912	$17.27
   11	Lehigh Valley Health Network	$35,840	$17.23
   12	Motion Recruitment	$34,395	$16.54
   13	Maryland Transportation Authority	$34,349	$16.51
   14	State of North Dakota	$34,199	$16.44
   15	Tulsa Airport	$34,074	$16.38	2
   16	UnityPoint Health	$33,462	$16.09	37
   17	AAA Systems	$33,034	$15.88
   18	GardaWorld Federal Services	$31,998	$15.38	9
   19	City of Rialto	$31,876	$15.32
   20	Anoka County	$31,727	$15.25

4. Writing an emergency dispatcher job description

   An emergency dispatcher job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an emergency dispatcher job description:

   Emergency dispatcher job description example

   The Access Transport Coordinator coordinates the transportation of patients in the CHS system. The Access Transport Coordinator performs initial triaging using approved clinical criteria to assure patient acceptance and admission are consistent with current protocols and procedures. The Access Transport Coordinator will work closely with the Bed/Capacity Coordinator to identify, trend and report barriers to patient throughput.
   
   We are seeking Full Time, 3rd Shift
   Come join our team!
   
   Some examples of the daily work our Transfer Center team members process:
   
   * Manage patient care in a fast pace, technology driven environment with other highly skilled team members
   * Process and document patient information with respect to all guidelines and policies in place including regulatory knowledge of EMTALA, HIPAA, CHS ethics and compliance policies, and quality initiatives
   
   Examples of Transport Coordinator day-to-day activities:
   
   * Determines and documents the nature, location of requests, and level of priority and then dispatches the appropriate transportation resource.
   * Acts as a liaison across many points of communication within Community Health Systems affiliates from physicians to nurses, as well as departments and facilities.
   * Process and document patient information, with respect to all guidelines and policies in place including regulatory knowledge of EMTALA, CHS Ethics and Compliance policies, and quality initiatives.
   
   The qualified candidate must have 3-5 years acute care experience (Preferred Critical Care or ER settings), Type 38 words/min. EMT Multistate/ Compact Licensure preferred due to services being offered in multiple states.
   
   About this team:
   
   Community Health Systems Transfer Center is a state of the art clinical assessment and patient placement hub composed of Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse(LPN), Paramedics, Social Workers, and Therapists working together. Transfer Center team collaborates with CHS and Non CHS facilities along with affiliated providers to support with transfer processes.
   
   What we offer:
   
   * Competitive compensation
   * Paid time off plans for vacations, holidays and illness
   * Health insurance, including coverage for medical, dental, vision and prescription drugs
   * 401(k) retirement plan
   * Life and disability insurance
   * Flexible spending accounts

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right emergency dispatcher for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your emergency dispatcher job on Zippia to find and recruit emergency dispatcher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit emergency dispatchers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new emergency dispatcher

   Once you have selected a candidate for the emergency dispatcher position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new emergency dispatcher. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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