Emergency medical dispatcher vs police communications operator

The differences between emergency medical dispatchers and police communications operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police communications operator has an average salary of $39,636, which is higher than the $38,255 average annual salary of an emergency medical dispatcher.

The top three skills for an emergency medical dispatcher include EMT, computer aided dispatch and EMS. The most important skills for a police communications operator are computer aided dispatch, dispatch system, and two-way radio.

Emergency medical dispatcher vs police communications operator overview

	Emergency Medical Dispatcher	Police Communications Operator
Yearly salary	$38,255	$39,636
Hourly rate	$18.39	$19.06
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	69,103	42,992
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency medical dispatcher vs police communications operator salary

Emergency medical dispatchers and police communications operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Medical Dispatcher	Police Communications Operator
Average salary	$38,255	$39,636
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $47,000	Between $28,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	Wheat Ridge, CO
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Georgetown University
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between emergency medical dispatcher and police communications operator education

There are a few differences between an emergency medical dispatcher and a police communications operator in terms of educational background:

	Emergency Medical Dispatcher	Police Communications Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency medical dispatcher vs police communications operator demographics

Here are the differences between emergency medical dispatchers' and police communications operators' demographics:

	Emergency Medical Dispatcher	Police Communications Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 35.8% Female, 64.2%	Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9%
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 medical dispatcher and police communications operator duties and responsibilities

Emergency medical dispatcher example responsibilities.

Train new EMT students, and dispatchers in patient care, emergency call taking and operations.
Dispatch fire police sheriff and medical using the cad system.
Provide medical instructions to callers on issues such as childbirth and CPR.
Dispatch appropriate units according to acuity level, availability and location; assist with CPR until units arrive at location.
Develop and implement departments EMD program.
Dispatch ambulances as necessary and in accordance with state and company standard operating procedures.

Police communications operator example responsibilities.

Manage busy company switchboard, operating PBX or private branch exchange systems to facilitate connections.
Screen, train, test, and certify operators to gain access to LLETS and/or NCIC.
Supervise telecommunication operations and reinforce the confidentiality in telecommunications.
Perform monthly inventory and destruction of COMSEC material while maintaining strict accountability standards.
Control COMSEC for company level operations and follow all destruction and pickup regulations.
Supervise telecommunication operations and reinforce the confidentiality in telecommunications.

Emergency medical dispatcher vs police communications operator skills

Common emergency medical dispatcher skills

EMT, 11%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 10%
EMS, 8%
CAD, 8%
EMD, 7%
CPR, 7%

Common police communications operator skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 17%
Dispatch System, 6%
Two-Way Radio, 6%
CAD, 6%
Computer System, 5%
Criminal Justice, 5%

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Emergency Medical Dispatcher
Emergency Medical Dispatcher vs Police Communications Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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