# Public Safety Telecommunicators

> Operate telephone, radio, or other communication systems to receive and communicate requests for emergency assistance at 9-1-1 public safety answering points and emergency operations centers. Take information from the public and other sources regarding crimes, threats, disturbances, acts of terrorism, fires, medical emergencies, and other public safety matters. May coordinate and provide information to law enforcement and emergency response personnel. May access sensitive databases and other information sources as needed. May provide additional instructions to callers based on knowledge of and certification in law enforcement, fire, or emergency medical procedures.

- **SOC code:** 43-5031.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-5031-00
- **Also known as:** Communications Officer, Communications Operator, Public Safety Dispatcher, Telecommunicator, 911 Dispatcher, Communications Specialist, Emergency Communications Dispatcher, Emergency Communications Operator (ECO)
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Provide emergency medical instructions to callers.
- Question callers to determine their locations and the nature of their problems to determine type of response needed.
- Determine response requirements and relative priorities of situations, and dispatch units in accordance with established procedures.
- Receive incoming telephone or alarm system calls regarding emergency and non-emergency police and fire service, emergency ambulance service, information, and after-hours calls for departments within a city.
- Relay information and messages to and from emergency sites, to law enforcement agencies, and to all other individuals or groups requiring notification.
- Record details of calls, dispatches, and messages.
- Monitor various radio frequencies, such as those used by public works departments, school security, and civil defense, to stay apprised of developing situations.
- Read and effectively interpret small-scale maps and information from a computer screen to determine locations and provide directions.
- Maintain access to, and security of, highly sensitive materials.
- Operate and maintain mobile dispatch vehicles and equipment.
- Enter, update, and retrieve information from teletype networks and computerized data systems regarding such things as wanted persons, stolen property, vehicle registration, and stolen vehicles.
- Scan status charts and computer screens, and contact emergency response field units to determine emergency units available for dispatch.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Public Safety and Security _(knowledge)_
- Law and Government _(knowledge)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Telecommunications _(knowledge)_
- Customer and Personal Service _(knowledge)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Geography _(knowledge)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Communications and Media _(knowledge)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- Speech Clarity _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Telecommunications _(Specialized Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Geography _(Specialized Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Excel _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Access _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft SharePoint _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- SAP software _(hot technology)_
- 911 system information databases
- Computer aided dispatch software
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Geographic information system GIS systems

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 87th percentile (High) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 70th percentile (High) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 79th percentile (High) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 97th percentile (High) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 47th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 3.5% growth (About average); 10.7k annual openings; 105.2k → 108.9k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $50,730; 101,140 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 33% automation, 32% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 3.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** directive.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Read and effectively interpret small-scale maps and information from a computer screen to determine locations and provide directions. _(0.9% of measured AI use; directive)_
- Provide emergency medical instructions to callers. _(0.6% of measured AI use; learning)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me read and effectively interpret small-scale maps and information from a computer screen to determine locations and provide directions.
- Help me provide emergency medical instructions to callers.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-5031-00_