14404 Dispatchers

What this occupation covers

Dispatchers operate radios and other telecommunication equipment to dispatch emergency vehicles and to coordinate the activities of drivers and other personnel. They are employed by police, fire and health departments, other emergency service agencies, taxi, delivery and courier services, trucking and utilities companies, and other commercial and industrial establishments.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 8 main duties for this code.

• Receive requests for emergency assistance or service and contact ambulances, police and fire departments, tow-trucks, and utility crews
• Process and transmit information and instructions to coordinate the activities of vehicle operators, crews and equipment using a variety of computer-aided communications and dispatching equipment
• Dispatch personnel according to written schedules and work orders, or as required by emergency situations
• Advise vehicle operators of route and traffic problems such as construction, accidents, congestion, weather conditions, weight and size restrictions and other information
• Operate radio equipment to communicate with ships, aircraft, mining crews, offshore oil rigs, logging camps and other remote operations
• Monitor personnel workloads and locations
• Maintain vehicle operator work records using computerized or manual methods and ensure time sheets and payroll summaries are completed accurately
• Maintain computer and manual records of mileage, fuel use, repairs and other expenses, and generate reports.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 8 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 72601 Air traffic controllers and related occupations
• 72024 Supervisors, motor transport and other ground transit operators
• 12013 Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling coordination occupations
• 72604 Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators

Excluded from this code

• Air traffic controllers and related occupations (See 72601 Air traffic controllers and related occupations)
• Bus dispatcher (See 72024 Supervisors, motor transport and other ground transit operators)
• Dispatchers supervisor (See 12013 Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling coordination occupations)
• Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators (See 72604 Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

911 dispatcher · airline radio operator · alarm system dispatcher · alarm system operator · ambulance dispatcher · boat dispatcher · car assignments clerk · coal mine car dispatcher · communications officer - emergency services · communications specialist dispatcher · drilling rig radio operator · emergency medical dispatcher · emergency services dispatcher · emergency vehicle dispatcher · fire alarm operator · fire department dispatcher · gas service crew dispatcher · highway radio-telephone operator · mail service dispatcher · maintenance services dispatcher · mine dispatcher · mobile equipment dispatcher · monitoring station operator · motor vehicle dispatcher

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• Police and emergency dispatchers are required to complete formal on-the-job training. Other dispatchers usually undergo some informal on-the-job training.
• Police and emergency dispatchers and other radio operators usually require provincial radio operator's certificates.