Radio dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher

The differences between radio dispatchers and public safety dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a radio dispatcher has an average salary of $35,529, which is higher than the $35,063 average annual salary of a public safety dispatcher.

The top three skills for a radio dispatcher include computer aided dispatch, patrol and emergency situations. The most important skills for a public safety dispatcher are computer aided dispatch, customer service, and CAD.

Radio dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher overview

	Radio Dispatcher	Public Safety Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$35,529	$35,063
Hourly rate	$17.08	$16.86
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	6,830	25,700
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Radio dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher salary

Radio dispatchers and public safety dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Radio Dispatcher	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average salary	$35,529	$35,063
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $46,000	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 radio dispatcher and public safety dispatcher education

There are a few differences between a radio dispatcher and a public safety dispatcher in terms of educational background:

	Radio Dispatcher	Public Safety Dispatcher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Radio dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between radio dispatchers' and public safety dispatchers' demographics:

	Radio Dispatcher	Public Safety Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 44.5% Female, 55.5%	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 radio dispatcher and public safety dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Radio dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Enter, clear and update records NCIC system.
Dispatch and coordinate response of private arm patrol by radio.
Perform booking procedures which consist of fingerprinting, checking NCIC computer for further charges or warrants.
Discuss cable television equipment operation with customers over telephone to explain equipment usage and to troubleshoot equipment problems.
Certify by APCO as a nationally recognize emergency dispatcher.

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.

Radio dispatcher vs public safety dispatcher skills

Common radio dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 17%
Patrol, 12%
Emergency Situations, 10%
CAD, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Non-Emergency Calls, 8%

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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Radio Dispatcher
Radio Dispatcher vs Public Safety Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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