Becoming A New Jersey Dispatcher

[FI18RE]

Hello everyone. I am interested in becoming a Emergency Dispatcher in Northern New Jersey. I am currently a volunteer firefighter/emt but I have no dispatching certifications. What is the best route to take in becoming a dispatcher and who is hiring dispatchers in the Morris and Somerset Counties.

Thanks So Much

[MrJim911]

Whatever agency hires you will take care of any required training. So do not waste your own money on training that will be paid for by them.

To find out who is hiring, call the agenies in the areas you speficied and ask. Check the local papers and those agencies websites if they have one.

Make sure you do a sit-a-long with some agencies to make sure this is something you CAN and WANT to do. The profession is probably not what you think it is.

[needlejockey]

I agree 100% with teh sit-a-long. I've been a firefighter/EMT for 5 years and I thought I'd love to be a dispatcher. I didn't. Couldn't stand not knowing what the person on the other end of the phone might want/need. I could handle the typical fire/ems calls, but police was really different for me. Even just the regular calls for information, be it from the cops or from civillians, was difficult for me.

I guess some of us just make better field personnel. I really liked the job, but it was way too nervewracking. Just make sure that not only do you really want to do the job, but that you really can do the job.