Public Safety Careers
Public safety careers are challenging and possibly dangerous. These career jobs are vitally important to keep the public safe, as well as the safety provider. We currently live in a time when public places are being attacked.
What helps to deter attacks on public places and what makes us feel better when we see their uniforms are firefighters, security officers, public health officials, or a hospital emergency preparedness director.
These fields include individuals working in emergency management careers and disaster preparedness careers. Taking a risk means to be prepared. Consider a public safety job as a new career opportunity. In addition to these honorable career choices, there are many rewarding options to choose from.
- Forest Service Wildland Firefighter
Serving as a wildland firefighter means that at the U.S. federal level, you will work for the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Working at the state level, you will report to the Department of Forestry or the Department of Natural Resources.
In local communities where a forest landscape meets incorporated areas, you will work with the local fire departments with a degree in Wildland Fire Science. In this career, you can also work for private firefighting companies. Wildland firefighters are passionate about their career and the work they perform to help keep the public safe and healthy.
Becoming a wildland firefighter is to be a part of men and women who become like family. If you love the outdoors and can work in all types of environments and seasons, you fit the wildland firefighter profile. Your duties are not glamorous, but saving the life of the public is very rewarding.
You will work on keeping your vehicle engine operating well, including your equipment and tools, like chain saws, mowers, tractors, and hand tools. You will be asked to be on a team that uses wildfire suppression procedures, assisting federal, state, and local agencies, as well as citizens fleeing.
- Homeland Security Officer
With the climate today in the United States, there are many opportunities for homeland security officers. Homeland security officers generally are men and women who begin this career right after their military career ends.
A homeland security officer takes the opportunity to “protect and serve” the country and its public citizens. Varied career sub-specialties under the heading of a homeland security officer can include the following:
- Customs investigator
- Diplomatic security
- FBI officer or U.S. Marshal
- Special agent
- Secret service officer
- Security police officer
- State police officer
Homeland security officers are also analysts, researchers, and security technology specialists. This career can find you working in varied environments similar to the White House, immigration borders, foreign capitals, and more.
- Public Health Official
To become a public health official means that you are seeking ways to keep the public healthy. You will work in small neighborhoods, rural neighborhoods, suburban neighborhoods, and throughout the country.
It will be your job to prevent disease outbreaks, to educate the public on healthier lifestyles, and how to prevent injuries, as well as to research diseases and infections.
You will work with local, state, and federal health agencies, as well as the primary public health agency—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a representative for public health, you are an advocate in efforts to keep the public safe from various forms of risks.
A public health official collects, monitors, and disseminates information to all communities in order to promote health and safety practices involving where the public eats, works, plays, especially involving air and water quality.
- Hospital Emergency Preparedness Director
A hospital emergency preparedness director is a busy, busy person. When a natural disaster or other types of emergencies arise, the director is responsible for leading the first emergency responders. You may not know the count of the injured coming in for treatment, but you have to be ready.
The director will work with public safety representatives, the local government officials, law enforcement officials, various nonprofit organizations, and more.
A hospital emergency preparedness director’s responsibilities can involve the following:
- Organize emergency response teams and update training programs
- Coordinate resources and equipment to assist in responding to an emergency
- Review and coordinate the emergency plans of community agencies
- Apply for federal funding if needed and to allocate the same funds
- Ensure that the hospital is well maintained and prepared for use during emergencies
A hospital emergency preparedness director must be a critical skill thinker. They must think on their feet when a disaster or emergency erupts.