At least one year of experience (e.g., internship, part-time job, volunteering) in emergency services is recommended for aspiring dispatchers, but it is not required.
The work of ESDs is demanding and the stakes are high, so you will need to be extremely calm, collected, and decisive under pressure. Callers are going through some of the worst times in their lives, and are often stressed, angry, irrational, despondent, or simply upset and unable to provide key details to the dispatcher that will help them coordinate emergency services. You should also be an excellent communicator, including having good listening skills. Other important traits include empathy, patience, exceptional information management and time-management skills, good judgement, and the ability to multitask.
- Airport Security Personnel
- Bail Bondsmen
- Bailiffs
- Bodyguards
- Border Patrol Agents
- Bounty Hunters
- Construction Inspectors
- Corrections Officers
- Court Interpreters and Translators
- Court Reporters
- Crime Analysts
- Criminal Lawyers
- Customs Officials
- Deputy U.S. Marshals
- Detectives
- Directors of Security
- Emergency Management Directors
- Emergency Medical Technicians
- FBI Agents
- Fire Inspectors
- Fire Investigators
- Fire Protection Engineers
- Fire Safety Directors
- Fire Safety Technicians
- Firefighters
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Forensic Experts
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Forest Fire Prevention Specialists
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts
- Genetic Genealogists
- Intelligence Officers
- Judges
- Lawyers
- Legal Nurse Consultants
- Legal Secretaries
- Paralegals
- Park Rangers
- Parole Officers
- Police Officers
- Polygraph Examiners
- Process Servers
- Secret Service Special Agents
- Security Consultants
- Security Guards
- Wildland Firefighters