Dispatchers
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Job description
These individuals receive, transmit, and record messages and requests for assistance or service. They dispatch emergency vehicles and coordinate the activities of drivers. This group includes Radio Operators.
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
Main tasks
- Contact ambulance, police, fire, tow truck, and public utility crews.
- Communicate information to vehicle operators.
- Coordinate activities and movement of materials.
- Dispatch staff according to schedules or emergency situations.
- Inform vehicle drivers about traffic and road problems.
- Communicate by radio for remote locations of operation (airplanes, logging camps, etc.).
- Control staff workload and travel.
- Maintain vehicle driver records.
- Perform analyses of vehicles that do not arrive at destination within a reasonable delay.
- Give instructions to the caller to assist in providing emergency care while waiting for emergency resources.
Hourly wage
The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.- Minimum
- $20.25
- Median
- $26.44
- Maximum
- $38.50
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Very good
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
8,000
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 41.7% Female
- 58.3% Male
Not available.
- 41.7% Female
- 58.3% Male
Job types
All of Québec
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
$57,600
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- None
All of Québec
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 48, 4934% of jobs
-
NAICS 9118% of jobs
-
NAICS 55, 5611% of jobs
-
NAICS 236% of jobs
-
NAICS 621, 622, 6235% of jobs
-
Others26% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 48, 4934% of jobs
-
NAICS 9118% of jobs
-
NAICS 55, 5611% of jobs
-
NAICS 236% of jobs
-
NAICS 621, 622, 6235% of jobs
-
Others26% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
College
ACS in répartiteur en centre d'appels d'urgence
Code : JCC13
Placement rate: 85.7%
8.6% of graduates pursue further studies
Sometimes required
- Provincial Radio Operator’s licence is usually required for police and emergency services dispatchers.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Active listening
- Oral expression
- Coordination
- Information processing
- Reading comprehension
- Result evaluation
- Time management
- Service oriented
- Written expression
- Critical thought
- Active learning
- Judgment and decision-making
- Negotiation
- Social perception
- Solving complex problems
Abilities
- Speech clarity
- Oral comprehension
- Verbal skills
- Speech recognition
- Awareness of issues
- Near vision
- Written expression
- Deductive reasoning
- Selective attention
- Written comprehension
- Information organization
- Classification
- Inductive reasoning
- Time sharing
Knowledge and attributes
- Capacity to work under pressure
- Critical thinking
- Autonomy
- Sense of responsibility
- Capacity to adapt
- Rigour
- Tolerance to stress
- Sense of observation
- Knowledge of public safety and security
- Timeliness
Interests
- Direct, organize, and manage
- Draft, communicate, and inform
- Watch, defend, and secure
- Work in an office
- Collect, verify, sort, and classify data or information
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Social
- People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
- Enterprising
- People with this profile prefer having responsibilities, influencing others and responding to challenges.
- Conventional
- People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
Official name of the NOC 14404
Dispatchers
Job titles
- Call Centre Operators - Emergency Services
- 911 operator
- Emergency medical dispatcher
- Alarm system dispatcher
- Radio operator
- Tugboat dispatcher
- Communications officer - emergency services
- Car assignments clerk
- Newspaper dispatcher
- Yard clerk
- Alarm system operator
- Drilling rig radio operator
- Airline radio operator
- Fire alarm operator
- Monitoring station operator
- Telecommunications operator
- 911 dispatcher
- Radio-telephone operator
- Highway radio-telephone operator
- Radio dispatcher
- Emergency services dispatcher
- Fire department dispatcher
- Mail service dispatcher
- Ambulance dispatcher
- Mobile equipment dispatcher
- Utilities maintenance crew dispatcher
- Gas service crew dispatcher
- Oil well service dispatcher
- Truck dispatcher
- Tow truck dispatcher
- Boat dispatcher
- Police department dispatcher
- Service dispatcher
- Taxi dispatcher
- Emergency vehicle dispatcher
- Motor vehicle dispatcher
- Maintenance services dispatcher
- Troubleshooting services dispatcher
- Pilot services dispatcher
- Water service dispatcher
- Mine dispatcher
- Plant dispatcher
- Coal mine car dispatcher
- Call center operator - services
- Communications specialist dispatcher
Skill type
Business, finance and administration
Last update: January 29, 2026
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