Fire dispatcher vs emergency communications officer

The differences between fire dispatchers and emergency communications officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency communications officer has an average salary of $39,422, which is higher than the $37,441 average annual salary of a fire dispatcher.

The top three skills for a fire dispatcher include BLM, computer applications and computer aided dispatch. The most important skills for an emergency communications officer are patrol, computer aided dispatch, and emergency situations.

Fire dispatcher vs emergency communications officer overview

	Fire Dispatcher	Emergency Communications Officer
Yearly salary	$37,441	$39,422
Hourly rate	$18.00	$18.95
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	7,959	93,158
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Fire dispatcher vs emergency communications officer salary

Fire dispatchers and emergency communications officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fire Dispatcher	Emergency Communications Officer
Average salary	$37,441	$39,422
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $49,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Grants Pass, OR	Bloomington, IL
Highest paying state	Oregon	Oregon
Best paying company	Mayor Ethan Berkowitz	City of Austin
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between fire dispatcher and emergency communications officer education

There are a few differences between a fire dispatcher and an emergency communications officer in terms of educational background:

	Fire Dispatcher	Emergency Communications Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Fire dispatcher vs emergency communications officer demographics

Here are the differences between fire dispatchers' and emergency communications officers' demographics:

	Fire Dispatcher	Emergency Communications Officer
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
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 fire dispatcher and emergency communications officer duties and responsibilities

Fire dispatcher example 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.
Perform warrant checks when request through the ACIC and NCIC criminal information centers.
Save an infant by telling the mother how to give CPR to the non-responsive infant.

Emergency communications officer example responsibilities.

Dispatch all patrol units to calls for service.
Monitor Fire/EMS calls of adjacent jurisdictions.
Maintain composure and compassion while handling emergency and non-emergency calls from a diverse community
Retrieve sensitive information such as, DMV files and background histories.
Insert foley catheter or straight cath a patient as directed.
Receive training regarding updates and changes of policies, procedure and regulations to CJIS.

Fire dispatcher vs emergency communications officer skills

Common fire dispatcher skills

BLM, 20%
Computer Applications, 16%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 6%
Firefighting, 5%
EMS, 5%
CAD, 4%

Common emergency communications officer skills

Patrol, 20%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 10%
Emergency Situations, 7%
CPR, 6%
CAD, 6%
EMS, 6%

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Fire Dispatcher vs Emergency Communications Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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