July 12, 2011

Hot job: Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers

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City of Bothell communications specialist Juanita Petersen says that being a 911 dispatcher is a rewarding and challenging way to help others.

The job: Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers, also called 911 operators, monitor the location of emergency services personnel from their jurisdiction’s emergency services departments. These workers dispatch the appropriate type and number of units in response to calls for assistance.

A Seattleite at work: Juanita Petersen says she chose to become a 911 operator after seven years in banking because she is a natural helper who can empathize and make someone feel at ease. “Even after doing this job for 13 years, I still find that I learn something new every day and still love what I do,” says the City of Bothell communications specialist. The most surprising part of the job, Petersen says, is the crazy things people will say or report to 911. And when people learn what Petersen does for a living, she says they always say, “Wow!” and then ask about the scariest or craziest call she’s ever taken.

Outlook: Employment of 911 operators is expected to grow 18 percent from 2008 to 2018, faster than the average for all occupations.

Pay: The 590 911 operators in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area earned a median wage of $48,800 in 2009.

Training: Workers usually have a high school degree and develop the necessary skills in about 3 to 6 months of on-the-job training.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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2 Comments

Fred Muchmore on July 13, 2011 5:57 PM | Reply

Where are the jobs? I found 2 listings on NW jobs and one (1) of them does not even exits. The other one need 2-5 years of current dispatcher experiences, so what is the deal with the On the job training ?

KP on July 14, 2011 3:35 PM | Reply

Here's a link - scroll down for dispatcher positions...

https://fortress.wa.gov/cjtc/www/index.php?option=com_jobs&view=applications&layout=jobs&Itemid=11

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