Types of Emergency Services

There is a vast range of opportunities available in the emergency services industry, right from being a dog handler for the police to driving an ambulance or working as a fire-fighter. There are countless opportunities for both school leavers and graduates in the emergency services and the prospect for getting sufficiently trained are very good indeed. Majority of these roles will require shift work as emergencies can occur at any time.

So, here is an overview of the top emergency services that one can enrol into. Read along to know more.

Careers with the Ambulance Service

If you are working for an ambulance service in England then it is likely that you are employed by an NHS ambulance service trust. We have compiled a few examples of the roles of ambulance teams which are explained below:

·         Paramedic – These are senior healthcare professionals who are available at the place of accident or any medical emergency.

·         Emergency medical dispatcher – They are in charge of answering urgent calls which are made to the control centre, noting down details and deciding on the suitable response before dispatching anything necessary and working under the direction of a control officer.

·         Emergency care assistant (ECA) – ECAs are responsible to drive a range of ambulance trust vehicles and assist paramedics at all times. They help move patients safely, monitor patient’s vital signs and gather information from caretakers or others at the scene.

Careers with the Police Department

There are approximately 50 police task forces in the UK. Most of these are responsible to cover specific regions but some have other functions to their credit as well, for instance – the British Transport Police. Recruitment for the same is conducted by individual forces.

The chief recruitment process that is the Recruit Assessment Centre for police constables is available to both school leavers and graduates. Graduates can also register their applications with the Police Now program. Graduates having previous work experience can directly apply to the entry programs for superintendents or inspectors; depending on the fact whether or not they have held a leadership position in their current career. Programs with direct entries are also open to non-graduates with apt professional experience.

If you enrol as a police constable through the standard recruitment process, the first two years of your service will be as a student police officer or a probationer. Once you successfully complete this probationary period, you are validated in your role as a police constable and can further apply for specialist roles such as dog handling. Serving police constables can apply for fast track programs which look to equip them with the skills they will need to advance to the rank of inspector within the span of two years.

Police Ranks - Constable, Sergeant and Inspector

Here is a brief sketch of the key roles within the policing rank structure:

·         Constable – They are the vanguards of the criminal justice system and are under general scrutiny but often work independently. Constables are known to enforce the law by collecting information carrying out arrests, interviewing victims, suspects and witnesses while also being on the lookout for individuals, premises, property and open areas.

·         Sergeant – This is the very first level of supervisory decision-making role. Sergeants are in charge for daily technical supervision of ongoing investigations and law enforcement operations.

·         Inspector – This is a middle level management role. Inspectors oversee constables and sergeants and are also accountable for controlling, organising, planning and authorising law enforcement work. They also administer the management of assigned specialist functions.

Inspectors can advance to senior management roles such as chief inspector, superintendent and chief superintendent.

Police Specialisations in Dog Handling, Counter-terrorism, CID and more

Once your probation period is over you can further apply to specialise, although not all forces offer specialisations. Mentioned below are few examples of specialist roles:

·         Police dog handler – This involves working with dogs to search buildings and catch hold of criminals. Dogs are often trained to sniff out drugs and explosives.

·         Traffic Police – They are responsible to ensure safety on the road by employing and incorporating traffic laws and also deal with road accidents.

·         Criminal Investigation Department (CID) – About one in eight of all police officers are involved in detective work, carrying out investigations of serious criminal acts.

·         Drug Squads – This involves specialised training that targets drug dealers and work with officers and agencies to deal with crimes resulting from drug dealing.

·         Air Support Units – Using of helicopters and planes to relay pictures to colleagues in charge for policing events on the ground.

·         Underwater Search Units – These help in investigating crime and carry out searches for missing people.

Careers with Fire and Rescue Service

Most employment opportunities are with local fire brigades and if you wish to enrol yourself, you can join in as a trainee fire-fighter. You can advance to roles of a crew manager and watch manager and later on to senior management roles within the station and the brigade.

Working as a fire-fighter is not just about dealing with emergency situations such as controlling fire breakouts, rescuing people from fire afflicted buildings and accident sites, dealing with bomb alerts, floods and chemical spills. There is an element of community work attached as well. Fire-fighters go out and give presentations to schools and local groups on fires safety.

Careers in Emergency Planning

Emergency planners are known to formulate protocols and procedures to plan for and protect against terrorist threats and incidents, industrial mishaps and severe weather conditions. They can also be involved in giving training and putting together plans for business continuity. For instance, you could be employed in an emergency planning position by a public sector organisation such as the local authority or the National Health Service or work for a consultancy that specialises in providing services to a range of clients, including businesses as well as public sector organisations.

Most of these emergency services require vehicles that can be immediately recognised from afar. This is why most of these services opt for high visibility and Chapter 8 Graphics as they are perfect for a vehicle to be noticeable. More importantly the vehicles used by these emergency services need to be up-to-scratch with health and safety regulations in perspective.