Report: Between staffing shortages, pandemic, public safety organizations face uphill battle

Between the pandemic, rancorous national politics, civil unrest and staffing shortages, it’s been a difficult few years for those working in public safety—to say the least. 

A new report from Rave Mobile Safety, a critical communication platform, quantifies the toll that’s been taken on the industry at large. A little more than 60 percent of respondents reported their job has become harder over the last 18 months, with 16 percent saying its become significantly more difficult. The report, 2022 Public Safety Trends Survey, was compiled by surveying about 300 emergency responders (EMTS, police officers, tele-communicators and firefighters). The survey was conducted by Researchscape over the last two months. 

Of the reasons contributing to this increased challenge, the pandemic was ranked as having the most impact (83 percent). Hiring and staffing shortages was ranked third (72 percent) was ranked second and public perception of law enforcement/first responders was ranked third (61 percent). Faced with these concerns, 56 percent said they were concerned about mental health in the coming year. 

Even before the pandemic, first responders were at increased risk for mental health problems. 

Increasing staffing and budgets are two impactful changes administrators can make to give responders “more confidence in their agency’s ability to improve public safety, followed by technology to enable more effective response,” a statement about the report says.

To read the complete article, visit American City & County.