Law, Ethics, and Globalisation - Assess Law in the UK - Coursework Example

Introduction The latest population figures for Dunai shows a total of 1,529,792 persons.1 While the population of the UK is more than 60 million persons.2 The Dubai fire and rescue service has a total of 8 fire stations3, and three more in the construction phase. The UK fire brigade has a total of 150 locations.4 During the year of 2007, the Civil Defence fire service reported a total of 50 fires per month. In the UK during 2006, there were a total of 159,800 fires.5 Deaths due to fires in the UK during 2007 was approximately 295 persons.6 Unfortunately, there is no panacea which has to date been identified, which can assure a reduction in the incidence of fires. At present fire and rescue services have concerned themselves with disseminating information, mandating procedures and monitoring. Vigilance on behalf of the public towards exercising best practices and common sense, can contribute considerably in stemming the tide. Assess law in UK and how law operates internationally as it applies to fires Duty to take general fire precautions is an element found in the new law, and it can be stated as the focus of all fire services. The new law has been extended into codifying and making simple, more than seventy pieces of legislation which have applicability to a large majority of the premises in the UK.The law goes as far as to make it compulsory for employers and building owners to take a front line responsibility in assuring that their premises are free of all hazards which might cause the ignition of fires, and in the event of the worst case scenario, that there are adequate and sufficient means of egress, and that everyone is aware, and appropriately informed of the locations, and how they are to be accessed. The new law places considerably more emphasis on prevention of fires in businesses. One of the new measures which has been implemented is the eradication of fire certificates, which were formerly issued by the UK fire service. The new owner centered regulations now place the responsibility of inspection, squarely into the laps of the individual owners. Particular emphasis has been devoted towards those measures which are essential to reduce the risk of fire on the premises and the risk of the spread of fire on the premises; due consideration and methods must be developed which will assure measures in relation to the means of escape from the building.7This strategy is of course a universal precept, and as one means of its adoption has been incorporated into the UK strategum in the evacuation of immobile individuals from high rise fires, through the use of lift elevators. Lift evacuation strategy has also been adopted and approved in the 492m Shanghai World Financial Centre and 439m Kingkey Finance Centre in China, and in the design of the Shams Abu Dhabi Sky Tower.8 This process not only reduces the number of fire fighters to be taken away from extinguishing the fire, but in utilizing this process, coupled with stairway evacuation, it can reduce time of egress by more than thirty percent.9 The stipulates that management must appoint a responsible person at the location, whose primary responsibility towards fire prevention will be, the conduct of risk assessments, and in the event where this person recognizes possible situations, it will be their duty to identify flaws, and make the changes which are needed to further ensure the safety of everyone..Additionally, the rank and file employee also has the right to be informed of the risk around them. It is the duty of the responsible person to also consult with employees on all fire safety related matters.As one can readily discern, these functions are based in common sense safety measures, and are pretty much common place to fire services around the globe. Another measure which the new law stresses is, giving adequate warning in case of fire on the premises.10 There must also be a provision of staff training. This is a critical measure because if it is done properly, it can speak volumes in mitigating the affects of the fire.11 It is critical that the responsible person maintain clear paths of escape, post signs, notices and have emergency lighting available. There must also be mechanisms by which fire can be detected, and the presence of working fire alarm systems, and it is critically important to have an adequate number of working fire extinguishers. For years, it has been the pattern where fire safety legislation has been existent, but it has until now, been the province of many assorted places. It has now evolved into a universal common sense concept which will now facilitate advances and foster efficient retrofits. Role of globalization in affecting the legislative and substanative work of those in the fire service One of the most significant occurrences in the fire and rescue service, other than those policies and innovations which are directly connected with fighting a fire and rescuing the victims at incident scenes, is that the entire international community of fire fighters have begun to learn from each other.This process has been taking shape in both the formal and informal arena. In 1999 the website's Firetactics.com and Fire2000.com were established as information portals for firefighters. These web sites were launched to raise consciousness levels of the high incidence of risks which confront fire fighters on the global stage. While it is a given that prescriptive fire code enforcement and all of the solutions which are generated by engineering innovations, have assisted in making our domiciles and workplaces reasonably safer, there has been an appreciable decline in the levels of fire ground experience among those officers on the front line. In spite of the fact that the number of building fires are on a downward spiral, the situation is presently upon members of the fire service where the number of deaths among fire fighters is on a level of increase which has not been witnessed in the UK in more than thirty years. g.The sites have introduced a number of new operational and training concepts such as; Tactical Ventilation, 3D firefighting (Gas Phase v Fuel Phase firefighting), Compartment Fire Behavior Training (CFBT & 'Flashover' Training) Proactive High-rise Firefighting Tactics (reducing intervention times), Minimum Tactical & Critical Firefighting (water) Flow-rate Requirements,Optimizing Limited Resources/Staffing using Critical Task Analysis, and Tactical Command Decision Making.12 There has also been the formation of The International Fire Service Instructor Exchange Program. Fire and rescue services have accepted the reality that they will be at an advantage if they accept the practice of learning from each other.This concept is embodied by The Alliance For Fire and Emergency Management, and they are developing a global instructional exchange program..The program is designed to attract instructors from fire and rescue services around the globe, and its thrust is a working forum which will produce the best educational programs for the training of firefighters from around the world. Ethical considerations in the fire and rescue service All organizations must operate with ethics which will foster a strong commitment towards responsibility. The fire and rescue service is particularly compelled due to both public and individual expectations. There exist a number of general principles which maybe applicable to proper considerations; While one must be concerned about their personal well-being, it is equally as important to have the well-being of others in mind. Working together as a team to achieve an objective is of paramount importance. The act of selflessness assures all others that as they are watching your back, and you are also watching theirs. The possession of an unwavering character is a virtue which can be appreciated under any circumstance. Being able to display honesty and integrity will always go a long way in assuring your fellow fire fighters that one is worthy of their trust. The presence of a positive attitude and the willingness to accurately assess situations lends itself well to exhibiting objectivity.Being conscious of those around you, performing all assigned tasks at a reasonably respectful level,.and being where you are slated to be on time, speaks volumes for ones accountability. Speaking to the issues at hand in a respectful and timely manner, fosters the type of openness which is appreciated by all.Being able to make decisions which are based on sound reasoning and maximum benefit or impact, exhibits reasonable personal judgement. Whenever a requested act does not conflict with the needs, wants, desires, and wishes of others, a respectful attitude must be offered.For everyone, there is the need to uphold the law.While one might from time to time be called upon to present leadership, the need for stewardship is always a respectful and cherished position. Role of the practitioner in a changing world environment There has come to pass a substantial operational and attitudinal shift in the manner and scope of how firefighters have recently been called upon to carry out the demands of their responsibilities. People centers have both evolved and as well as regressed.The evolution has led to the practitioner employing new methods at incidents, as buildings have become more vertical, making it much more difficult to control incidents. Such as we are witnessing in Dubai, where the number of skyscrapers has increased more than ten-fold. The regressive nature is exhibited in most of the cities and towns in the UK, where most of the housing stock is old. Compare UAE law in relation to UK law In Dubai construction companies can be brought to court, or even lose control of their enterprises if it is deemed that they have failed to adhere to fire and safety regulations in the on-going construction of a building. The Dubai Civil Defence has initiated a crack down on real estate developers, consultants and contractors to ensure that individuals and companies in these industries maintain construction sites which are safe from fires. While the Civil Defence in Dubai, has centered its primary focus on new construction to assure that sites are maintained fire safe, and that the new buildings will be constructed in accordance with the adequate fire codes receiving ample compliance, the UK law has as its primary concern, the more than 3.7 million businesses presently in operation.This translates into an emphasis in the UK for business owners whose buildings are not presently up to snuff, that they must busy them selves with immediate adherence. The penalty in the UK is different from the stipulated imposition in Dubai; in the UK non-compliance brings about three types of notices which will be issued; an enforcement notice, a prohibition notice or an alterations notice. While the failure to comply with one of these notices is a criminal offence., the maximum penalty for an offence is £5,000 in the Magistrates' court and an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment for up to two years in the Crown Court. The new legislation in the UK represents am evolution for the fire and rescue service, as it has moved away from a response focused delivery model, which had its basis in national standards which were often described as rigid, its present community focus and prevention model, which possess the laurels of local risk management. The EAU system, albeit does possess a commitment to local communities, and there is a semblance of risk management, their thrust is not as community and domicile oriented as the UK law, where each unit existing or new construction, has been appraised of on-going expectations. The law in the UAE has been adjusted to increase the standard of prevention which its authorities feel are comparable to international standards. While both laws are geared towards addressing the matters of prevention and quality service, the UK model is geared more towards localizing the decision making process. Compare how community and fire policy is communicated in the UK and UAE Both countries have adopted communication programs which address modes of communicating with the public-at-large. In the UAE this includes public relation announcements, press releases and internet sites.These effors could be characterized as rather general, in that they are primarily geared to convey information to a general audience. However, in the UK, the outreach to the public tends to be one which reflects a considerable amount of diversification. It is also a comprehensive message, in that it conveys information with a heavy emphasis on education. Officials in the UK have taken their communication efforts a bit further than most. While in the UAE, communication to the general public may be conveyed through public service announcements, the UK authorities are also using the public service format, however, they have structured their announcements to reach specific audiences. They accomplish this by actually paying for the time and space, and with this strategy, they can dictate exactly when or the exact time, and markets where their announcements will appear. Additionally, on any given evening, one may be able to talk directly with a member of the brigade, who has made himself available to appear on live radio or television talk shows. The UK has a bit more ethnic diversity than the UAE, and to this end, they have structured special messages to reach those individual on their particular cultural terms. They have also structured specific messages for other special groups within their midst, such as senior citizens, the disabled and children. To this end, in an effort to reach more seniors, disabled and children, they have formed partnerships with organization within the community, to assist in servicing these special groups.The UK fire and rescue service also has several websites which can be utilized by the entire public for communication and education. Ethical impact of new civil defence stations The new stations have been constructed with more floor space and as a consequence they house more equipment and manpower. This is an effort which exhibits the forward thinking of those in the service. It would be counterproductive to construct new station houses and relegate the service to the old prototype. The service must design and construct stations which are capable of addressing the needs of the many demands which are presented to it by the growing demand. The new construction emphasis in the UAE is centered on vertical expansion. As all firefighters are aware, it is difficult to fight fires, even if they are ground fires, such as those which are found in ordinary domestic fires. However, when the fire fighter is confronted with a fire which is occurring on the 36th floor of a building, then the complexity and risk of such a blaze, places the fire fighter in a heightened state of danger. Addressing the multiple demands of an incident often calls for the coordinated efforts of many firefighters and equipment. One must be mindful of the fact that while the new fire stations may be located in a particular area, there are no boundaries or limitations on the level and location of coordinated assistance which these locations will eventually be called upon to provide to firefighters whose physical boundaries are not the same as theirs. It must be viewed that the new stations will probably serve as a prototype for all stations to be replaced or replenished in the future.Progress must have a starting point, and it usually involves improvements beyond that which came before it. References Dubai Bureau of vital statistics 2007 UK Bureau of Census 2008 Dubai Civil Defence Information page, www.dubaicivildefence United Kingdom Fire Statistics 2007 Wong, KHL, and Lamont, S.,The Fire Engineering Design of a Super High Rise Building in Abu Dhabi, Retrieved on line on May 5, 2009, from www.fire2000.com Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 Grimwood,P., Euro-Firefighter, retrieved on line on May 5, 2009, from www.fire2000.com Read More