To become an EMS dispatcher, complete a local certification program with telecommunications courses and exams, and obtain a national license. No college degree is required, but CPR training and continuing education are necessary. Specialized training is available for emergency police, medical, and dispatch. Fieldwork is included, and a national license can increase job competitiveness. Once certified, seek open positions at emergency call centers or police and fire departments.
Become an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) dispatcher by earning local certification by completing a legitimate Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) training program, which consists of a series of telecommunications courses and exams offered by accredited training centers that serve your community. Business schools, universities, and occasionally professional associations offer these preparatory courses. Depending on the training entity, academic courses for local certification can be conducted through online courses, on-site classroom training, or a mixture of both.
After successfully completing the coursework required for local certification, which can typically be completed in one semester, a person aspiring to become an EMS dispatcher can also obtain a national license by taking a national licensing exam and proving that credits of the course were obtained correctly. Such licenses are normally valid for approximately two years. After the license expires, further studies and an application for license renewal will be required. Local certification is also renewed every few years. In lieu of formal training, some SME employers will accept field experience, such as thousands of hours on public safety calls.
While not all employers require hires for EMS dispatcher jobs to hold national licenses, obtaining certification by a nationally recognized licensing body can increase a candidate’s competitiveness in the job market. Employers often require a person aspiring to become an EMS dispatcher to possess a high school diploma; generally, no college degree is required. Valid cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is also required for most EMS employers. In addition, emergency agencies also expect EMS dispatchers to regularly complete continuing education classes to remain proficient in communication technology and EMS best practices.
EMS dispatcher training courses are available in three specialized areas depending on the desired branch of service: emergency police dispatch, emergency dispatch and emergency medical dispatch. Rather than choosing just one of the specialized routes, a person aspiring to become an EMS dispatcher can pursue combined credentials in two or three areas, having a double or triple course load. Additionally, most training organizations offer training for an emergency telecommunications certificate, which is a comprehensive offering that includes some police, fire, and medical courses, preparing students to work in call centers.
These training courses often include emergency role-plays, videos, lectures, and class discussions. Aspiring EMS dispatchers learn communication protocol with various emergency agencies, how to properly use radio operations technology, and how to intervene during a crisis. Most courses include fieldwork where a person who wants to become an EMS dispatcher accompanies an actual EMS dispatcher at work.
After obtaining the appropriate credentials and optional national license, a person can become an EMS dispatcher by seeking open positions at emergency call centers or police and fire departments in various counties. Once at work, the EMS dispatcher will be the first person someone needs to interact with when calling an emergency line for help. EMS dispatchers answer life-saving calls to people in distress and guide those people in proper emergency response over the phone until paramedics and authorities arrive.
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