Because it is understood in so many different ways by so many different constituencies, no discussion of public safety can proceed meaningfully without a provisional definition of the term. For the purposes of this article, we will define public safety as a range of services provided to a defined community to prevent, deter, and respond to man-made and non-manmade threats facing its citizens and their property.  Public safety agencies include a wide range of institutions from municipal agencies to independent non-profit organizations and even for-profit companies that provide policing, fire suppression, and emergency management services.