What You Need to Know Before Pursuing a Career in Public Safety
A career in public safety is deeply fulfilling and extremely engaging. You’ll spend your time protecting folks from potential hazards and may be the first point of contact in the event of an emergency.
Working in public safety can help you connect with your community, too. Careers like law enforcement, public health services, and emergency management give you the opportunity to network with the folks in your area and help you build strong relationships in your town or city.
Public safety careers can also pay well. Like most government jobs, you can expect a good starting salary with plenty of benefits. Many employers offer perks like flexible working hours, great health insurance, and job security.
Growth-Oriented Roles
Public safety positions with government organizations like the fire service and police department are usually growth-oriented. This means that you’ll likely start your career with a hands-on role like a firefighter before climbing through the ranks to become a captain or division chief.
This can be a deeply motivating change if you’re used to working in the private sector with little room to grow. When pursuing a career in public safety, you’ll likely find that your superiors actually push you to get promoted and want you to rise through the ranks when you’re ready.
You don’t have to spend your career fighting blazes or chasing after criminals, either. Administrative roles like emergency management can still be deeply rewarding. You will learn plenty about public policy and can spend your career finding ways to protect the public from harm. These kinds of growth-oriented careers are particularly important today, as climate change threatens to change the way we approach public safety.
Stress Management
Landing a role in public safety can improve your quality of life and job satisfaction. However, you’re likely to encounter work-related stress when on the job. This is entirely normal, as firefighters, police officers, and public safety administrators often step in when something has gone wrong.
During your career, you’ll need to learn how to deal with stress. Effective stress management can help you deal with setbacks and compartmentalize the events you deal with while at work. When seeking a new role with a government employer, consider asking hiring managers what procedures they have in place to protect your mental health and mitigate stress.
Managing long-term stress is particularly important when working in public safety. Left unchecked, chronic stress can turn into burnout. Burnout undermines your effectiveness and may put people at risk. Seek a burnout diagnosis if you suspect you’re struggling with burnout, as a therapist can give you coping skills designed to improve boundary-setting, increase feelings of empowerment, and improve your self-esteem.
Public safety positions with government organizations like the fire service and police department are usually growth-oriented.
Preparing for Public Saftey
Preparing for the demands of a career in public safety before you step into your new role can help you hit the ground running. Learning leadership skills and gaining experience as a decision-maker before your first day will put you ahead of your peers, too.
As a new hire in public safety, you’ll need to guard against optimism bias when making decisions. There’s nothing wrong with having a positive outlook, but optimism bias can put the health and well-being of the public at risk. Optimism bias occurs when you overlook potential dangers due to the faulty belief that “everything will be fine”. For example, employees with optimism bias may disregard safety procedures which can lead to injury. This can cause you to cut corners and overlook real risks. Luckily, optimism bias can be combatted through ongoing training, employee enrichment, and workplace signage.
You can also develop leadership skills before you start your new career in public safety. If you’re still in university, consider enrolling in leadership training initiatives on campus. Alternatively, if you’re employed, sign up to volunteer with community events in your area. This will give you hands-on experience with the public and help you learn from experienced leaders in your area.
If you want to pursue a hands-on career with the emergency services, you may want to get in shape first. Many departments have fitness tests to assess the capabilities of new recruits. Get in contact with the department you’re applying for ahead of time and find out what they will use to assess your fitness. They may even have a fitness plan in place to help you reach your goals on the test day.
Shift Work
Some careers in public safety require you to follow a pre-established shift pattern. For example, folks in the fire service usually complete a 24/48 hour shift or a California Swing Shift. These working hours can be demanding if you’re used to working 9 – 5.
Most public safety departments aim to honor your time off work as this gives you time to rest and recover. However, in the event of an emergency, you may be called in on your days off. Understanding this is key if you want to pursue a career in public safety, as your relationship with work is significantly different from folks who clock in and clock out for private businesses.
It’s worth bearing in mind that shift work can have an impact on your physical health, too. You’ll need to invest time and effort in rest and recovery during your time off, as this will protect you against fatigue-related conditions like anxiety or chronic illness.
Conclusion
A career in public safety is the perfect role if you want to help people and make a difference in your community. Public safety roles come with plenty of perks that can improve your quality of life, too. Just be sure to invest some time and effort in stress management, as you’ll need to adapt to the pressure of safeguarding the public when you step into your new role.
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