Public safety communications employment and mental health: contributing factors and desired changes from those on the front lines

Purpose Public safety communicators (PSCs) provide an essential connection to public safety and health resources. Organizational stressors (job context) and operational stressors (job content) accompany the PSC occupation. The resultant occupational strain creates risk for adverse mental health outcomes, a challenge among PSC who already demonstrate high prevalence of mental health disorders. However, paucity in research on occupational experiences and mental health of PSC remains. Design/methodology/approach We surveyed Canadian PSC (n = 381) with opened ended questions about the effects their employment has on their mental health and workplace modifications they feel could support PSC mental health. Qualitative analysis revealed emerging themes using a constructed approach. Findings Findings reveal education, awareness, as well as organizational and operational factors that have affected our respondents' mental health and influenced considerations for how to make their workspace healthier based on their frontline experiences. Originality/value PSC provides an essential public safety service to our communities, but they lack recognition within research. Their contributions to society are accompanied by potential detriments to their occupational health subsequently affecting mental health. Lessons learned directly from self-reported experiences of PSC can be harnessed to improve working conditions, mental health and well-being for those in communications employment. Such work can also help to provide a foundation for future research to delve deeper into the occupational experiences of PSC, further shedding light on PSC who are behind the frontline providing a lifeline in and for the public safety ecosystem.