Is the public safety department model the future of municipal emergency service?

The undeniable fiscal constraints associated with local governance has challenged 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. Traditionally solely a function of the police, contemporary public administrators are cognizant of the fact that community safety through effective emergency service delivery plays a prominent role in their citizenry’s standard of living. Additionally, they are very much aware of the reality that emergency service delivery is often their municipalities preeminent annual expenditure.

One innovative option that stakeholders and municipalities have available to them is the adoption of the public safety department model. Wherein, a municipality’s police department, fire department and EMS agency is consolidated into a singular public safety department. Additionally, police officers, fire fighters and paramedics are replaced by public safety officers (PSOs) that are cross trained across all three vocations via their graduation from the police academy, fire academy and state certified emergency medical technician (EMT) program. A foreign concept in some states, others (such as Michigan) are amid a public safety department proliferation of sorts. And the concept of transitioning to the public safety department model of emergency service delivery continues to garner attention and gain traction nationally.

The overarching goal of adopting the public safety department model is cost savings driven by the reduction of emergency service employees. Cross training employees to handle multiple forms of emergency services allows municipalities to hire less police/fire/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. PSOs that possess the ability to 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, which increases both response times as well as 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 lessen and lives could be saved. It is 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 viewed as prudent in that respect.

However, while the public safety department model certainly can be an efficient and cost-effective mode of municipal emergency service delivery, much must be taken into consideration by public administrators 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. Additionally, the decision also carries with it significant political consequences if the public safety department cannot meet emergency service demands. There is a myriad of factors that must be contemplated prior to any consolidation efforts:

Size matters
Size is perhaps the most salient feature with regards to sustained public safety department model success. In a research project that I conducted 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 overall 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. Those being small service area, low annual call volume and a 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 a sprawling jurisdiction. The model loses all its efficiency when PSOs are forced to respond distances regardless of the call type (police/fire/EMS). 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 police 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 respective call for service, and respond accordingly.

Outcome-based emergency service
Both public administrators choosing to adopt the model as well as those chosen to lead the agency (public safety director/chief/etc.) must adhere to an outcome-based service delivery model. Outcome-based emergency service agencies value results over statistics, and their members describe themselves as having a guardian as opposed to 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 (police/fire/EMS) simply do not have time to chase statistics via traffic stops, citations, arrests or medical transports. The rationale behind this conclusion is the fact that many of the services provided by PSOs are extremely time-consuming events (arrests/active fires/medical emergencies).

The importance of polymath leadership
The unique nature of public safety director position requires any municipality considering adopting the public safety department model to place great emphasis on leadership development and succession management programs. It is undeniably a laborious post that requires an individual with a truly comprehensive skillset. This individual simultaneously oversees the operation of three emergency service entities. Thus, he or she is 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/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 regards to staffing, resource allocation and the overall wellbeing of the agency. An individual that has spent his/her entire career working in a municipal police department (like myself) 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.

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 future forecast their municipality’s growth potential is of the utmost importance. It will be viewed as a significant policy failure if stakeholders make the decision to consolidate their municipality’s emergency services, only to be forced into deconsolidation a few years later as the model cannot adequately meet their citizenry’s specific emergency service needs.

Dr. Randall Bauer has more than 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 (Pa.) Police Department located 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.