Public Safety Officer Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a public safety officer job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a public safety officer. Feel free to use our public safety officer job description template to produce your own public safety officer job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a public safety officer.
Who is a Public Safety Officer?
Public safety officers are professionals that ensure the peace, safety, and security of the public. These individuals such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, rescue squad members, Emergency Medical technicians, paramedics, Highway Emergency Response Operators ( HERO), and ambulance crews are professionals in their field and are in general called public safety officers.
Public officers are always patrolling assigned areas, observing and investigating suspicious behavior, enforcing laws, apprehending suspects, and preparing incident reports even said to be attentive to irregularities and capable of sound judgment in difficult situations. They perform emergency treatments, detain suspects, or make arrests, if necessary, to checkmate every suspicious activity and enforce the law when necessary, especially in the case of insecurity. These officers are most times employees of federal, state, and local government agencies that are the source of their plenary or special law enforcement powers.
Public Safety Officer Job Description
What is a public safety officer job description? A public safety officer job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a public safety officer in an organization. Below are the public safety officer job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a public safety officer job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a public safety officer include the following:
- Issuing citations to drivers that are overspeeding, drunk driving illegally parking.
- Responding to emergencies such as fires, car accidents, or hostage situations.
- Providing backup assistance to other officers in need of their help.
- Working with emergency personnel to ensure crowd control.
- Teaching officers and their teammates how to use basic first aid, CPR, and medical resuscitators.
- Patrolling designated areas or neighborhoods to ensure peace and neighborliness.
- Investigating suspicious incidents that may deter the safety of the public.
- Securing and recording evidence, in the case of criminal activity.
- facilitating compliance with occupational health and safety (OSH) guidelines.
- Preparing accident and crime reports to be submitted as evidence.
- Providing support to police officers or emergency personnel.
- Controlling and extinguishing fires, using water and chemicals.
- Administering first aid and artificial respiration to injured persons.
- Participating in drills and emergency precautionary demonstrations.
- Ensuring the safety and security of people and property.
- Directing traffic and restoring order at public gatherings.
- Appearing in court if a court hearing is required of them.
- Establishing and maintaining with individuals as well as in a small group environment.
- Having a working knowledge of word processing, database and/or spreadsheet applications,
- Knowing the state and knowing all the rules and regulations.
- Knowing laws governing arrest, search, and seizure; investigative techniques.
- Knowing how to interact with diverse populations in a positive, objective, and consistent manner;
- Knowing how to interact tactfully yet firmly with individuals.
- Communicating with and dispatching law enforcement, fire department, and emergency medical services personnel when needed.
- Conducting preliminary investigations of incidents occurring on properties interviewing suspects, witnesses, and victims, and assuring appropriate disposition of such incidents
- Possessing strong decision-making skills, and are capable of making judgments in difficult situations.
- Participating in a variety of meetings and committees to ensure that safety and security issues are appropriately addressed.
- Performing the required testing or inspection of all safety and security equipment including cameras and mass notification systems during prescribed intervals to ensure proper working condition.
- Having good problem-solving skills, to help mitigate issues that arise in the environs.
- Maintaining good composure in stressful or emergencies.
- Developing security protocols and public-friendly protocols that are currently being used to ensure safety for both security officers, workers, team members, and the public at large.
- Organizing regular staff meetings to promote high standards of security awareness and performance as well as achieving the security expectations of the public and the supervisors or government at large.
- Working to ensure peace, building up community policing while working with upset or agitated individuals in high-stress situations.
- watching the behavior of coworkers and correcting unsafe conduct amongst them and in the public.
- Providing employees with safety training to ensure that they are fully aware of safety standards.
- Circulating reading and instructional material on safety protocols and procedures, as well as running or organizing educational programs.
- Enforcing jurisdictional laws and regulations and even arresting unruly individuals.
- Aiding in the development of emergency response plans for campus residents, the community, or the neighborhood they are assigned to.
- Participating in district disaster preparation drills and evaluation.
- Maintaining current knowledge of public safety methods and practices.
- Performing other related duties as assigned by their superiors.
- Writing reports, briefings, and statements and issuing them to proper entities.
- Understanding the weapons or tools that can be used in the case of emergency, thefts, break-ins, or potential threats, to ensure the safety of the public.
- Utilizing established laws and regulations and taking all appropriate action in the event of a crime, fire, or medical emergency.
Qualifications.
- Undergo high school and take the GED exams.
- Earn a diploma through adult education programs if you couldn’t get certified in high school.
- Be certified in a field of studies like criminal law or justice, criminal science, civics, security education, psychology e.t.c in (x) years.
- Take a law enforcement exam and be certified.
- Take a police academy exam to be qualified as a public safety officer.
- Understanding basic weapons training, apprehension techniques, and a brief overview of the law.
- Undergoing training that certifies such as Emergency Medical Technician Certification, Marine Safety Enforcement Officer Certification, and water rescue training.
- Understanding the need to reach the physical agility requirements of the jurisdictions you are interested in so that you can pass a basic fitness test.
- Understanding how to relate with the public in a fair, tactful, and courteous manner, regardless of cultural differences.
- Demonstrating skills in effectively dealing with persons in various emotional and mental states.
Essential skills.
- Assertive skill: Every public safety officer must be skilled in assertive situations, especially impromptu ones, and know how to deal with them effectively. These officers must be able to recognize when to take action and decide on the appropriate course of action that can still ensure the safety of the public always. They are analyzing situations quickly and objectively; recognizing actual and potential dangers; determining a proper course of action and are still skilled in observing and paying attention to details, no matter how tiny or significant they may be, usually in the case of emergencies. Being able to respond at a moment’s notice requires a unique combination of instinct, experience, and education.
- Teamwork team building: Teamwork is a skill that involves law enforcement officers working with members of their community to reduce crime. Public safety officers need to know how to build relationships in the communities they serve and understand how their actions can affect those relationships. Neighborliness is a necessity for public safety officers. The ability to communicate trust to your team members or community at large in the aftermath of an emergency is vital. People have faith in leaders who speak with conviction and act on principle.
- Communication skill: These officers must relate with people each day either their team members, emergency personnel, or people in the environment they are pledging their allegiance. In crowd control cases, being able to communicate effectively with the people would ensure effective delivery of service, easy understanding of sanction rules, and complete obedience by the public. These public safety officers must be able to relay information through radio or telephone as well as in person if need be because interacting with the public, other officers and emergency response teams isn’t an easy thing, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted especially in the case of security. Public safety officers also need to be able to listen carefully to others’ instructions so they can follow them correctly. It’s important to be concise and direct when communicating about safety. Clarity is essential, particularly when our workforce is so diverse with different cultures, ethnicities, and languages.
- First aid and resuscitation skill: In the case of fire outbreaks, or emergencies that requires initial attention these public safety officers must know how to deliver first aid, because they may be the first responders to emergencies. Having these skills can help them treat injuries and save lives in their work. Public safety officers should take a first aid course through their employer or an outside organization so they know how to handle different types of emergencies, like CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which is a life-saving technique that can help an individual who has suffered from cardiac arrest. CPR involves the use of chest compressions and breathing techniques to keep someone alive until emergency medical services arrive. Public safety officers should be familiar with CPR so they can perform it in the event of an emergency.
- Defensive skills: Most public safety officers are employed to secure offices, schools, or properties. In the case of break-ins, Public safety officers use defensive tactics to defend themselves and others from harm. Defensive tactics include physical skills like blocking, dodging, or striking an opponent. They also include nonphysical skills such as de-escalating a situation through a communication or using tools like pepper spray or tasers. Public safety officers need to know how to protect themselves and others in emergencies.
- Leadership skills: Every leader wants to engage other experts to help you evaluate vulnerabilities and the statistical probability of a safety mishap. Much is required of any leader such as the public safety officer by both the team members and the people they are to cater to. Communities expect their leaders to have contingency plans in place to address hazardous threats and natural disasters. Plans should be developed to address all safety scenarios identified during your risk assessment, emphasizing the most likely occurrences while not discounting remote possibilities. A critical leadership skill for a public safety manager is the ability to motivate others. Good leaders inspire others to take action through their examples and their words and by having confidence in their team or staff. A good leader encourages his team to participate by asking for their input and feedback in staff meetings. By recognizing the skills and abilities of your staff, you also instill self-confidence in them, which encourages and motivates them to perform effectively.
- Problem-Solving skill: Knowing how to analyze situations and coming back with the best possible solution is key or a necessity for any public safety officer. During natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes, public safety managers must resolve issues that arise with the available tools on hand. You won’t always have access to the supplies you need, so you need to know how to improvise. You also must know how to strategize, as well as implement your strategies to handle an immediate crisis, while at the same time preparing for possible complications.
How to Become a Public Safety Officer.
- Having a minimum high school diploma or equivalency, including a GED and certification as a law enforcement officer.
- Undergoing training with the police academy and other forms of education on security, criminal law, criminal justice, etc.
- Having a Bachelor’s Degree in engineering, police sciences, criminology, forensic science, criminalistics, or sociology.
- Receiving on-the-job training from employers such as instruction on the use of first aid equipment, self-defense techniques, and firearms.
- Being professional at all times with a demonstrated record for problem-solving and multitasking with a positive attitude.
- Receive advanced technical training, either as a medical safety officer or a fire service officer.
- Demonstrating leadership in times of need and crisis alongside attention to detail.
- Working with confidence and composure and utilizing critical thinking and training skills when needed.
- Good communication, mediation, and conflict resolution skills.
- Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Good observation and decision-making skills.
- Working knowledge of laws and law enforcement practices and the best possible ways to enforce these laws and create security.
Where to Work as a Public Safety Officer
- Law enforcement agencies.
- Defense academy
- Security agencies.
- Game wardens
- Wildlife agencies.
- Private and public properties as a security agent.
- Fire service.
- Hospitals and healthcare facilities.
- Banking firms.
- Brokerage firms and houses.
- Financial houses and accounting firms.
- Manufacturing industries.
- Government houses.
- Police Academy and Precincts.
- Ambulance squads.
- Military forces.
- Search and Rescue team.
Public Safety Officer Salary Scale
It takes work to become a public safety officer. Sometimes people change their minds about their career after working in the profession but never forget that locations, employers, skills, level of education or exposure, and years of experience can affect the level of your earnings as public safety officer even if not looking at benefits, tips or compensations that come randomly. The public safety officer’s average salary in the United States is $50,800 as of July 26, 2022, but the range typically falls between $44,200 and $59,800.