The Role of Crisis Management Plans within Fire and Rescue Service - Term Paper Example

Analysis of the Role of Crisis Management Plans within Fire and Rescue Service Introduction Being a member of a Fire and Rescue Service is one of the noblest jobs one could have. It does not only entails servicing the public in the most unexpected ways, but it also entails going to various places and facing all forms of danger. Members of the fire and rescue service are the first line personnel who attend to fire rescue operations, as well as to various accidents, emergencies and/or other life-threatening situations. Aside from trying to stop the fire and saving the people who may have been trapped inside the fire affected areas, they also try to give the first medical attention even before the patients of the people involved get to the hospital. With the above stated facts alone, it cannot be denied that human resource management plays a very critical role for the Fire and Rescue Service Department. With human resource’s effective management, hiring of members for fire and rescue service as well as providing the necessary training and mentoring will be done accordingly and will serve as the core basis for the crisis management plan within the Fire and Rescue Service. This paper is aimed at highlighting human resource management’s tasks and approaches to better serve the fire and rescue service department. Specifically, this paper highlights: 1. The hiring and selection process being followed for fire and rescue service 2. The need for training and mentoring for any selected members of fire and rescue service 3. Other factors that may affect human resource management in fire and rescue service (such as finances, organization management, etc.) To Have a Successful Hiring and Selection Process in Fire and Rescue Service The most basic yet tried and tested hiring and selection process that can be followed to ensure that the correct personnel will be hired as a member for fire and rescue service are enumerated below. First, the human resource management should at least advertise the job opening. The specific position and the requirement they are looking for an applicant must be clearly stated there. This process will enable the company to acquire several people applying for the position. Furthermore, the management should have an application form ready for the applicants to fill up. This form should be sensitive to the questions that can – and cannot – be asked (Tvrdik, 1998). Secondly, human resource management should screen the applicants based on the specific qualifications and/or requirements listed. This phase of the hiring process becomes easier if the management have been honest and specific in listing the company needs (Tvrdik, 1998). Third is to have an initial interview with the applicants who appear to meet the organization’s needs. This does not need to be a face-to-face interview. It can often be successfully accomplished over the phone, holding down the organization’s hiring expenses. The key here is good questions. Then follow it up with a face-to-face interview with candidates who looked good on paper and responded well to the initial telephone interview. It is a good idea to have more than one person involved in the interview process so what one person sees (good or bad) can be discussed if not confirmed by someone else on the hiring team. Again, good questions plus the ability to listen are the keys (Tvrdik, 1998). After that series of interviews, the management may opt to apply some innovative approaches in such a way that they can give candidates some assignments. For example, asking the applicants to review one company product or web page and give their comments. This approach can help the management see if the applicant has the “it” and the “brain” with regards to the positions he/she is to handle (Tvrdik, 1998). Last could be thorough checking of references of the final candidates before any job offers. It is a good way to verify information discussed in the interview. It is also a good idea to talk to others who know the candidate, in addition to the references listed before making any offers. An interview may only test the candidate’s ability to interview well. A reference check may be the single most important step of the selection process (Tvrdik, 1998). If the human resource management thinks that they have chosen the “best” person for the position, then now it is the right time for them to start the offer to that person. Addressing the Need for Training In modern times there is increasing awareness of the factors that can affect performance of organizations that had been overlooked for many years. With the increase of pace in global markets and rapid expansion of many large corporations, there is often the need to realize that adaptation and learning are the keys to the success of any contemporary organizations. It is suggested that this is best achieved by forming a dynamic learning environment whereby learning and knowledge acquisition is built into the culture. Training has been seen as a positive aspect but very rarely has it made use of good theory and evaluation so as to facilitate the utility gained from programs. However, modern applied psychological techniques provide the opportunity for a theoretically based and developed training program. The point of training is to change, expand and develop knowledge, skills and attitudes. The Training Design Acquiring a realistic and fruitful training session is not an easy task, much more if it will be for the members of the fire and rescue service who will, in the end, be servicing a lot of people. Planning alone requires hard work. Planning a training session involves 1) establishing learning objectives based upon identified training needs; 2) identifying the components you want to cover in the session; and 3) assembling specific methods and activities in a coherent design that might be compared to a movie script (Goad, 1982). Learning objectives are statements of what we want a learner to know, feel, or be able to do at the end of training (Goad, 1982). It is always advisable to set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bounded learning objectives. Learning Components are statements of what will be covered in the training session. This may include: • Basic principles • Relationship of principles to learner's own experience • Discovery of individual styles • Practice with selecting training strategies to match learning styles • Experience in working with peers (an instrument component) The Training Proper The training will ideally take 12 weeks, which will compose of theoretical, practical and a combination of both types of training. Week 1 Training topic Details Evaluation Day 1 Introduction of the Fire and Rescue Service as a profession and a job On this session, the topic of study is all about members of fire and rescue service - its definition and list of responsibilities attached to being a paramedic At the end of the session, the trainer will ask the students about their perception on the responsibilities of a paramedic. Day 2 Fire and Rescue Service as a career On this session, the topic of study is about the career in fire and rescue service - the salaries or wages, the benefits, the career growth or the possibility for promotion. Also it will be discussed on this session the various kills and knowledge needed to become successful in the paramedic job, and the opportunity for further training. At the end of the session, the trainer will ask the students if they are satisfied with the plans and future growth related to members of fire and rescue service career Day 3,4 and 5 Knowledge and Skills of Members of fire and rescue service On this session, the topic of study is about various terminologies, equipments and paraphernalia used by members of fire and rescue service At the end of the session, the trainer will try to show again some of the equipments and ask them how it will be used, or ask them about the terminologies and its definition. On week 1, only the theoretical aspect of teaching will be greatly used. This is because mere definitions, showing of samples and discussions about the general overview of the job. The resources that will be used during the first week are just printed copies of the terminologies, definitions and pictures of the equipments and paraphernalia commonly used by Members of fire and rescue service. This stage is one of the most important stages in the whole duration of the training for this will provide the general overview of the tasks on by the members of fire and rescue service. Responses, reactions and/or questions of the trainees will also provide a glimpse on how they perceive the job. It must be noted that discussing the listed topics during the very first week of the training session is a must. This is because what will be discussed here will be the basis for he succeeding training sessions. Week 2 Training topic Details Evaluation Day 1 - 5 Areas where Members of fire and rescue service Work On this session, the topic of study is the agencies and organizations where Members of fire and rescue service commonly work with, namely the fire departments, rescue squads, private providers, industrial companies, clinics, and hospitals. Parts of the topics that will be included in the training are specific cases where members of fire and rescue service will be needed in relation to the organization. Sample cases and/or testimonials of the Members of fire and rescue service who have had working experience with the said agencies will be shown/given to the trainees. At the end of every day's session (after discussing each of the agency or organization), the trainer will ask the students about their perception jobs and works of the members of fire and rescue service working for an specific group or organization. On week two, a combination of theoretical and practical style of teaching will be used. It will take a whole week to discuss the various agencies that members of fire and rescue service usually work for because each agency will require specific skills for the members of fire and rescue service, in the same manner that each paramedic responds accordingly to the various requirements of each agency or organization. Audio visual or video presentation of the testimonies of various members of fire and rescue service who are working on different agencies will be shown. This is to enhance the interest of the trainees while teaching them. Week 3,4, 5 & 6 Training topic Details Evaluation Everyday Members of fire and rescue service' response to emergencies before a patient reaches a hospital, rendering basic and advanced medical treatment before and during transport to a medical facility This topic will consume 4 weeks of the whole raining for this will entail showing and discussing various cases that members of fire and rescue service usually meet and responds to. This session will showcase the various cases such as head injuries in a car accident, body fall from an earthquake or typhoon, among others. Each case will require specific kind of response from the members of fire and rescue service. During every session (after the discussion), the trainees will be asked to show the kind of treatment or first aid response that they will do for each and every case. This 4-week session will be a combination or theoretical and practical type of teaching. This is because demonstration on the type of first aid assistance and treatment will be shown by using a dummy as patient. The mentor or he trainer will show first how to do it, and then the students will be tasked to demonstrate the treatment by themselves. There are hundreds of possible cases that a paramedic will be met along the way, hence, the 4-long week duration for this particular topic. Evaluation on the level of understanding of the students will be done after each of the case has been discussed. From time to time also, there will be some observers who will come to help the trainer in teaching the students. This is to train the students on how to work with others. Also, some cases cannot be handled/taught by one trainer alone, hence the observer cum assistant. Week 5-11 Training topic Details Evaluation On a weekly session In-training During these sessions, the students will be grouped. Each group will be asked to be trained by other fire and rescues service personnel working in various organizations or agencies. Some will be sent to the fire departments, other will be to the rescue squads, private providers, industrial companies, clinics, and hospitals. Every after the fifth day of every week, the trainees will meet in the classroom and will discuss the various cases they have handled and the kind of response they gave to the patients or people involved in the said case. This will be entire a practical type of teaching that will be facilitated by various members of fire and rescue service working on different areas. The objective of this particular sessions is to let the trainees experience the real life in the ‘filed’. They will get to join the members of fire and rescue service in the van, respond to various cases and see for themselves the types of injuries, accidents among others that members of fire and rescue service usually attend to. They will also be able to practice what they have learned inside the classroom while still being trained by the practicing members of fire and rescue service who are with them. There will be a rotation of group wherein the first group who went with the fire departments will work in the rescue squads on the following week, and then on the industrial companies and so on and so forth. The trainer will ask the practicing members of fire and rescue service who handled each group about the performance of each member. This will also be part of the evaluation aside from the students’ feedbacks and reports every fifth day of the 7-week session. Week 12 Training topic Details Evaluation Day 1-5 Evaluation During this last week, the trainees will be asked to present what they have learned from the whole training session. Evaluation will be done by the trainer, and other observers who had worked with the trainees at some point of the whole session. The objective of the last week’s session is to evaluate the trainees on what they have actually learned from the duration of the whole training. They will be asked do some presentation about a particular case which for them was the most significant. The presentation will show the case, why it is significant for them and what they have learned from it. At the end each presentation, the trainer and the other observers will provide feedbacks and reaction towards the presentation. Also, it will be advantageous if the teacher will ask the students to provide feedbacks about the presentation of their classmates. After the whole session, it will then be the time for the trainees to evaluate the trainer. They will be asked to write in a small piece of paper about how they view the trainer, his/her manner of presentation and teaching. Also, they will be asked to provide feedback regarding the topics included in the whole training. Generalization of the Training With the kind of training plan stated above, both the trainer and the students will greatly benefit. This is one of the strengths of this training plan. The students will, of course, benefit, because they will not only learn the theoretical aspect of Fire and Rescue Service. They will be able to see for themselves the real tasks of the members of fire and rescue service. They will get to experience how it is to work in the field and they will have a glimpse of the kind of cases that they will handle once they become real and practicing members of fire and rescue service. The trainer, on the other hand, will also benefit from the above-shown training plan, because in the end of the session he/she will also be evaluated by the students. This will, in turn, help him/her assess the strong and weak points of his/her teaching style. Thus, he/she will have the chance to improve or enhance it for the next training session that he/she will be handling. References: Clark, Donald. Introduction to Instructional Design System. July 1995. Viewed from Corcodilos, Nick. Ten Stupid Hiring Mistakes. 2004. Ask the Headhunter. Viewed from Goad, Tom W. Delivering Effective Training. San Diego, CA: University Associates, 1982. 1996. Association of Research Libraries, Washington, DC. Heathfield, Susan. Eight Hiring Mistakes Employers Make: From Application to Interview. 2004. Primedia Company. Viewed from Spitzer, Dean. Five Keys to Successful Training. June 1986. Association of Research Libraries, Washington, DC. Tvrdik, Bob. Hiring Right. CIRAS News. 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