By Randall Bauer
The fiscal constraints associated with local governance challenge contemporary public administrators to achieve more with less. Budgets are stretched thin, and local government managers face increasingly complex service delivery demands from an electorate that loathes the idea of paying higher taxes. While it’s traditionally been solely a function of the police, contemporary public administrators know community safety through effective emergency service delivery plays a prominent role in their citizens’ standard of living. Additionally, they are very much aware that emergency service delivery is often their preeminent annual expenditure.
One innovative option stakeholders and municipalities have available is the adoption of the public safety department model. In this model, a municipality’s police department, fire department and EMS agency are consolidated into a single public safety department. Police officers, firefighters and paramedics are replaced by public safety officers (PSOs) who are cross-trained across all three vocations via graduation from the police academy, fire academy and state-certified emergency medical technician (EMT) program.
This is a foreign concept in some states, but others (such as Michigan) are amid a public safety department proliferation of sorts. And the concept of transitioning to the public safety department model continues to garner attention and gain traction nationally.
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A more efficient use of resources
The overarching goal of adopting the public safety department model is cost savings driven by a reduced number of emergency service employees. Cross-training employees to handle multiple forms of emergency services allows municipalities to hire fewer police, fire and EMS personnel and thus utilize their limited resources more efficiently.
In addition to cost reduction, additional benefits of the public safety department model include improved service delivery. Having PSOs who can respond to multiple forms of emergencies equates to less nonproductive time among all three emergency services. Personnel will no longer be waiting around for the next fire, robbery or heart attack to occur. Rather, PSOs can respond to all these calls, both reducing response times as well as increasing the number of individuals on scene at emergencies.
The notion is not without merit, as police officers are often the first on scene at both fire and EMS calls simply because they are out patrolling as opposed to sitting at a station. If they are cross-trained and thus take the appropriate action to control the blaze or address the medical concern — as opposed to simply radioing to incoming fire and EMS units the status of the emergency — property damage would be reduced, and lives could be saved. It would be a more efficient use of a municipality’s emergency service resources. Resource allocation is of the utmost importance to contemporary public administrators, and this model is prudent in that respect.
Factors to consider
While the public safety department model certainly can be an efficient and cost-effective mode of emergency service delivery, much must be taken into consideration prior to its adoption. Completely altering the structural delivery of a municipality’s emergency services is a laborious process that takes years of planning, research, analysis and evaluation. The decision also carries significant political consequences if the public safety department cannot meet demands. A myriad of factors must be contemplated prior to any consolidation efforts:
1. Size
Size is perhaps the most salient feature with regard to sustained public safety department model success. In a research project in 2023, I interviewed current public safety directors, administered surveys to current public safety officers and acted as a participant observer within a fully consolidated public safety department. The goal of the project was to determine the factors that contribute to the continued operation of the public safety department model within municipalities. The three most prominent themes derived via qualitative analysis of collected data all related to size: a small service area, low annual call volume and small population to serve.
What makes the public safety department model such an attractive option to smaller municipalities — the efficiency associated with one PSO’s ability to do the job of three — is exactly why the model is not appropriate in an urban setting or sprawling jurisdiction. The model loses all its efficiency when PSOs are forced to respond distances regardless of the call type. Proponents of the public safety department model tout the dynamism of PSOs and the fact these officers are never simply sitting at the station. Therefore, PSOs respond to all calls for service in an extremely expeditious manner. And while working in a small service area, PSOs possess the ability to quickly drive to the station in their patrol car, jump into the fire engine or ambulance (depending on the call) and respond accordingly.
2. Outcome-based emergency service
Both public administrators choosing to adopt the model as well as those chosen to lead PSO agencies must adhere to outcome-based service delivery models. Outcome-based emergency service agencies value results over statistics, and their members describe themselves as having a “guardian” as opposed to a “warrior” mentality. Enduring public safety departments are results-driven agencies led by results-driven individuals. The fully consolidated public safety department model does not lend itself to a statistically driven approach or attitude. PSOs switching job functions numerous times each shift simply do not have time to chase statistics via traffic stops, citations, arrests or medical transports. The rationale behind this is the fact that many of the services provided by PSOs are extremely time-consuming events (arrests, active fires, medical emergencies).
3. The importance of polymath leadership
The unique nature of the public safety director position requires any municipality considering adopting the model to place great emphasis on leadership development and succession management. It is undeniably a laborious post that requires an individual with a truly comprehensive skill set. This individual simultaneously oversees the operation of three emergency service entities. Thus, they are required to display superior knowledge, skill and abilities in all three vocations via verbal and written presentation. They must continuously stay up to date on the modern principles and practices of police, fire and EMS operations, prepare and administer an annual budget and exhibit knowledge of the principles of effective administration with a focus on police, fire and EMS policies and practice.
Additionally, he or she is forced to make three times the decisions of a singular police chief, fire chief or EMS director with regard to staffing, resource allocation and the overall well-being of the agency. An individual who has spent their entire career working in a municipal police department may not be well-suited to manage a public safety department with full-time fire and EMS capabilities. Thus, it behooves these agencies to focus on succession management and internal leadership development.
Pubic safety departments in action
Here is a list of several agencies that embrace the public safety model:
Combines law enforcement with fire and EMS using cross-trained officers, supported by a team of dedicated fire/EMS staff.
Operating under a fully merged model since 1984, all sworn staff rotate between police and fire duties, with EMS response built in.
Officers are certified across all three disciplines, enabling flexible emergency response in a small suburban setting.
Offers unified police, fire and EMS services through a public safety team; recognized with an ISO Class 3 rating.
A public safety department where full-time personnel hold police, fire and EMT certifications, serving a resort community.
Sworn officers are trained in police and fire operations, supported by EMS-level first response in a Texas suburb.
One of Texas’ newer public safety models, leveraging cross-trained staff to support a growing city with integrated services.
Conclusion
When adopted under the correct circumstances, the public safety department model can provide municipalities with efficient and cost-effective emergency services. However, it is not appropriate in all locales, and the ability of public administrators to properly forecast their municipalities’ growth potential is of the utmost importance. It will be viewed as a significant policy failure if stakeholders consolidate their municipality’s emergency services only to be forced into deconsolidation a few years later, as the model cannot adequately meet their citizens’ emergency service needs.
Would your jurisdiction benefit from a public safety model? Share your thoughts below.
About the author
Dr. Randall Bauer has over 17 years working in law enforcement, having spent time in both South Carolina and Pennsylvania. He currently works as an officer for the Cranberry Township (Pennsylvania) Police Department just outside of Pittsburgh. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Syracuse University, a master’s degree in law and public policy from California University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in public administration from Liberty University.
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