• Public safety officers are cross-trained to respond to police, fire and medical emergencies.PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
  
  Your home and community might be protected by emergency first responders such as police officers, firefighters and paramedics who operate out of separate departments. In certain cities in the United States, police and fire departments have consolidated their services into a single department of public safety. Public safety officers are cross-trained to respond as both firefighters and police officers. Many also receive training as paramedics and emergency medical technicians, or EMTs.
  
  

Qualifications

• The website for the city of Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, states, "A public safety officer is required to (be) physically fit, alert and always must exercise good judgment, often with very little time to analyze available options." Good written and verbal skills as well as the ability to remain calm under pressure are also requirements. In Sunnyvale, California, requirements include an associate's degree and two years of experience as a paid peace officer.
  
  

Training

• According to the website for the city of Rohnert Park, California, public safety officers must pass the Basic Police Academy and "receive Fire Fighter 1 training that is certified by the California State Fire Marshal." Many also receive training as EMTs or paramedics, and all must be able to respond to medical emergencies. Training can take many weeks. For example, the city of Sunnyvale, California, public safety officer recruiting web page says that basic training involves "28-week Police Academy, 18 weeks of in-field police training, a 12 week Fire Academy, and 4 weeks of an EMS (Emergency Medical Services) academy." Public safety officers in Rosemont, Illinois, are also cross-trained to work in law enforcement, as firefighters and as EMTs.
  
  

Duties

• A public safety officer might have to patrol a neighborhood beat, investigate criminal activities, fight and prevent fires, and respond to medical emergencies. In Rohnert Park, California, these duties are divided and assigned for given periods of time. For example, an officer will be on a neighborhood patrol for a period of six months. Officers assigned to firefighting will work in that position for a period of one or three years.
  
  

Cities

• A number of cities in the United States have departments of public safety and public safety officers rather than separate police and firefighters. Sunnyvale, California, combined these services in 1950. Rosemont, Illinois, has had a Public Safety Department since 1975. Other cities include Kalamazoo, Michigan; Highland Park, Texas; Grants Pass, Oregon; and North Augusta, South Carolina.