Fire and Rescue Service Management - Essay Example

Fire and Rescue Service Management 1. Introduction In almost every community, the fire department is the first agency sent to every type of perilous situation and event. The task of rescue, emergency medical treatment of victims, alleviation, control, and return of the incident area to normal condition after the incident are the role of the fire service. There are no other agencies in most communities that are staffed, trained, and equipped to such a broad variety of services to the public as the fire and rescue service. It is fundamental that those services be provided to the public efficiently, regardless of the extent of the incident. The modern management tools of integrated incident command that each modern fire and rescue service should be employ are designed to expand to manage every size of incidents as needed. “No community is exempt from the need to plan for the events that may affect the safety of their community” (Graner 2007, p.170). 2. Fire and Rescue Service Management Not so long ago, the odds were distinctly stacked against the rescuer, but progressively, the odds are now being stacked in favour of rescuers through better training, equipment, and planning, and the accessibility of advanced rescue resources. Armed with better equipment, specialized training under pragmatic conditions with highly developed plans and systems, backed up by highly capable rescue resources, today’s fire fighters are better prepared to manage the consequences of high-risk, intricate rescue incidents. 2.1 Evolution and Tradition Several existing rescue systems have been revived by the pristine emphasis on emergency management and disaster rescue. One foremost reason for the transformation is the appreciation of search and rescue in all its forms as a primary role of the fire service. Another is the public’s discernment of the fire department as the solution not only for fires, but also for virtually all non-law enforcement emergencies. When they dial 911, citizens usually assume that fire engines and other apparatus will show up within a few minutes, with highly trained fire fighters organized to provide effectual aid in almost any situation. This perception has been reinforced in recent years by the daily performance of the increasingly proficient fire service, in addition to a series of successful, high-profile rescues under conditions that might have earlier denied success to less-prepared fire and rescue agencies (Collins 2004, p.10). The fire and rescue services Collins (2004) explains are creatures of evolution and some aspects of modern fire department organization structure and management are entrenched in ancient fire brigade models. Evolution and tradition are constant factors in shaping the modern fire and rescue services. Some of the more helpful principles have been selected and passed on by long-dead fire and rescue authorities in the form of traditions, sometimes supported by written lesson. Succeeding generations have built upon the existing body of knowledge that was their heritage, and in turn, added their own interpretations and knowledge based on their more modern experiences (p.12). 2.2 Rescue and Risk Management Rescue in its modern from is in fact a disparate assortment of disciplines, often correlated by common equipment, ruled by common methodology, and conflicted by various regional names and rules. The first step in rescue planning is sensible evaluation of local conditions and hazards. By figuring out the range of daily rescue situations expected to occur locally, fire and rescue officials can extrapolate to develop an assessment of the likely rescue emergencies and then match their urban search and technical rescue capabilities to the risks. Realizing a high level of predictability based on local conditions and demographics has proven to be a compelling advantage for any organization tasked with managing rescue operations. Appropriately employed, precise risk information can help guide fire and rescues officials in the plans, systems, and resources competent of properly managing the consequences of disasters in industry, at home, on roads and highways, at sea, in the mountains, and almost anywhere else where daily rescue happen. By acknowledging the benefits of accurately assessing the potential for daily urban search and technical rescue emergencies, and by supporting efforts to quantify them, emergency official will be ahead of the recognizable power curve in terms of preparing their respective agencies to manage the rescue emergencies likely to be encountered (Collins 2004, p.12). Unsurprisingly, a number of factors and impediments challenge the success of rescue operations. However, rescue can often be safely accomplished if emergency responders and fire/rescue authorities are sufficiently trained and experienced to identify local hazards that translate to rescue emergencies. Quite the opposite with some types of disasters whose specific effects may be difficult to predict with sufficient details to anticipate every eventuality, the effects of daily rescues can often be anticipated with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Broken down to its real meaning, rescue is a basic form of risk management. Fire fighters and rescuers help and manage the potential risk of fires, medical emergencies, transportation accidents, industrial mishaps, recreation incidents, and other daily emergencies. They manage the risk posed to people who for limitless reasons become trapped and require physical rescue. Therefore, rescue is one of the most forms of consequence management, one this applied during and or after a mishap with trapped or missing victims (Collins 2004, p.1). 2.3 Fire Service Management Fire service management according to Cote (2003) has a significant role in guiding and directing the establishment of rules, regulations, and procedures geared forward the operation of an efficient health and safety program. Entering into a wide-ranging safety program can be a complicated process, since a fire department may have to address a range of issues with varying degree of intricacy and budgetary impact. The development of this comprehensive implementation plan will require each fire department to measure its own strength and weaknesses and to find out what would be required to meet the objective of the standard. Key elements of this implementation plan should include vehicles and equipment, training and education requirement, protective clothing and protective equipment, incident command procedures, facility safety, health and fitness standards, and employee assistance programs (p.107). Fire departments like other organizations are composed of people working together in a coordinated effort to achieve a common set of objectives. For a department to function effectively it must have an organization plan that shows the relationship between the operating divisions and the total organization. An organization plan does not preclude the necessity for active leadership as it merely provides the means by which the organization can be managed effectively. One of the most basic principle is that work should be divided among the individual and operating units according to plan. The plan should be based on the individual functions that must be performed, such as fire prevention, training, and communication. Another principle is that as the department increases in size and complexity, the need for coordination increases. Small departments allow frequent personal contact among individuals, reducing the need for extensive formal coordination. However, as departments increase in size and complexity, they require more extensive coordination of the operating units in order to achieve their objectives. The most successful organizations operate as a team. Department leaders are organized as a ‘system’ in which all divisions and sections are equally important in achieving the desired objective, service to the community (Cote 2003, p.107). The UK national framework is a strategic plan outlining how this target and other objectives are to be delivered. The government’s vision for the UK Fire and Rescue Service is that it should be proactive in preventing fires and other risks in the commercial and domestic sectors. Fire and rescue authorities are also engaged in producing and publishing local standards of service based on the integrated risk management plan that describes how the Fire and Rescue Service will create a safer community. The introduction of a new fire safety law in combination with an end to the prescriptive standards of performance and incident response gives each fire and rescue service the freedom to determine, on an assessment of the risk, the appropriate level of resources to direct to a call. Those resources may also vary according to the time of day. The intention is to place the emphasis on life safety, rather than standards of fire originally designed to protect property. Thus, areas where the threat to life from fire is greater can expect greater initial intervention resources. Fire and rescue services have been working within their communities for countless years and statistics reveals that fire safety education and promotion decrease the risk of death, injury, and property damage from fire (British Retails Consortium 2006, p.58) 3. Conclusion The role of the fire and rescue service is emergency medical treatment of victims, mitigation, and control of the incident area thus; they should be staffed with highly trained and equipped personnel. They should be able to handle every size of incidents prepared to manage the consequences of high-risk, complicated rescue incidents. Managing fire and rescue operations requires a high level of predictability based on local conditions and a properly employed and accurate risk information can help the service manage the consequences of mishaps in industry, home, roads and highways, and practically anywhere else where daily rescue occur. Proper management of fire and rescue service, education, promotion, and placing the emphasis on life and safety undoubtedly reduce the risk of death, injury, and property damage. 4. Bibliography British Retail Consortium, 2006, British Retail Consortium 2007: BRC Yearbook, Published 2006 The Stationery Office, ISBN: 0117036811 Collins Larry, 2004, Technical Rescue Operations, Volume I: Planning, Training, and Command, Published 2004 PennWell Books, ISBN: 1593700148 Cote Arthur, 2003, Organizing for Fire and Rescue Services, Published 2003 Jones & Bartlett Publishers, ISBN: 0877655774 Graner Ron, 2007, The Fire Chief's Toolbox, Published 2007 Fire Engineering Books, ISBN: 1593701047 Read More