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What is an emergency response technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
introduction image
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an emergency response technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.93 an hour? That's $39,376 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 18,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreEmergency Response TechnicianUS Average
Salary
3.1

Avg. Salary $39,376

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
10.0

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 4.49%

Black or African American 6.47%

Hispanic or Latino 15.19%

Unknown 5.67%

White 67.36%

Gender

female 24.09%

male 75.91%

Age - 34
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34
Stress level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Emergency response technician career paths

Key steps to become an emergency response technician

  1. Explore emergency response technician education requirements

    Most common emergency response technician degrees

    Bachelor's

    42.9 %

    Associate

    24.7 %

    High School Diploma

    14.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific emergency response technician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Industrial Cleaning19.88%
    OSHA12.55%
    CPR11.10%
    Demolition8.01%
    Computer Aided Dispatch4.76%
  3. Complete relevant emergency response technician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New emergency response technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an emergency response technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real emergency response technician resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming an licensed emergency response technician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed emergency response technician in most of states. 35 states require emergency response technicians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    StateEducationExamLicense url
    KentuckySpecific course requiredThird-party exam requiredAdvanced Emergency Medical Technician
    MarylandDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredEMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN (PARAMEDIC) AND CARDIAC RESCUE
    Alabama--Registered Intermediate Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
    AlaskaSpecific course requiredState exam requiredEmergency Medical Technician
    ArkansasSpecific course requiredThird-party exam requiredEmergency Medical Technician
  5. Research emergency response technician duties and responsibilities

    • Handle booking reservations with customers; manage time and money sensitive schedule utilizing dispatch and logistics.
    • Supply HAZMAT team with need equipment and supplies.
    • Respond to medical, fire, and HAZMAT emergencies, assess and resolve the situation.
    • Respond to all type of emergency calls and assist the EMT and medical personal where need
  6. Prepare your emergency response technician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your emergency response technician resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an emergency response technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable emergency response technician resume templates

    Build a professional emergency response technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your emergency response technician resume.
    Emergency Response Technician Resume
    Emergency Response Technician Resume
    Emergency Response Technician Resume
    Emergency Response Technician Resume
    Emergency Response Technician Resume
    Emergency Response Technician Resume
    Emergency Response Technician Resume
    Emergency Response Technician Resume
    Emergency Response Technician Resume
  7. Apply for emergency response technician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an emergency response technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first emergency response technician job

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Average emergency response technician salary

The average emergency response technician salary in the United States is $39,376 per year or $19 per hour. Emergency response technician salaries range between $29,000 and $51,000 per year.

Average emergency response technician salary
$39,376 Yearly
$18.93 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do emergency response technicians rate their job?

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Emergency response technician reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024
Pros

The work is exciting and it is extremely rewarding to know that you are having such a big impact on the environment. You truly believe you are saving the world.

Cons

The work wears you down physically and mentally. After working on so many spills that are clearly the fault carelessness and disregard for fault of a careless person or organization. Leaves little hope for the future of our planet.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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