Fit for public safety: Informing attitudes and practices tied to the hiring of public safety personnel

Abstract

Recent recognition that public safety personnel (PSP) have a high prevalence of mental disorders has initiated a discussion around PSP mental readiness for their work. The discussions have raised new interest in potential protective factors or characteristics of PSP that may be identifiable at recruitment and used to mitigate mental disorders among high-exposure occupations. We draw on a pan-Canada study of mental disorder prevalence to understand the personal characteristics and factors that a sample of active PSP believe will impact the occupational success of recruits. We situate our work within the broader discussion of the expression of a shared responsibility between PSP recruits and PSP organizations, exploring how PSP perceive and describe hiring practices across public safety occupations. Our results indicate that accountability is currently placed on individual PSP to fully understand, in advance, the complexities and pressures inherent to their occupation. Accordingly, participants expressed a need for more scrupulous screening processes designed to recruit candidates who are ‘fit’ for the job, along with a belief that some recruits could be considered ‘unfit’ for employment, such as persons without an innate mental capability for PSP work. Cautions around unpacking the consequences versus ‘perceived’ need to properly screen individuals for their suitability as a PSP are discussed as well as the expressed co-responsibility of potential PSP and PSP organizations during hiring to learn about the job as a means to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the future PSP workforce.