How to become a 911 dispatcher in North Dakota
In North Dakota, 911 dispatchers are hired by city, county and regional 911 centers. The North Dakota Emergency Services Communications Coordinating Committee (ESC3) sets the statewide standards; the credential is Public Safety Telecommunicator (911 dispatcher). At the Red River Regional Dispatch Center (RRRDC, Fargo - Cass County ND / Clay County MN), new hires start at $56,019 a year, rising to $83,693.
Pay at the Red River Regional Dispatch Center (RRRDC, Fargo - Cass County ND / Clay County MN)
Each city and county sets its own pay. This is the official scale of the Red River Regional Dispatch Center (RRRDC, Fargo - Cass County ND / Clay County MN), the largest city's agency.
| Starting salary | $56,019 |
|---|---|
| Top of scale | $83,693 |
RRRDC wages page, Public Safety Telecommunicator: minimum $26.93/hr ($56,019/yr), midpoint $32.74 ($68,088), maximum $40.24 ($83,693). Shift Supervisor $33.48-$47.21/hr. Paid training, retention incentives after training and probation, shift differential for evenings, nights and weekends. RRRDC is a joint powers dispatch center serving Fargo; it posts on its own site rrrdc.com.
Source:[rrrdc.com]
Pay for this work across North Dakota
Federal survey figures for public safety telecommunicators in North Dakota, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from any one agency's pay scale above.
| People in this work | 270 |
|---|---|
| Lower pay (10th percentile) | $47,790 |
| Median pay | $59,940 |
| Higher pay (90th percentile) | $63,180 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates (all employers)[bls.gov]
Requirements
- Education: High school diploma or GED or an equivalent combination of education and experience (RRRDC posting; state law sets no education minimum)
- NDCC 57-40.6-10(4): every PSAP must take two sets of fingerprints and run state and nationwide criminal background checks on all public safety telecommunicators, and have policies ensuring they have no felony conviction (at minimum consistent with NCIC standards), complete pre-employment screening for illegal substance use and hearing, and meet the minimum qualifications and certifications set by the Emergency Services Communications Coordinating Committee
- NDCC 57-40.6-10(4)(g): PSAPs must be able to give emergency medical dispatch prearrival instructions on all medical calls, offered by a telecommunicator who completed an EMD course approved by the division of emergency health services
- The ESC3's specific minimum qualifications and certifications could not be retrieved from an official source
- RRRDC: must be CPR, EMD and NCIC certified within a reasonable time after appointment; typing 40 net wpm; criminal background investigation including a polygraph; psychological exam, hearing test, drug screening and physical exam
Source:[ndlegis.gov]
Hiring process
- Application (online, Word or PDF)
- Interview
- Conditional job offer
- Typing test (40 corrected wpm)
- Observation
- Background investigation
- Drug testing
- Physical exam
- Polygraph
- Psychological exam
Source:[rrrdc.com]
Required training
Length not published, paid. No state-mandated initial training hours found in NDCC 57-40.6; statute requires an approved EMD course for telecommunicators giving prearrival instructions and defers other qualifications/certifications to the ESC3. RRRDC lists 'Paid Training' among benefits.[rrrdc.com]
Pension and retirement
- Plan: RRRDC 401(k) Retirement Plan (employer-sponsored)
RRRDC's benefits list a 401(k) Retirement Plan rather than a defined-benefit pension. Whether other North Dakota local dispatch centers use NDPERS was not confirmed from an official source.
Source:[rrrdc.com]