Public safety dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator

The differences between public safety dispatchers and emergency dispatch operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency dispatch operator has an average salary of $45,398, which is higher than the $35,063 average annual salary of a public safety dispatcher.

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

Public safety dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator overview

	Public Safety Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Yearly salary	$35,063	$45,398
Hourly rate	$16.86	$21.83
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	25,700	48,634
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Public safety dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator salary

Public safety dispatchers and emergency dispatch operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Safety Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Average salary	$35,063	$45,398
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $32,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	-
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	-
Best paying company	City of San Jos	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between public safety dispatcher and emergency dispatch operator education

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

	Public Safety Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Public safety dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator demographics

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

	Public Safety Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
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 public safety dispatcher and emergency dispatch operator duties and responsibilities

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 dispatch operator example responsibilities.

Train in first responder, CPR, hazmat, wreckmaster.
Educate customers in event history, update data, and troubleshoot their alarm system.
Analyze, troubleshoot and resolve customer telephone inquiries regarding billing issues, service offerings, and equipment usage.
Deploy fire, police, EMT workers to designate locations to assist with crime, injuries, or fire.
Have current appropriate plans, procedures, guidance and laws issue by the county and FEMA available within the EOC.
Answer emergency calls/dispatch police fire and sheriff, enter and cancel stolen property and vehicles, run criminal history

Public safety dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator skills

Common public safety dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 15%
Customer Service, 6%
CAD, 6%
Patrol, 5%
Dispatch System, 4%
NCIC, 3%

Common emergency dispatch operator skills

Departmental Procedures, 15%
Emergency Dispatch, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Inbound Calls, 10%
Outbound Calls, 10%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%

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Public Safety Dispatcher
Public Safety Dispatcher vs Emergency Dispatch Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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