You live in a beautiful part of the world; nature surrounds cities, and epic landscapes provide the backdrop for many daily commutes. However, to continue to appreciate freedom and beauty each day, along the way, compromises will need to be made. You may make small sacrifices or compromises within your day, perhaps without realizing it, but what about those in public safety? What about those who help shape the future? Public safety is every citizen’s concern and should not just be left to the professionals, especially going forwards.
So, why not ask yourself – could you, as an individual, be doing more to help your country and your community? Professional public safety professionals help keep everyone safe. For example, the police officers on the street patrol working extra-long shifts to keep your community safe, or the firefighters checking residential and commercial buildings to ensure they do not pose a fire risk, they are all working towards a shared goal and a shared vision of a safe and secure future. However, have you ever stopped what you are doing and thought about public safety and public security? Unless you are directly involved with protecting the public, whether through a job or a voluntary position, it is not your responsibility, right?
What is Public Safety?
Public safety focuses solely on keeping the general public safe. For example, this could be through correctional officers, who ensure that prisoners are kept securely and safely away from members of the public, or it could be through homeland security officials who ensure that security protocols are established and maintained against potential threats. Public safety officials and professionals often work to realize a shared goal and ensure that a high quality of ‘normal’ life is maintained as much as possible.
Caring and Protecting Your Country
Protecting and caring about your country should be something that comes naturally. Keeping people and places safe for future generations to enjoy is important. If everyone played an active role in caring about their country and protecting it at the same time, then your country and even your local community would be a nicer place to live. Everyone has a responsibility to care for and protect their community, and whether you do this through a paid role or you do it through a voluntary role, the importance and value should never be underestimated or unappreciated.
How You Can Get Involved in Public Safety
Now you are aware of the importance of public safety, it is time to think about how you can get involved. Think about what can you do to make a difference? For example, could you be a search and rescue volunteer? Why not take some time out to carefully think about how much time you have to dedicate to this cause. Freeing up time to pursue and ensure public safety is something that is in the interest of both you and your loved ones. So, just what avenue should you pursue and why?
Voluntary Positions
If you are happy with volunteering within a public safety role, then there are lots of opportunities available to you. From a voluntary special police officer, to a voluntary correctional officer, there are lots of positions and roles available to you that you could fill. Making a difference and making a positive impact through voluntary work is easier than you think. Looking at the skill set and experience you have to offer will help you to establish what roles and positions are available and suitable.
Starting a New Career
Of course, if you wanted to build a career around public safety, you could do. For example, if you wanted to get into security intelligence or homeland protection, you could look at getting a diploma in geographic information system and data analytics from a University that perhaps offers distance-based learning, or if you wanted to make a difference on the streets, you could become a police officer. Starting a new career in public safety can offer you job security, and it can offer you an immense amount of job satisfaction. Knowing that you are having a positive impact on the lives of others and knowing that you can make tangible changes will ensure that any new career or job you pursue is both rewarding and satisfying.
Returning to Studying
If you decide to go down the route of getting a new job or launching a new career, it is important to realize that you will most likely need to return to studying and/or education at some stage in the process. More studying is required within some careers, such as those careers within security intelligence. Security threats are always advancing and developing, and this is an area where constant learning and development would be expected.
At an early stage, it is important to establish if you enjoy studying or not. If you feel that you would not enjoy studying in any shape or form, then it is beneficial if you start looking at other work opportunities and other career paths, to ensure that you feel happy and fulfilled within your new role. If you are not prepared to study or if you are feeling discontent, then you will not be fully focused on protecting public safety, and this is what you originally set out to do. So, ensure that you weigh up all of your options and your suitability for roles before finally committing.
Everybody can do Their Role and Play Their Part
As public safety and security offer a diverse variety of roles and opportunities, it is important to state that everyone can get involved, and everyone can play their part. Encouraging friends, family, and work colleagues to get involved and make a difference to public safety and security is crucial to building a stronger future for everyone. Public safety is everybody’s business, whether directly or indirectly, and everyone taking responsibility will ensure that the country continues to thrive going forwards. The future of public security and public safety is a key area, and it is an area that should not be overlooked. Knowing you can make a difference and an impact (and committing to making one) will leave you feeling fulfilled and proud.
Photo: Obi Onyeador, Unsplash
