Background

            Public safety management is facing many new and upcoming difficulties in an ever changing society.  When speaking of public safety and its management, this research paper will be referencing a few of the many different protective services and agencies throughout the local community.  Some of the public safety agencies that will be discussed and referenced are fire protection, law enforcement, and emergency medical services.  There are many other services and agencies that fall under public safety, but this research paper will focus primarily on the above mentioned agencies.  Some of the problems that will be brought to light are common to all public safety agencies, while other problems are specific to individual agencies.  Some of the common problems that public safety managers are currently facing throughout community are the development of an applicant pool, personnel recruitment, selection of personnel, maintaining certifications and training for personnel, and the retention of personnel. 

With a constantly increasing demand for public safety personnel to adjust to new directives and initiatives requiring them to perform more tasks as well as work with other public safety agencies, public safety managers have had to juggle the additional requirements while sustaining the normal operating budget.  Since the terrorist attack on 9/11, public safety officials have taken a harder look at pooling resources together and performing multi-agency training to better prepare for a subsequent attack.  Planners throughout many public safety agencies have begun to plan for different emergency scenarios that could take place in the local communities.  Since 9/11 many public safety managers have had to implement new directives to account for the growing threat of another terrorist attack on American soil.

One of the new changes that public safety managers have had to take into account is the alliance and possible merging of different public safety agencies to one general public safety agency.  Some of the main goals for merging different public safety agencies consist of better personnel recruitment practices, personnel selection practices, and personnel retention which in turn would increase cost efficiency to the agencies.  Many fire departments throughout the state

of Florida have already taken on the role of Emergency Medical Services duties by obtaining a servicing agreement for their covering districts.  The fire departments then purchase ambulances and sustain an advanced life support crew consisting of a Firefighter/Paramedic and a Firefighter/EMT to operate the ambulance, and treat patients on scene as well as enroot to local area hospitals.   

Another merge that was looked at by many is the merging of the police and the sheriffs department.  Some agencies have already done research on the merging of two different law enforcement agencies, while other agencies have already implemented the merge.  One city that has looked into the merging of the police department and sheriff department is the city of San Francisco, California.  According to the findings from a report of the 1999-2000 San Francisco Civil Grand Jury (1999), “Our review shows that combining the San Francisco Police and Sheriff’s departments could yield some benefits.  Several large cities have derived substantial benefits from such a consolidation.  Benefits of such a consolidation for San Francisco could include a lower dropout rate, greater economies of scale, possible reduction in duplicative administrative functions, coordination of departmental policies, lower personnel turnover, increased training and orientation opportunities, and more efficient hiring.”

            Not only does public safety managers have to adjust to the increasing change in the directives and mission of the agency, they also have to take into account some of the more specific and targeted problems to their agency.  One of these specific and targeted problems that have presently come to light in Lee County, Florida, is the extremely high increase of cost of living expenses.

 One of the cost of living expenses that have dramatically increased is the cost of affordable housing.  According to Halliday (2002), in a study prepared for the Lee County Affordable Housing Committee, “The extent to which a community has inadequate affordable housing is measured by the availability and condition of affordable housing.  Availability is measured by the extent of cost burdened households.  Housing condition is measured by the degree of substandard housing in the community.  In Lee County, 29 percent, or 50,000 households of all income levels pay more than 30 percent of their income on housing.  Housing affordability is defined as a household paying no more than 30% of its income on housing costs.  Federal and state programs define housing costs for homeowners as follows:  principal, interest, taxes and insurance (often referred to as the monthly mortgage payment), and for renters as:  rent payment and utilities.  Chart 3.1 uses the most recent demographic data available to show how much a household should make to afford the average sale price of a new home built in Lee County, or average rental property.  For the purpose of this study, utility costs are not included in the renters’ housing costs.  Median incomes of select job occupations are used to help readers better understand the gap of affordability in housing.

(Chart 3.1 How Affordable is Housing in Lee County?)

The chart above shows that in 2001 in Lee County, the hourly wage required to buy a median priced house was $25.47/hour whereas the hourly wage for a median income firefighter was $14.86/hour.  This is far below the $25.47 hourly wage required to buy a median priced home.”(How Affordable is Housing in Lee County? section, Para. 1, 2, & chart 3.1) 

The state of Florida has not only seen a cost of housing increase, but the property taxes associated with them have also increased thus making the bridge to affordable housing that much harder to obtain.  One example of property taxes increasing dramatically can be seen in Highlands County, Florida.  “Since fiscal year 2001, Highlands County property tax collections have doubled, from $23.9 million to $47.4 million.”(Pinnell, 2007, 1A)  The added problems only make it harder for public safety managers to recruit personnel, select personnel, and retain personnel to keep up with the demand of a changing and sometimes growing public safety agency.  These three main problems are becoming more and more difficult for public safety managers to mitigate.   

Related Facts

Recruitment Difficulties

Recruitment of new public safety employees is becoming an arduous and daunting task for public safety managers.  “The recruiting process begins with an attempt to find employees with the abilities and attitudes desired by the organization and to match them with the tasks to be performed.  Whether potential employees will respond to the recruiting effort depends on the attitudes they have developed toward those tasks and the organization on the basis of their past social and working experiences.  Their perception of the task will also be affected by the work climate in the organization.”(Ivancevich, 2007, 187) 

One of the main obstacles when recruiting for public safety positions is finding quality individuals to perform the functions associated with public safety agencies.  Public safety managers for law enforcement agencies are facing those very specific problems.  “The recruitment and retention of qualified criminal justice personnel is the greatest challenge facing the law enforcement community today.” (Ramirez, 1)  An individual may interview extremely well, and may have an outstanding resume to match only to find out later that there are many skeletons in the closet that had not yet been discovered.  Some recruits may even lie on their resume when applying for a position.  “A survey conducted by Reid Psychological Systems (part of Pearson Performance Solutions) found that as many as 95 percent of college students are willing to be less than truthful about themselves when they are searching for a job.”(McShulskis, 1997, 22-24)  According to the National Institute for Justice summary report, Research for Practice: Hiring and Keeping Police Officers, “The supply of good police recruits was down throughout the Nation during the summer of 2000.  More than half of small agencies (those serving populations of under 50,000) and two-thirds of large agencies (those serving populations of 50,000 or more) with recent vacancies reported that a lack of qualified applicants caused difficulties in filling those slots.” (Koper, Maguire, Moore, 2004, 2)  

Not only is the quality of candidates that are applying for positions a problem for public safety management, but the amount of people applying is becoming a problem as well.  “Fire chiefs continue to identify the shortage of paramedics as a growing problem in America’s fire and emergency service.  Some agencies continue to struggle to find paramedics to staff lesser-paying, stagnant or high-volume fire-based EMS.” (Evans, 2005, 1)  Not only are fire departments finding it harder to recruit personnel, but emergency medical service agencies are finding it hard as well.  In a study performed by the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Services, they found, “To learn more about EMS recruitment and retention problems, questionnaires were mailed to 5,870 EMS personnel in North Dakota.  The group consisted of all persons who are ND-registered as a first responder, ambulance attendant, driver, emergency care technician, EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate or EMT-Paramedic.  Of the 5,870 sent, 2,003 (38.9%) returned a completed survey.  Surveys were not received for 12.2% of the individuals due to inactive EMS status or incorrect address.  Close to two thirds (63.2%) of respondents said that recruiting individuals to EMS was a serious problem in their local area (Table 1).” (Muus, 2000, 1)

(Table 1 Muus, 2000, 1)

Some of the main reasons why recruitment is becoming such a problem coexist with some of the other problems public safety managers face.  One of the other main problems that seems to coincide with difficulties in the recruitment of personnel is the difficulties in selection of personnel.

Selection Difficulties

For one to understand some of the difficulties that public safety managers face in selecting personnel, one must have to understand what selection is.  “Selection is the process by which an organization chooses from a list of applicants the person or persons who best meet the selection criteria for the position available, considering current environmental conditions.  Although this definition emphasizes the effectiveness of selection, decisions about whom to hire must also be made efficiently and within the boundaries set forth in equal employment opportunity legislation.” (Ivancevich, 2007, 214)  Public safety managers have to stay between the lines of federal equal employment opportunity laws while trying to select the most well qualified, suitable, and diverse personnel as possible for their public safety agency.

Diversity is now becoming a major part of the selection process.  Public safety managers are finding out how detrimental a diverse public safety agency can be. One of the benefits of a diverse agency consists of personnel that can identify with all races and creeds amongst the community.  Cultural barriers can exist between differing social groups in the community and if there is an extremely diverse public safety agency, the public safety employee that identifies with a specific culture can in return train the other public safety employees of the social norms of that culture therefore aiding them in communication and understanding while performing the duties of the public safety agency.  Some of the laws that are helping to keep a much more diverse public safety agency as well as preventing job discrimination are the federal equal employment opportunity laws.  “What are the Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination?  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older; Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local government; Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who work in the federal government; and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.” (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2002, 1) 

Another problem that public safety managers face when dealing with the selection of personnel for the public safety agency is choosing the right assessment tool so that you may chose the right candidate for the job.  “At a basic level, all selection programs attempt to identify the applicants who have the highest chance of meeting or exceeding the organization’s standards of performance.” (Ivancevich, 2007, 214)  “Agencies must consider many factors when selecting or developing an assessment tool and overall strategy.  The appropriate assessment(s) depends on variables such as the number and level of vacant positions, the applicant pool, and the anticipated number of applicants based on recent experience when announcing similar positions.” (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1)  Some of the different assessment tools and strategies that are used to select public safety personnel consist of preliminary screening, interviewing, employment tests, reference checks, and physical examinations.  “The selection decision is usually perceived as a series of steps through which applicants pass.  At each step, more applicants are screened out by the organization, or more applicants accept other job offers and drop from the list of applicants.” (Ivancevich, 2007, 221)  Public safety managers are investing plenty of time and money into selecting candidates, only to find out that they selected the wrong candidate for the job, or that they were unable to retain the candidate that they had selected. 

Retention Difficulties

The last and final major problem that public safety managers are facing is the retention of public safety personnel.  “A recent study completed by the state of North Carolina revealed that police agencies across the state experienced an average turnover of 14 percent in patrol positions.  The average tenure for a new officer is 33 months.” (Yearwood, 2003, 1-10)  One of the main reasons that public safety managers are facing a retention problem is due to the difference in cost of living expenses to that of the salary of public safety personnel. 

One example of this can be seen in the housing market in Lee County, Florida.  “Like many communities in south Florida, the price of housing in Lee County over the past six years increased dramatically, while incomes and wages remained relatively static.  Figure 11.1: Median Sales Price of Existing Homes in Lee County and Statewide, 1993-2006, illustrates the trend of median housing sales prices in Lee County in comparison to all of Florida between 1993 and 2006.  In 2000, the median sales price of a home in the county was $112,300 and by 2005 the median sales price increased by $165,900 to $278,200.” (Clarion, Nicholas, Higgins, 2007, 21) 

(Table 11.1 Clarion, Nicholas, Higgins, 2007, 21-23)

median priced housing is no longer affordable to households earning the area median income.  In 1993, the median income for a household of four in Lee County was $36,100, and the median price of a single family home was $83,300- approximately 230 percent of median income levels.  In 2000, the median income for a household of four in Lee County was $47,300 and the median price of a single family home was $112,300- approximately 237 percent of median income levels.  By 2003, the median income for a household of four in Lee County was $51,700 and the median price of a single family home was $278,200- approximately 514 percent of median income levels.  Even though median sales prices moderately decreased in 2006 to $261,400, the median price of housing in September 2006 still exceeds the price that is affordable to median income households.  (The median income for a household of four in 2006 is $56,000.  This is 466 % of the median price of a single-family home).  Over this period, housing prices continue to increase, and even wage earners with higher incomes were priced out of the market.  See Figure 11.2:  Comparison of Median Sales Prices and 300% of Median Household Incomes, 1993-2006.” (Clarion, Nicholas, Higgins, 2007, 21-23)  

(Figure 11.2 Clarion, Nicholas, Higgins, 2007, 21-23)

            The comparison of the median sales price to the affordability for median households show the growing deficits between what salary public safety personnel make compared to the expenses that they are incurring for affordable housing. 

Another problem that public safety managers have to face is personnel leaving to go find employment with the highest bidder.  Public safety personnel seem to have not formed a bond with their agency and are willing to relocate to find an area with a lower cost of living so that they may gain with what salary they do make.  With the cost of living increasing, salaries staying stagnant, and public safety personnel relocating, the retention rate is becoming an alarming problem for public safety managers.  This may become too burdensome of a problem for public safety managers to handle who have already had to manage recruitment, selection, and other retention problems.  

Analysis

Solutions to Recruitment Difficulties  

            Although recruitment of new public safety employees is becoming an arduous and daunting task for public safety managers, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  There are many solutions that can be looked at to help mitigate the recruitment problem. 

One solution begins with recruiting using different tactics.  “Become an employer of choice for recruiting candidates.  Think about what a potential employee considers before agreeing to join you organization or business.  Are you stable, making money and growing?  Are you employee-friendly?  Does you mission catch the mindshare and /or the heartstrings of the people you most want to recruit?  Will a new employee feel part of something bigger than themselves if they join you?  Will you organization nurture their talent and provide exciting opportunities for challenge and professional growth?  If you can answer these questions affirmatively, analyze every component of your recruiting process to make sure that you are sending these messages.” (Heathfield, 1)  

Some other solutions to helping recruit public safety personnel are tapping into the public safety agencies network in recruiting candidates; taking advantage of industry contacts, association memberships, trade groups; using the public safety agency website for recruiting candidates; maintaining frequent contact with interested candidates; and networking with the trade schools that are training and certifying candidates for public safety personnel positions. (Heathfield, 1) 

Solutions to Selection Difficulties

            Public safety managers have been facing the problem of selecting the correct assessment tool in order to select the correct public safety candidate for the job. 

One solution to the problem consists of developing a more structured interview process as one of the assessment tools.   “Agencies can significantly improve the likelihood of selecting good employees by using assessment tools with high validity. Validity is the ability of an assessment tool to predict on-the-job performance.  The structured interview is among the most valid assessment tools available, comparing favorably with mental ability tests and work sample tests, and surpassing such assessment tools as years of experience, ratings of training and experience, and reference checks.” (Schmidt, F., Hunter, J., 1998, 265)   “Moreover, research suggests that interviewing without the assistance of structure — interviewers relying on unaided judgment — is ill-advised. Studies have consistently found that interviewers are inappropriately influenced by factors such as the performance of previous candidates and personal feelings.” (U.S Merit Systems Protection Board, 2003, 10)  The model below is an example of the structure interview process that could be utilized by public safety managers to aid in the selection process.    

(U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board Appendix D A Model Structured Interview Process 31)

Another solution to the problem of selecting the correct assessment tool in order to select the correct public safety candidate for the job is to have a nationally unified testing procedure for the different public safety departments.  If all of the public safety departments tested the same way, then the abilities, or lack there of, of the candidates would stand out compared to other candidates.  The unified testing procedure and candidate banks would allow one to chose from a larger pool of candidates.  The testing procedures could consist of a comprehension test, a physical abilities test, a background check including a fingerprint check, a polygraph, a psychological test, and an interactive video test.  After the public safety manager selects a number of candidates from the unified testing bank, the candidates would then be scheduled for an agency interview where the final selection could then be obtained. 

Some of the interviews that could be used are the situational, personality profile, stress, and behavioral interview.  “Situational interviewing is based on the theory that the closer you can get to a real work situation, the better your evaluation will be.  Personality profile—this style of interviewing helps you find key personality traits—the traits so important to the success of each individual job.  Stress—the constant barrage of tough, tricky, negatively phrased questions that constitute stress interviewing is designed to keep the candidate off balance, while the interviewer evaluates poise and quick thinking under pressure.  Behavioral interviewing—this style of interviewing applies the leopard-never-changes-its-spots philosophy, bases all questions in the past, and requires the interviewer to give specific examples fro work history.”  (Yate, 1994, 75-78) 

The unified system along with a structured and targeted interview would entertain the recruitment and selection of public safety personnel from all over the country which in turn would lend itself to a more diverse public safety agency due to the recruitment of personnel from all different demographics.

Solutions to Retention Difficulties

            The next public safety manager problem that can be looked at for a solution is the problem of retention of public safety personnel.  One of the main reasons that public safety personnel are leaving south Florida and moving to more rural areas is to increase their standard of living by closing the gap between housing affordability and the salaries that they make. 

            One solution that public safety managers can use is affordable housing initiatives.  One of these initiatives could include a departmental grant for the down payment of a house for public safety personnel that are living in a high cost of living area such as Lee County, Florida. 

Another initiative would work with the property taxes that would have to be paid each year.  Public safety personnel could get a property tax exemption since they are performing a public service in that county.  This would increase the affordability of public safety personnel to buying a house while not having to account for the property taxes associated with it. 

A different initiative that is a possible solution would be like what the North Naples Fire District is looking to do in Collier County, Florida.  “Orion Bank, which will be the fire district’s banking agent, will offer eligible employees a low interest, down payment loan, which would be secured by a $1 million certificate of deposit provided by the fire district.  The monetary commitment would function much like a second mortgage, and the district’s collateral would be the property purchased…” (Stackel, 2007, 1)

Another solution to public safety manager’s retention problem would consist of building a stronger bond with public safety personnel.  “Effective leaders know that you first have to touch people’s hearts before you ask them for a hand.  That is the Law of Connection.  All great communicators recognize this truth and act on it almost instinctively.  You can’t move people to action unless you first move them with emotion.  The heart comes before the head.” (Maxwell, 1991, 101)  Once public safety managers have effectively built a rapport with their personnel, then there could be a sense of belonging and commitment from the public safety personnel that would influence them to keep from trying to sell out their services to the highest bidder.  “Over and over again, organizations have discovered that taking great care of their employees is also a great way to take care of business.  In other words, what starts at the top has a beneficial trickle-down effect on the bottom line.” (Gandy, 2001, 106)

Recommendation

            The solution that would address the issues of recruitment, selection, and retention of public safety personnel can be seen by following all of the above suggestions.  The start of the unified solution process would begin with networking and organizing a national testing procedure that would be standard for all of the public safety agencies that would be utilizing it.  Public safety managers could then select a structured interview to target the desired traits needed for that public safety position being filled.  This would give the agency the desired employees that they are looking for.  Once the public safety candidate had been hired, the organization could then build a rapport with their personnel and new candidates by utilizing good leadership skills.  Acknowledgement and praise could help build a bond therefore helping with the problem of retention.  Affordability programs for housing could be looked at and selected for the aid of retention of public safety personnel.  These affordability programs would reiterate the commitment and care that is being shown to public safety personnel by their agencies again adding the factor of a loyal employee to the equation.  Although there is many problems that can be seen for public safety managers, these solutions should be helpful in mitigating some of the major ones.