Emergency vehicle operator vs public safety dispatcher

The differences between emergency vehicle operators and public safety dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency vehicle operator has an average salary of $100,077, which is higher than the $35,063 average annual salary of a public safety dispatcher.

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

Emergency vehicle operator vs public safety dispatcher overview

	Emergency Vehicle Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$100,077	$35,063
Hourly rate	$48.11	$16.86
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	49,687	25,700
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Emergency vehicle operator vs public safety dispatcher salary

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

	Emergency Vehicle Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average salary	$100,077	$35,063
Salary range	Between $86,000 And $115,000	Between $26,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	-	Pennsylvania
Best paying company	-	City of San Jos
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between emergency vehicle operator and public safety dispatcher education

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

	Emergency Vehicle Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Emergency vehicle operator vs public safety dispatcher demographics

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

	Emergency Vehicle Operator	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2%	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 vehicle operator and public safety dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Emergency vehicle operator example responsibilities.

Manage the upgrade of the Monaco fire alarm system.
Perform oxygen administration, taking blood pressures and pulses, performing CPR, and administering emergency medical care.
Assist in providing emergency care to patients while maintaining universal safety precautions for a military installation and surrounding area.
Help maintain and clean ambulances on a daily basis.
Interpret and translates data from maps to firefighting crews.
Increase customer loyalty through transporting patients on emergency and non-emergency transports.

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 vehicle operator vs public safety dispatcher skills

Common emergency vehicle operator skills

Patients, 35%
CPR, 18%
Ambulances, 11%
Patient Assessment, 9%
Life Support, 8%
Medical Care, 7%

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 Vehicle Operator
Emergency Vehicle Operator vs Public Safety Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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