A police officer is someone who tries to keep the community safe. They do this by either patrolling the community or through call they receive. In an emergency, a person would dial ‘999’ and ask for the police. They would then briefly state what the situation is and the location they are at. If it is a minor incident, then the police officer would drive normally, however if it is a major emergency, then the police officer would put the sirens on. This gives an indication to motorists to get on either side of the road so the police officer can pass through quickly and with ease. Having the sirens on gives the police officer other privileges such as passing through red lights and driving on the bus lane. The police officer would also where distinctive uniforms so they can be recognised.
However, not all of the police officers duties are outdoors. Some officers stay in the police station and answer call. They would then give this information to other police officers so they can resolve the situation. The typical day for a police officer varies as there are different crimes and situations carried out every day. After entering the police station they would normally investigate any situation that has occurred during the previous day/s. When a person has made a call, they would go to the location where it is held and investigate what is happening. If it is required, they would the make any arrest if a law is broken. Upon doing this, they would say the following: “Anything you say and do can and will be used against you in a court of law”. This quote is used as they have the authority to use anything they did in court if they get prosecuted.
The starting salary is around 22,000. After around 10 – 15 years as a police officer, the salary increases to around 30,000 a year. Another factor that affects a police officer’s salary is the location. If they are working around London, then they get paid more as the cost of living in London is greater than any other city. This is known as London Weighting. Also, they crime rate in the area affects the salary as a police officer is more at risk if they are working in a place with a high crime rate.
Paramedic:
A paramedic is someone who helps a person who is injured. Similar to a police officer, a paramedic would also have a siren on their vehicle – which is known as an ambulance. An ambulance is far bigger than a police car is it contains medical equipments such as stretchers. It also is yellow in colour to differentiate it from police cars. When a paramedic is called, it is almost always an emergency as is the person wasn’t badly injured, they could deal with it themselves. Once the paramedics are at the persons location, they would try their best to help them their and then. However if it is a severe injury or problem, then they would put the patient at the back of the ambulance and take them to the nearest hospital.
Upon entering the work place, the paramedic would deal any emergencies that may occur. When the paramedics arrive at the required destination, they ask anybody what the situation is, trying to get as much detail as possible. Upon getting the required details, they would get the necessary equipments from the ambulance to treat the patient. If they cannot treat the patient, they would put them at the back of the ambulance in a stretcher and take them to the nearest hospital as quick as possible.
The starting salary for a paramedic is �19,000. This is less than police officers as they have more roles and responsibility than a paramedic. The salary can increase due to experience and success rates in regards to healing any injured people. Similarly to a police officer, then can get paid more is they are working inside London.
Fire-fighter: A fire-fighter is someone that tries to put out fires. A fire-fighter would also have a siren on their vehicle so they can get to the location of the fire quicker as potential lives would be at risk. A fire-fighter vehicle is large like a truck. This is because it contains a large hose with a cast amount of water to take out the fires. It is red in colour it makes it unique from police car and ambulances and therefore people can tell the difference easily.
Fire-fighters would wear special made clothing to protect them from the heat of the fire. They would also wear safety equipment such as helmets to stop any rubble from falling on their heads. A fire-fighter would also carry an axe with them so they can break into any house to recue anybody that may be inside. When a fire-fighter arrives on the scene they try to set up the equipment as fast as possible to put out the fire quicker. They would the take out the fires that are on the outside of the building so that they can enter the inside to put out the rest of the fire.
For someone who has just joined as a fire-fighter, they get paid roughly 20,000. However someone who has been working for a longer period of time, get a pay rise from up to 27,000.The salary can go as high up as 32,000 if they are the head of building. Similarly to a police officer and a paramedic, then can get paid more is they are working inside London.
Rubbish men:
Rubbish men are people who are in charge of the communities rubbish collection. One of their major roles is to take the rubbish from the grey wheelie bins located just outside people’s houses, and dump it at the back of a lorry. They would do this on a certain day which is decided by the community’s local council. As well as rubbish, they are also in charge of the communities recycling collection. They would get the recycled materials which is put inside the green boxes, and put each material in different compartments located on the recycling lorry. They recycling lorry is different in colour from the rubbish lorry to differentiate between the two.
Another role of the rubbish men is to pick up the litter scattered on the floor. They do this through sticks they carry. Once the litter is picked up, it is put inside a bag which the rubbish men would also be carrying. As well as picking up litter, they are in charge of replacing the bags of the rubbish bins. Although rubbish men’s job isn’t the toughest job or the most pleasant, they are paid quite high. Their starting salary can range from up to 26,000. This figure however, doesn’t increase due experience like a police officer, paramedic or fire-fighter.
Skills and Personal Qualities:
Being able to pay thorough attention to detail is required by the people within the emergency services as they would need to know the description of the incident that is happening so they can solves as well as the destination so they can attend there. They should also have good communication and listening skills so they know what the situation is from the person who is calling them. If someone has fainted, this is a minor incident that can be solved over the phone. The paramedics would need to give them step-by-step instruction so having good communication skills allows them to give this information in a better informed way.
Another skill that is required to them is willing to work flexible hours. This is because emergencies can happen at any time of the day so therefore they have to attend it even if it is at 2.00 AM. There are no skills required by a rubbish man however having good time management allows them to pick up the required rubbish from street in the allocated amount of time which means they can finish their daily collection
Qualifications:
To work within the public sector a minimum of 5 GCSE’s are required and 2 A levels all though university is not required. A small knowledge of the criminal justice system is also useful so they know if an offender is done something they can get convicted for. Another qualification required by the emergency service is to pass PAA\VQ-SET which is a level 2 diplomas course.
They are also required to pass a fitness test which is done through a bleep test. This is a test in which they are required to run a distance in a required amount of time which shortens after every few intervals. Fitness test are important for them as their jobs are actively based and builds up their stamina. A fully passed UK licence is also needed as they are required to drive the destination of the emergency.
For police officer they are required to pass their PIRT (Police Initial Recruitment Test) which is a combination of arithmetic’s, logic, general knowledge, English and numeracy. There is also a Bsc available in paramedic science which is done by the more advanced and passionate paramedic. Although this qualification isn’t required, a person with this qualification has a huge advantage over someone who doesn’t. There are no formal qualifications required to become a fire-fighter, however they would need to pass a physical, fitness and hearing test in order to become one. It is also possible that fire-fighter can do a diploma course in the public services so they get a higher chance of getting employed.
Experience:
Experience is vital for the emergency service as if they have more experience; they know how to deal with an important situation. For a police officer, there is a police academy which they can attend in which they learn the basic policing requirements.
Work experience is available for the younger people who wish to work within the public service sector. This is mainly aimed towards younger people and allows them to get a brief insight of what it is like to work in the sector. Some companies offer programme such as ‘be a fire-fighter’ for a day which allows them to carry out the roles a fire-fighter would under supervised prevision which is done for the safety of the person. This gets the person familiar to the daily lives of fire-fighter and what roles they undertake on a daily basis. These programmes are also available for police officer and paramedics. Having more experience allows people to put this on their CV when they are applying for the job. This means they have a higher chance of getting the job than someone who has little or no experience