What does an emergency services dispatcher do?
Emergency services dispatcher responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real emergency services dispatcher resumes:
- Achieve and maintain certification pursuant to FBI/NCIC and EMD regulations.
- Coordinate with other medical facilities for patients requiring higher levels of care, collaborating closely with ER physicians and patient administration.
- Require to be BLS and ACLS certify.
- Maintain emergency medical dispatch, CPR, and a certifications.
- Prioritize calls and radio dispatch patrol and other specialize units to calls.
- Enter warrants, missing persons, and stolen items into NCIC database.
- Provide EMD pre arrival instructions to callers base on the medical need.
- Post BLS and ALS crews throughout designate territory to ensure rapid response.
- Input warrants, stolen items, missing persons and other items into NCIC.
- Instruct CPR to callers with medical emergency by phone while dispatching proper authorities.
- Assure customers are in safe location and dispatch out medical and patrol services whenever need.
- Dispatch police, fire, and ems personnel to calls for emergency requests for services.
- Prioritize calls and contact appropriate response units for police, fire, ems, and utilities.
- Perform complete medical and psychological assessments, treating and stabilizing patients.
- Discuss cable television equipment operation with customers over telephone to explain equipment usage and to troubleshoot equipment problems.
Emergency services dispatcher skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Emergency Services Dispatchers are proficient in Computer Aided Dispatch, CAD, and Patrol. They’re also known for soft skills such as Ability to multitask, Communication skills, and Empathy.
We break down the percentage of Emergency Services Dispatchers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Computer Aided Dispatch, 14%
Determined location, priority, and dispatched units in accordance with established procedures by using a computer aided dispatch system.
- CAD, 7%
Received emergency alarms by telephone, Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), computer interface, and CAD equipment.
- Patrol, 7%
Assured customers were in safe location and dispatched out medical and patrol services whenever needed.
- EMS, 6%
Monitored radio communications for Law Enforcement, Fire Department, and EMS ensuring the correct information was passed on.
- Customer Service, 6%
Full Customer service experience utilized within this position to assure each individual receives one-on-one, personal assistance.
- Emergency Situations, 5%
Dispatched, maintained accountability of patrols and forces to sometimes hostile or emergency situations.
Most emergency services dispatchers use their skills in "computer aided dispatch," "cad," and "patrol" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential emergency services dispatcher responsibilities here:
Ability to multitask. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an emergency services dispatcher to have is ability to multitask. Their role and responsibilities require that "public safety telecommunicators must stay calm in order to simultaneously answer calls, collect vital information, coordinate responders, monitor multiple displays, and use a variety of equipment." Emergency services dispatchers often use ability to multitask in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provided emd pre arrival instructions to callers based on the medical need. "
Communication skills. Many emergency services dispatcher duties rely on communication skills. "public safety telecommunicators work with law enforcement, emergency response teams, and civilians," so an emergency services dispatcher will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways emergency services dispatcher responsibilities rely on communication skills: "monitored public safety radio frequencies and operated a variety of communications equipment, including radio consoles, telephones and computer systems. "
Empathy. This is an important skill for emergency services dispatchers to perform their duties. For an example of how emergency services dispatcher responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "public safety telecommunicators must be willing to help a range of callers with varying needs." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an emergency services dispatcher: "experience with becoming familiar and understanding a computer system of which the company relies on very intently. ".
Listening skills. For certain emergency services dispatcher responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "listening skills." The day-to-day duties of an emergency services dispatcher rely on this skill, as "public safety telecommunicators must listen carefully to collect relevant details, even though some callers might have trouble speaking because of anxiety or stress." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what emergency services dispatchers do: "communicated with multiple law enforcement agencies and various public and private organizations regarding court paperwork, arrests and the roadkill program. "
Typing skills. A commonly-found skill in emergency services dispatcher job descriptions, "typing skills" is essential to what emergency services dispatchers do. Emergency services dispatcher responsibilities rely on this skill because "public safety telecommunicators enter the details of calls into computers; typing speed and accuracy are essential when responding to emergencies." You can also see how emergency services dispatcher duties rely on typing skills in this resume example: "performed general office duties including filing, typing, answering phones, and data entry. "
The three companies that hire the most emergency services dispatchers are:
- National Fuel Gas1 emergency services dispatchers jobs
- PSEG1 emergency services dispatchers jobs
- AAA Northeast1 emergency services dispatchers jobs
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Compare different emergency services dispatchers
Emergency services dispatcher vs. 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. When it comes to employment, a call taker may work for 911 dispatch centers, taxi companies, towing services, and private hotlines.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, emergency services dispatcher responsibilities require skills like "radio traffic," "background checks," "computer screens," and "emergency police." Meanwhile a typical call taker has skills in areas such as "taker," "public safety agencies," "criminal justice," and "medical assistance." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Call takers earn the highest salaries when working in the government industry, with an average yearly salary of $42,836. On the other hand, emergency services dispatchers are paid more in the insurance industry with an average salary of $41,148.On average, call takers reach similar levels of education than emergency services dispatchers. Call takers are 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Emergency services dispatcher vs. 911 operator
Each career also uses different skills, according to real emergency services dispatcher resumes. While emergency services dispatcher responsibilities can utilize skills like "patrol," "customer service," "emergency situations," and "data entry," 911 operators use skills like "public safety agencies," "non-emergency services," "dispatch police," and "medical dispatch."
In general, 911 operators achieve similar levels of education than emergency services dispatchers. They're 1.0% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Emergency services dispatcher vs. 911 telecommunicator
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, emergency services dispatchers are more likely to have skills like "patrol," "customer service," "data entry," and "service calls." But a 911 telecommunicator is more likely to have skills like "public safety agencies," "medical dispatch," "non-emergency telephone calls," and "radio consoles."
When it comes to education, 911 telecommunicators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to emergency services dispatchers. In fact, they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Emergency services dispatcher vs. Police communications operator
Types of emergency services dispatcher
Updated January 8, 2025
