Occupation Profile

Industries Employing

Public Safety Dispatchers

(SOC Code : 43-5031)

in California

Receive complaints from public concerning crimes and police emergencies. Broadcast orders to police patrol units in vicinity of complaint to investigate. Operate radio, telephone, or computer equipment to receive reports of fires and medical emergencies and relay information or orders to proper officials.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Moderate-term on-the-job training (1-12 months) .

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2023	1st Qtr	$36.46	$29.41	$36.14	$42.04

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Total Job Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2018 - 2028	7,200	7,500	300	4.2	7,220

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

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Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

About Staffing Patterns

Data for Training Programs not available.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Question callers to determine their locations, and the nature of their problems to determine type of response needed.

Receive incoming telephone or alarm system calls regarding emergency and non-emergency police and fire service, emergency ambulance service, information and after hours calls for departments within a city.

Determine response requirements and relative priorities of situations, and dispatch units in accordance with established procedures.

Record details of calls, dispatches, and messages.

Enter, update, and retrieve information from teletype networks and computerized data systems regarding such things as wanted persons, stolen property, vehicle registration, and stolen vehicles.

Maintain access to, and security of, highly sensitive materials.

Relay information and messages to and from emergency sites, to law enforcement agencies, and to all other individuals or groups requiring notification.

Scan status charts and computer screens, and contact emergency response field units to determine emergency units available for dispatch.

Observe alarm registers and scan maps to determine whether a specific emergency is in the dispatch service area.

Maintain files of information relating to emergency calls such as personnel rosters, and emergency call-out and pager files.

More Tasks for Police, Fire, and Ambulance Dispatchers

Top Skills used in this Job

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

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Alternate Titles

911 Operators; Ambulance Dispatchers; Call Takers; Communications Dispatchers; Communications Officers; Communications Operators; Communications Specialists; Emergency Communications Dispatchers; Emergency Medical Dispatchers; Fire Dispatchers; Police Dispatchers; Public Safety Dispatchers; Telecommunicators