If you are interested in working as a 911 dispatcher, then there are certain qualifications you’ll be expected to fulfill to be hired.
This post provides detailed information of the 911 dispatcher qualifications, including educational, certifications, skills, knowledge, and experience that you need to meet to work as a 911 dispatcher and to succeed in your career.
Let’s get into it:
911 Dispatcher Educational Qualifications
To qualify to work as a 911 dispatcher, the educational requirements you are expected to meet include:
- High School Diploma or GED
Candidates for the 911 dispatcher role are expected by most employers to meet the minimum educational qualification of a High School Diploma or its equivalent, GED.
By completing a High School program, candidates are expected to have the required numeracy and literacy skills to be effective on the job, as well as the ability to carry out workplace documentation.
- An Associate Degree
Some employers prefer candidates with an Associate’s degree, or people whose coursework included criminal justice, emergency management, public safety, communications, or psychology.
- Ongoing Training
The hiring process for 911 dispatchers also includes an ongoing training for selected candidates.
This involves the hiring agency providing a training program, including a supervised field training to selected candidates for a period of time.
911 Dispatcher Certification Qualifications
To work as a 911 dispatcher, you will also be expected to meet certain certification qualifications, with requirements differing through the cities, counties, and states.
If you are hired, you will be expected to complete many of the certification requirements on the job.
- CPR/First Aid Certification
Candidates for the 911 dispatcher role are often required or strongly encouraged to have certification in CPR or First Aid because the work of a dispatcher usually involves giving of pre-arrival instructions.
- Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD)
Candidates for the position need to have EMD training or certification because many agencies use EMD protocols.
If they don’t already have the training or certification, candidates should be able to show that they have the ability to complete the EMD training early on the job if hired.
- APCO/NENA Courses
Candidates that have taken courses from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) stand a good chance of getting hired, as most employers value these credentials.
These organizations offer standardized training and professional certifications for telecommunicators, which are hugely recognized by employers.
- State or Agency-specific Telecommunications Certification
Some states or agencies may require candidates to have certain specific qualification in addition to other requirements to be employed as a 911 dispatcher.
For example, some states commonly require candidates to have formal public safety telecommunicator certification or licensing.
- Continuing Education
Candidates for the 911 dispatcher role should be able to undergo continuing educational programs from time to time if they are hired.
It is important to note that refresher courses in dispatch protocols, legal updates, and technology (CAD, radio systems) are normal parts of the 911 dispatcher career.
911 Dispatcher Skills Qualifications
Individuals seeking the job of a 911 dispatcher are expected to meet certain skills, including technical and soft skills that will allow them to perform effectively on the job. These include:
911 Dispatcher Technical Skills
The technical skills which candidates for the 911 dispatcher position should have to be considered for employment include:
- Multi-line telephone systems & 911 consoles: Candidates should be comfortable operating multi-line phones and routing calls.
- Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD): Candidates should be able to use CAD accurately and speedily to log incidents, assign units, and track resources.
- Radio communications: Candidates should know basic radio procedures, unit identification, and ability to speak clearly under pressure.
- Keyboarding/typing: Candidates should have good typing speed and accuracy for quickly recording call details. Employers commonly expect competent typing and data-entry speed.
- Geographic knowledge & map reading: Candidates should have the ability to read maps, use GIS tools, and locate addresses quickly.
- Basic troubleshooting: Candidates should have basic troubleshooting skills to perform tasks like restarting consoles, handling simple software issues, and reporting technical failures.
- Familiarity with local resources: Candidates should have good knowledge of local hospitals, fire districts, mutual aid agreements, and special-needs facilities, which is helpful in dispatching faster and more appropriately.
911 Dispatcher Soft Skills
In addition to the technical skills, employers also want candidates for the 911 dispatcher role to have some soft skills, which are essentially interpersonal skills, to be considered for hiring. These include:
- Calm under pressure: The ability to maintain composure during life-threatening or chaotic calls is an important skill a 911 dispatcher should have.
- Clear, concise communication: 911 dispatchers should be able to speak and write clearly so that instructions and logs are not ambiguous.
- Active listening: 911 dispatchers should be able to hear relevant facts despite background noise or emotional callers, and detect key cues.
- Empathy balanced with control: The ability to provide emotional support while keeping the call focused on critical information is vital for this job.
- Rapid decision-making: Candidates for the 911 dispatcher role should be able to prioritize multiple events and dispatch the correct resources quickly.
- Teamwork and professionalism: 911 dispatchers should be able to coordinate effectively with first responders and other dispatchers, and accept feedback.
- Stress tolerance and resilience: They should have the ability to handle exposure to traumatic events without letting it impair job performance.
911 dispatchers Knowledge Qualifications
To increase your chances of been selected for a 911 dispatcher position, you need to have the following knowledge:
- Emergency Response Protocols
911 Dispatchers need to know emergency response protocols to be able to quickly and accurately assess an emergency, dispatch the appropriate resources, and provide life-saving pre-arrival instructions to callers.
They need to have good knowledge of prioritization, response levels (e.g., code vs. non-code), and incident types.
2. Legal & Privacy Rules
Candidates for the 911 dispatcher role should have strong knowledge of legal and privacy rules.
These are the regulations and policies governing the conduct of a 911 dispatcher, including their duty to act in emergency situation; the confidentiality of information they receive, and their potential legal liability.
The major aspects of the legal and privacy rules that 911 dispatcher job candidates must know include: duty to act, information gathering, privacy of information, HIPAA considerations, legal liability, state and local regulations, prohibiting legal advice, and confidentiality of calls.
3. Local Geography and Jurisdiction Boundaries
911 dispatchers or candidates for the role need to know the roads, landmarks, and areas within their service region, and also the specific lines that divide different governmental or police areas, cities and counties.
This is important in ensuring that calls are sent to the correct agency, and that responders know exactly where to go, which helps to avoid confusion in areas like city or county lines that can be divided or even run through neighborhoods.
4. Medical Basics
Candidates for the job should have strong knowledge of medical emergency and ability to gather information from the caller, and following Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) protocols, provide the necessary instructions that can save life, such as CPR before the arrival of emergency medical services.
5. Terminology & Codes
Candidates for the 911 dispatcher position are also required to have strong knowledge of terminology and codes used in conveying information quickly and efficiently between dispatchers and emergency responders, which ensures that communication is clear in critical situations.
They are to understand local radio codes, unit designations, and common abbreviations.
6. Records Management
Individuals seeking the 911 dispatcher position are also required to have good knowledge of applying Records Management Systems (RMS) in capturing, storing, and managing critical information from emergency calls, radio transmissions, and other data sources.
They are also required to have the knowledge to properly create and maintain incident reports and logs for investigations and audits.
911 Abilities Qualifications
Candidates for the 911 dispatcher role are also expected to have the following abilities to be hired:
- Multitask effectively: The ability to perform various tasks simultaneously, including answer calls, type in CAD, monitor radio traffic, and speak simultaneously, is vital for the role.
- Prioritize competing demands: 911 dispatchers should have the ability to triage multiple emergent calls and allocate resources.
- Maintain attention to detail: They should be able to avoid errors in addresses, unit numbers, or call notes.
- Work irregular schedules: The ability to work at night, weekend, and holiday shifts are standard practice for the 911 dispatcher position, including the ability to rotate schedules.
- Maintain emotional control: 911 dispatchers should be able to function during highly stressful, sometimes traumatic, incidents.
911 Dispatcher Experience Qualifications
To be qualified to work as a 911 dispatcher, here are important experiences to have to improve your chances with employers:
- Previous telecommunications or customer-service work
Having some work experience in call centers, help desks, or public service roles demonstrates phone and communication skills, which can boost your chances of getting picked for a 911 dispatcher position.
2. Law enforcement, fire, or EMS exposure
If you have worked before in law enforcement, fire, or EMS, even in a volunteering role, then your chances of getting hired for the 911 dispatcher position that you are seeking are higher.
These roles allow you to understand responder’s needs, which is useful for the 911 dispatcher job.
3. Internships or ride-alongs
Working with an agency as an intern or ride-along will give you some experience even if it’s observational.
It shows you desire to help people in difficult situations, initiative, and real-world awareness.
4. Military or other high-stress occupations
Coming with a military experience is quite welcome in the job of a 911 dispatcher. Your background will help you to demonstrate discipline and ability to perform under pressure.
5. Volunteer roles requiring quick decisions (e.g., search teams, community first responder)
Employers are also interested in hiring candidates that have worked previously as a volunteer in roles that require quick decision making, including search team and community first responder.
Other Qualifications
Here are additional qualifications employers may want you to fulfill to be hired for the 911 dispatcher role:
- Background checks: It is a standard procedure that candidates will have to pass an extensive criminal history checks to be hired. Felonies and certain misdemeanors often disqualify candidates.
- Drug testing: Candidates are also to take pre-employment and sometimes random drug screens.
- Psychological screening: Agencies may require psychological evaluations for candidates, to assess their fitness for high-stress duty.
- Security clearance or access requirements: Candidates may have to obtain security clearance for some positions o access sensitive systems.
- Physical requirements: Adequate hearing and vision (with correction as permitted), and the ability to sit for long shifts may also be required.
- Age and citizenship: Agencies often require candidates to be a minimum age (commonly 18), and many require legal authorization to work in the country.
- Clean driving record: If dispatchers occasionally operate agency vehicles, a valid driver’s license and clean record may be required.
Conclusion
A 911 dispatcher (also called emergency dispatcher, public safety telecommunicator, or emergency communications operator) is the critical first point of contact when someone calls for help.
The dispatcher’s duties involve receiving emergency calls, triaging the situation, sending the right responders (police, fire, EMS), providing life-saving instructions when necessary and coordinating resources until responders arrive.
This guide has explained the qualifications employers typically look for when hiring for the 911 dispatcher position, and what you should do to prepare for a career in this high-responsibility role.
