Dispatcher Pay so low

[FDNYDCHI 38]

I was looking at the dispatcher jobs that have been posted the past few days and it is sad that they pay so little to start off. In all reality now is someone living in the northeast have a decent way of life without killing themself working Overtime for blood money. Or they have to work 2 jobs in order to achive that.

just my .2 cents

have a good day

Chris

[x129K 1,393]

Yup...overtime or multiple jobs...sucks.

[firedude 985]

Sad, but so true!

[tjdeputy 0]

I was a full time firefighter got laid off now im working as a full time 911 disptcher here in mass and we get pain very well it's like 41 grand to start

[JohnnyOV 2]

I was a full time firefighter got laid off now im working as a full time 911 disptcher here in mass and we get pain very well it's like 41 grand to start

I wish 41 grand went far over in the Tri-state area....

[sfrd18 360]

Yeah, it is sad but true. 35-38's the norm 'round here. Plus, take into account that it's not only fire dispatching, but also police and ems, so triple the work load. Say a department gets 10,000 calls a year. Try being a dispatcher on half of that, plus police calls, plus ems. Although many departments handle ems, so fire and ems may go hand-in-hand, that's still a heck of a lot of calls, and a large variety. You can go from dispatching a Box to an AFA to dispatching a squad car to a prowler call, withing minutes of each other.

In the end, such low pay does not do a justice to dispatchers, who answer the phone on your worst day you could ever have. Not to mention the stress of talking someone who's paniked, scared, or nervous and trying to calm them down and telling them to do the right thing, like instructing someone on how to do CPR before the first responders arrive.

Pay for dispatchers should be the same everywhere, likewise with fire, police, and ems. Even if it's more in some areas, it's the same work all over the country, handling basically the same calls. It shouldn't be, "the more calls and the more variety, the higher the pay". Who's to say a dispatcher in a rural Smalltown, USA won't handle a home invasion, major fire, violent crimes, and other disasters. Anything can happen anywhere at any time. Dispatchers deserve the same pay across the country for the incredible service that they do.

God Bless dispatchers!

[x129K 1,393]

I make good $$$$...but it isn't enough..LOL ...hence the need for overtime.

I couldnt imagine surviving on my old EMS salary!

[x635 4,066]

Austin-Travis County EMS

Austin, TX

Civil Service.

$17.53 - $23.08 per hour, MUCH lower cost of living in TX then NY

"On-Call" day (once a month) which you are paid an on call rate. If they need someone to come in on your on call day, you get paid overtime.

12 hours shifts, rotating so that you have every other weekend off.

23 year retirement.

Top notch EMS system, latest in technology and equipment. Uniformed position and member of the EMS union.

[x129K 1,393]

Austin-Travis County EMS

Austin, TX

Civil Service.

$17.53 - $23.08 per hour, MUCH lower cost of living in TX then NY

"On-Call" day (once a month) which you are paid an on call rate. If they need someone to come in on your on call day, you get paid overtime.

12 hours shifts, rotating so that you have every other weekend off.

23 year retirement.

Top notch EMS system, latest in technology and equipment. Uniformed position and member of the EMS union.

Meh....;not bad...they have archery teams too?

But an EMS dispatcher will never be on the recieving end of a "FOOT PURSUIT!" or a "Gimme a Second Alarm!"

[ex-commish 490]

I have never been a dispatcher but know a few and can say it is a very stressful, demanding job and I feel they are grossly underpaid.

[x635 4,066]

Meh....;not bad...they have archery teams too?

But an EMS dispatcher will never be on the recieving end of a "FOOT PURSUIT!" or a "Gimme a Second Alarm!"

I don't think ATCEMS has an archery team, but there are numerous places to use your bow year around within an hour. You can even buy your own land to hunt, ride ATV's, etc. If we were'nt in a drought, you could even have a lake on your property. And many of your coworkers hunt.

They also dispatch Starflight, the Medical/Rescue/Fire/Tactical helicopter. They also have Rescue Medic Units, Tactical Medic Units, etc and will frequently be dispatching an EMS sytem that handle large and complicated incidents routinely and is the response is structured like a fire department. They have numerous resources, and cover a diverse area.

APD Dispatchers start at $16.60 an hour, and you are busier working one sector a shift then your department all day. You are guarenteed to have a pursuit, shooting, stabbing, armed robbery, etc frequently. (I must notate that the city is very safe, and most of the incidents are domestic in origin). The shifts suck, though, they are 8 hours- 6a-2p, 2p-10p, and 10p-6a and frequent mandatory overtime. You do get excellent city benefits and 23 year retirment though. Some suburban departments pay more, and have better shifts, but are difficult to get into.

Austin Fire Department is dispatched by 4-5 firefighters and a captain using a "Locution" system. They work 24 hour shifts alternating sleep times.

All three agencies dispatch from the same facility, which is heavily guarded.

[x129K 1,393]

You are guarenteed to have a pursuit, shooting, stabbing, armed robbery, etc frequently. The shifts suck, though, they are 8 hours- 6a-2p, 2p-10p, and 10p-6a and frequent mandatory overtime.

Thats where I am at now...plus I am #5 in Senority with 11 years on....LOL

[Noula 0]

Man... dispatchers are bitching about starting at 41k a year? Try being an EMT starting at around 21-22k/year. And that involves lots of carrying heavy patients/equipment around. Medics do a bit better but that's after about a year of 90+ hour weeks managing class rotations and work and even then new medics make about 41k/year. Damn... clearly I got into the wrong end of emergency services :-P

Oh and most dispatchers I know are affiliated with city or county so they have city/county benefits. My company's health insurance costs way too much to buy into and doesn't pay a dime until you pay $2500 out of pocket. So you know, feel like your glass is half full now. It could always be worse, you could be EMS.

[Turtle10573 0]

I just started dispatching for a PD dept last month in CT and the starting pay in my opinion is not bad. $45k and after 5 years base is $68k a year. Benefits are excellent too

[gamewell45 258]

Yeah, it is sad but true. 35-38's the norm 'round here. Plus, take into account that it's not only fire dispatching, but also police and ems, so triple the work load. Say a department gets 10,000 calls a year. Try being a dispatcher on half of that, plus police calls, plus ems. Although many departments handle ems, so fire and ems may go hand-in-hand, that's still a heck of a lot of calls, and a large variety. You can go from dispatching a Box to an AFA to dispatching a squad car to a prowler call, withing minutes of each other.

In the end, such low pay does not do a justice to dispatchers, who answer the phone on your worst day you could ever have. Not to mention the stress of talking someone who's paniked, scared, or nervous and trying to calm them down and telling them to do the right thing, like instructing someone on how to do CPR before the first responders arrive.

Pay for dispatchers should be the same everywhere, likewise with fire, police, and ems. Even if it's more in some areas, it's the same work all over the country, handling basically the same calls. It shouldn't be, "the more calls and the more variety, the higher the pay". Who's to say a dispatcher in a rural Smalltown, USA won't handle a home invasion, major fire, violent crimes, and other disasters. Anything can happen anywhere at any time. Dispatchers deserve the same pay across the country for the incredible service that they do.

God Bless dispatchers!

This is preciselyl why I opted not to enter the emergency services field; there's just no money there; its a constant struggle for most of my friends who work there with no end in sight. They work there butts off for 20-30 years depending on the job and when they retire, most of them are burnt out. Too bad the public doesn't understand the value and service they provide to society; IMHO they are worth more the any CEO or politician.

[JBE 328]

I gotta admit, the money isn't there. I started out 14 years ago, and I was barely making enough to survive, and that was WITH overtime. I didn't start seeing decent money till I had 5 years on. I don't know how the kids coming on my job now do it, short of living with the parents. That wasn't an option for me at the time. Still isn't. I tell anyone who looks into a dispatching job, go somewhere else, meaning outside of NYC.

[everybodygoes 331]

The people that do the contracts always know that who ever takes these jobs they are doing it for a reason and not just a paycheck, so they take advantage of it. If it was horrible it would include pay that compensated for it, unfortunately it isnt deemed as hard as digging trenches so they don't pay as much.

[dan151 0]

I have been working part time in New Fairfield CT for about a year and a half, pretty slow center but it can get busy at times. There is only one dispatcher on at a time, so if you do have multi incidents going on it can be very stressful. My hourly pay is $16.75, horrible!

I just started a full time position in Newtown CT, considerably more busy and there are always 2 dispatchers on at a time. My starting pay during training is $19.95 and goes to $22 when I am done, should be 2/1. On my 1 year anniversary, I will be at full pay, 23.50/hr

Dan

[JBE 328]

I looked at how much I grossed in 2011, vs. how much I netted. Disgraceful.

[irishfire2491 24]

OVERWORKED, UNDERPAID!

[xfirefighter484x 234]

I looked at how much I grossed in 2011, vs. how much I netted. Disgraceful.

Same Here...

[ny10570 745]

I looked at how much I grossed in 2011, vs. how much I netted. Disgraceful.

Thats a whole separate issue affecting all of us. My 48% pay cut every check is a real kick in butt.

[JBE 328]

What makes it worse for me is that the job promoted 7 additional bosses in Sept. of 09. Hence, no OT. I was regularly doing 250-350 hours a year in OT. I did 90 in 2010, and I think the same in 2011. Disgraceful, yet again. The only way for my colleagues to get any OT was for ME to tap out.

[helicopper 1,050]

OVERWORKED, UNDERPAID!

Come on, Tom. I'll give you underpaid. No question. But overworked? Really?

[irishfire2491 24]

Come on, Tom. I'll give you underpaid. No question. But overworked? Really?

Chris, YES Overworked, it is all your inspections!!! The Day tours are not what they use to be like anymore!