The Resiliency of Public Safety Personnel
by Mike Wear, PCI #516T-B/EMSCI #059T-B
Metropolitan (DC) Police Department (retired)
IPMBA Vice President
Change is difficult, and as public safety personnel, we are faced with the challenge to endure and embrace the continuous changes of our professional and personal lives while striving to build resilience. FEMA has developed the model “Resilience Cycle”, which comprises Awareness, Preparedness, Response and Recovery in a constant cycle, to ultimately build a culture of preparedness for all types of disasters and emergencies. This model is often presented in the context of Active Shooter/Active Threat.
Public safety personnel are routinely subjected to situations resulting in death and destruction and are often called upon to render aid and/or ultimately resolve an ongoing crisis. Several years ago, while serving at Fort Leonard Wood, I was ordered to read Who Moved My Cheese? At the time, I did not appreciate the task, but in hindsight, it opened my eyes to the importance of moving forward in an ever-changing environment. The book provides enlightenment in view of actions and reactions to stress, while raising awareness about methods that can assist you to find a successful line of travel towards self-motivation.
Public safety personnel are thrust into environments where they must react in a split second, with little information. They are also expected to remain calm, be a reassuring presence, and provide emotional and physical support to those seeking help in an emergency. The expectation is high, and the reality often unforgiving, so they must rely on both innate and learned skills to pedal over the obstacles presented by such critical incidents.
As IPMBA members, we face the challenges of moving forward while balancing current methods, advancements in technology, changing competencies, and interpersonal relationships. Just because someone has a “good idea” does not mean our IPMBA family will immediately accept it. We pride ourselves in being the most current and cutting edge, but it comes at a price; that price is hours of research, information gathering, and examining the relative merits of the proposal at hand.
About ten years ago, we became Aware of a new technology emerged onto the cycling scene: the 29-inch wheel. It was pretty radical at the time, and there was pushback from some who thought it would never work for public safety. The board essentially told the most vocal proponent to “prove it”, and via written and video testimony, he did, and the following position was adopted: “After reviewing the current state of the technology relative to the needs of public safety cyclists, IPMBA will allow using the larger diameter wheels in all courses and IPMBA-sponsored courses/events with the following provisions…”
Looking back, it is hard to understand what the fuss was all about. Large-diameter wheels became the industry standard, and now we don’t blink an eye. In fact, as the number of specialized bike types increased and the lines between them continued to blur, in 2019, we were better Prepared to take an even broader position: In light of the ongoing evolution of the bicycle, IPMBA hereby authorizes participants in IPMBA training to ride any bicycle that meets their agency’s needs and that can be safely used to complete the training requirements, with the following provisions…”
This was a monumental change that recognized that as the cycling industry changes, the public safety cycling sector will, too. This was an opportunity for our organization to benefit from trusting our membership to provide information, technology and input from the perspective of subject matter experts and public safety cycling practitioners.
Public safety does not survive on Awareness and Preparedness alone; we must also Respond to the situation at hand, often immediately. IPMBA usually has the luxury to conduct research and solicit member input when responding to ideas, which is especially important when those ideas are initially unpopular and met with resistance.
As an example, when the BMX-style flat pedal began to make inroads into the mountain biking community, our members took notice and began to make the case for flat pedals with appropriate footwear as pedal retention. The result was the Use of Flat Pedals by Public Safety Cyclists Position Paper adopted in 2016 and updated in 2019 following additional input from members using the equipment in the field.
Over the past few years, e-Bikes have powered their way into our field of vision after years of remaining in the background. With them have come many opinions, facts, standards, laws and capabilities. IPMBA has been open to learning about the pros, cons, and realities of the integration of e-Bikes into public safety. We have removed the barriers to entry and taken the lead on developing best practices for e-Bike training and operations, ranging from the introductory workshops offered at the 2018 IPMBA Conference to the forthcoming e-Bike Training Module. While they are not expected to replace conventional pedal bikes, “IPMBA recognizes there are distinct differences, advantages, disadvantages, and other factors each agency must consider when deciding whether to integrate e-Bikes into a specific service environment.”
As public safety personnel and cyclists, we encounter countless incidents and must strive to be flexible in our responses. We must be flexible because change is continuous and fluid, and no two situations, however similar, are ever the same. As a family, we must listen, learn and value each other’s experiences. Within IPMBA, that enables us to do better at our chosen profession.
As individuals, we must sometimes take chances; as an organization, we must also experiment, test, and yes, even fail. Not everyone gets up the stairs the first time or even the tenth time, but the IPMBA family stands with them until they succeed. We can and will Recover from whatever obstacles are found on our trail. And as we move forward again, let us be open to what we do not yet see.
Follow the Cycle of Resilience through Awareness, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. We must band together, learn and teach, share our horror stories and rejoice in the prevention of loss of life. We must rely upon one other to develop and build upon the skills that will carry us through times of despair.
Public safety cyclists are a small group in the grand scheme of first responders, but we are all dedicated to securing the safety of our country and communities. Our collective goal is to help others remain safe, protected, but we must have the inner strength to be ready to move forward into the next crisis.
To quote an unknown author “Just Keep Pedaling, Don’t Stop Pedaling, Just Keep Pedaling!” These words have repeated themselves in my head through many very serious scenes; they are valuable, and I believe will help us to stay focused on our path to Resilience.
Mike retired in 2017 as a sergeant after a 27-year career with the Metropolitan Police Department. He was one of the first members of the MPD Mountain Bike Unit, established in 1992, and was on the first Civil Disturbance Bicycle Squad July 4, 1995. In 1997, he became Training Supervisor for the Metropolitan Police Academy. He made his mark as a specialized trainer and eventually became the Citywide Bicycle Coordinator for seven patrol districts and 600+ bicycles. He discovered IPMBA in 1998 and has been a dedicated member ever since. Employing his experience and knowledge into the professional cycling training of IPMBA enabled him to become a PC/EMSC/SC-B and Instructor Trainer. Currently, his role in law enforcement is as a volunteer Reserve Sergeant for MPD. As an IPMBA Board Member, he served for six years as the Education Director and in 2019 accepted the role of Vice President. His Motto “Ride Hard, Ride Safe and Thanks for coming out!" He can be reached at sgtwear@msn.com.
(c) 2019 IPMBA. This article appeared in the 2019 Board Issue of IPMBA News.