How to become a 911 dispatcher in Connecticut

Pay at the Bridgeport Emergency Communications Center (City of Bridgeport, Public Safety Telecommunicator)

Each city and county sets its own pay. This is the official scale of the Bridgeport Emergency Communications Center (City of Bridgeport, Public Safety Telecommunicator), the largest city's agency.

Source:[pubt.io]

Pay for this work across Connecticut

Federal survey figures for public safety telecommunicators in Connecticut, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from any one agency's pay scale above.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates (all employers)[bls.gov]

Requirements

• Education: High school diploma or equivalency diploma (City of Bridgeport minimum; no statewide education standard)
• DSET certifies telecommunicators under C.G.S. Sec. 28-30; agencies may set training standards above the state minimum
• Must be employed by a public or private safety agency to be admitted to the state telecommunicator training program; FEMA NIMS courses IS-5.a, IS-100.c, IS-242.b, IS-700.b and IS-951 are prerequisites
• Certification requires completing a state-approved telecommunicator training program, a passing grade of 75% or better on the State of Connecticut Telecommunicator Exam, proof of Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certification, proof of an AT&T Emergency 911 course, and an employer letter verifying a completed working test (probationary) period
• Certification must be renewed every 5 years; renewal requires at least 4 years of employment in good standing as a telecommunicator during the 5-year period

Source:[bridgeportct.gov]

Hiring process

1. Online application to the Bridgeport Civil Service Commission (PublicSafetyApp)
2. Pass/fail keyboarding test (35 wpm)
3. Computerized written exam (75% to pass)
4. Oral interview (75% to pass); written and oral scores combined equally for the ranked eligibility list
5. Psychological exam
6. Background investigation
7. Medical exam including controlled-substance screen
8. State telecommunicator training program and certification (EMD, 75% on state exam)

Entrance exam

State of Connecticut Telecommunicator Exam. Passing grade 75% or better. A candidate who fails may retake after 30 days; after three failed attempts may be required to repeat sections of the training program (Regs. Conn. State Agencies 28-30-8).[portal.ct.gov]

Required training

Length not published. State-approved telecommunicator training program run by DSET (currently held in person); the published Public Safety Telecommunicator Training Standards list required topics but no hour total. A person not yet employed can be certified on appointment up to one year after completing the program.[portal.ct.gov]

Pension and retirement

• Plan: Connecticut Municipal Employees' Retirement System (CMERS)
• Benefit formula: Not covered by Social Security: 2% x final average pay x years of aggregate service. Covered by Social Security (retiring at/after 62): 1.5% x final average pay up to the breakpoint plus 2% x final average pay above the breakpoint, x years of service
• When you can retire: Normal retirement with 25 years of aggregate service; or age 55 with 5 years of continuous service; or age 55 with 15 years of aggregate service

CMERS is the state-administered plan for participating municipalities; Social Security coverage depends on the municipality. Formula from the 2023 Summary Plan Description; 2025 reforms added a DROP and increased-multiplier options. Whether the City of Bridgeport's telecommunicators are in CMERS was not confirmed.

Source:[osc.ct.gov]