Operational risk management in the U.S. National Park Service: a new approach to ranger staffing in protected lands

Ranger work in protected lands, among the oldest forms of enforcement work globally, is shaped by diverse settings, community dynamics, and evolving enforcement needs. Physical terrain, accessibility, and uses influence ranger work. Many nations struggle with providing resources to rangers, leading to pressure to do more with less. The U.S. National Park Service (NPS), which has seen increases in its number of properties and visitors but decreases in its number of enforcement rangers, confronts similar issues. This research, the result of a rare collaboration with the NPS, draws on interview data with NPS staff regarding public safety, ranger duties, and staffing issues in the parks. It focuses on how the NPS has sought to employ an operational risk management (ORM) model to ranger staffing, and how this model might be improved. Future research should explore further development, testing, and modification of this model for NPS and similar sites globally.