Pensions Are A Vital Workforce Tool For Retaining Public Safety Professionals

Some jobs become increasingly taxing as one ages. Airline pilots and air traffic controllers, for example, are subject to mandatory retirement ages. While not subject to mandatory retirement ages, many police officers and firefighters retire from their public safety job at earlier ages due to the dangerous and physically demanding nature of the work. It’s not in the public interest to have firefighters of an advanced age running into a burning building. Fortunately, public safety professionals typically have a defined benefit (DB) pension so they can retire at an appropriate age without worrying about their financial security.

Pensions have long been a part of a career in public safety. In fact, the first public pension plan in the U.S. was offered to police officers in New York City in 1857. Pensions became the norm for police officers and firefighters over the following hundred years as more cities and states established more plans. Pensions make especially good sense for public safety careers because they help with the “Three Rs” of workforce management: recruitment, retention, and retirement.