Back not that long ago, there would be hundreds of people on waiting lists to get into first responder agencies. That is how it was out here in Washington state. Now I’m told those lists are significantly diminished and fire and police are actively looking for new recruits to serve in their departments.
Both fire and police are worthy careers to serve in. I do have to say that almost every firefighter I ever have known had an outside job besides working in the fire service. This is due to “working” three days a week on 24-hour shifts and then having the other four days available to do something else.
Law enforcement has been getting a bad rap of late — my opinion. There are changes that need to be made to the culture of policing and there are programs actively working to adapt to 21st-century policing. The authority aspect of being in law enforcement is an interesting dance for officers to do. They are taught to maintain control of the situation and, in so doing, things can escalate to acts of violence by perpetrators and officers respond in kind — all caught on video, of course.
There is currently a surge of retirements and people leaving law enforcement positions. If you think you would like the profession — for the right reasons — go for it!
Eric Holdeman is a nationally known emergency manager. He has worked in emergency management at the federal, state and local government levels. Today he serves as the Director, Center for Regional Disaster Resilience (CRDR), which is part of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER). The focus for his work there is engaging the public and private sectors to work collaboratively on issues of common interest, regionally and cross jurisdictionally.
