How To Become A Fire Dispatcher: What It Is and Career Path

What is a fire dispatcher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Fire dispatchers, sometimes called 911 dispatchers, make sure that firefighters and other emergency services get to the scene of a fire quickly. They take information from callers and communicate it to emergency services so that they are prepared for the situation that they are going into. Fire dispatchers need to be excellent communicators in order to get relevant information from callers who are often distressed. They need to record and monitor fire incidents, sometimes using tools like BLM Lightning Maps. Fire dispatchers also need to know basic first aid and emergency response techniques so they can help callers get to safety while they are waiting for the fire crew to arrive.

While some fire dispatchers have bachelor's degrees, many others only have a high school diploma. The skills needed to succeed in this position, like a cool head in emergencies or knowing how to use dispatch equipment, are often learned on the job.

Fire dispatchers usually work long hours and have shifts overnight and on the weekends. For many fire dispatchers, the satisfaction of helping to save lives--and the average annual salary of $40,032--make the long hours worth it.

ScoreFire DispatcherUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,441

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 0.90%

Black or African American 9.14%

Hispanic or Latino 11.11%

Unknown 6.00%

White 72.13%

Gender

female 63.40%

male 36.60%

Age - 38

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 - 38

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.9

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.7

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a fire dispatcher

Explore fire dispatcher education requirements

Most common fire dispatcher degrees

Bachelor's

36.3 %

Associate

27.1 %

High School Diploma

21.0 %

Start to develop specific fire dispatcher skills

Skills	Percentages
BLM	19.65%
Computer Applications	16.09%
Computer Aided Dispatch	5.88%
Firefighting	5.03%
EMS	4.82%

Complete relevant fire dispatcher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fire dispatchers 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 a fire dispatcher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fire dispatcher resumes.

Research fire dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Certify as APCO Telecommunicator and APCO EMD.
Dispatch police, fire, and ems to location for resident assistance.
Dispatch fire and ems as needed as well as the fire marshals.
Check for wanted/warrants using NCIC, ALACOP, and computer generate warrant lists.

Prepare your fire dispatcher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fire dispatcher 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 a fire dispatcher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable fire dispatcher resume templates

Build a professional fire dispatcher 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 fire dispatcher resume.