Public safety telecommunicator vs emergency communications officer

The differences between public safety telecommunicators and emergency communications officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a public safety telecommunicator has an average salary of $40,955, which is higher than the $39,422 average annual salary of an emergency communications officer.

The top three skills for a public safety telecommunicator include computer aided dispatch, CAD and criminal justice. The most important skills for an emergency communications officer are patrol, computer aided dispatch, and emergency situations.

Public safety telecommunicator vs emergency communications officer overview

	Public Safety Telecommunicator	Emergency Communications Officer
Yearly salary	$40,955	$39,422
Hourly rate	$19.69	$18.95
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	21,538	93,158
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Public safety telecommunicator vs emergency communications officer salary

Public safety telecommunicators and emergency communications officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Safety Telecommunicator	Emergency Communications Officer
Average salary	$40,955	$39,422
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $58,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Elmhurst, IL	Bloomington, IL
Highest paying state	Oregon	Oregon
Best paying company	Rowan University	City of Austin
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between public safety telecommunicator and emergency communications officer education

There are a few differences between a public safety telecommunicator and an emergency communications officer in terms of educational background:

	Public Safety Telecommunicator	Emergency Communications Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Public safety telecommunicator vs emergency communications officer demographics

Here are the differences between public safety telecommunicators' and emergency communications officers' demographics:

	Public Safety Telecommunicator	Emergency Communications Officer
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5%	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 public safety telecommunicator and emergency communications officer duties and responsibilities

Public safety telecommunicator example responsibilities.

Manage truck and equipment inventory, rental tracking and GPS monitoring.
Certify in CPR and TTY/TDD phone calls.
Assist in patrol of campus during evening hours.
Receive and transmit radio communication to law enforcement agencies and police patrol cars for appropriate action.
Answer emergency calls/dispatch police fire and sheriff, enter and cancel stolen property and vehicles, run criminal history
Handle incoming calls in a busy AAA roadside service call center.

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.

Public safety telecommunicator vs emergency communications officer skills

Common public safety telecommunicator skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 17%
CAD, 10%
Criminal Justice, 8%
Emergency Situations, 8%
Patrol, 8%
Data Entry, 6%

Common emergency communications officer skills

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

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Public Safety Telecommunicator
Public Safety Telecommunicator vs Emergency Communications Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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