Risks management refers to basically identifying possible threats that may hinder achievement of organizational objectives, and taking measures to deal with such threats in advance. Those measures aim at reducing the chances of the risk occurring or being ready to cater for consequences when the risk occurs. Risks present an element of uncertainty to the exposed unit Ashford (2008). Fire and rescue service risk management aims at having precautionary measures for what might or might not happen. It is identifying and assessing possible threats or risks and designing strategies to face the risk. All organizations aim at maintaining holistic and corporate methods of improving the welfare of their staff and the safety of the general public. While doing this the costs are also considered since one of the common organization objectives is to maximize profits and growth. The strategies selected for risk and fire management should thus be cost effective. This is assessed in terms of the likelihood of the risk occurring and the impact if it occurs. Some risks have high likelihood of occurring but low impact even when they occur. Risk management objectives focus on health, safety, financial implications and loss control and minimization. Fire and risk management plans set out strategies that will help prevent the occurrence of fires and mitigate the impacts if the fire occurs by responding immediately. Different organizations and countries have come up with fire management plans such as the Northumberland Fire and Rescue service. The plan aims at improving the community’s safety. The plan reflects on local needs and handling effectively the existing and the potential risks facing the community. Northumberland Fire and Rescue Services a... ... middle of paper ... ...ators measure whether goals set in organizations are achieved. Organizations need to have means to measure their performance. Setting goals and not following through to see if they are achieved would not help (Nascap, 2007). References Ashford, (2008). Managing risks in the cloud. Computer Weekly, 8. Retrieved May 21, 2011, from: ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry. (Document ID: 1616260671). Heath Urie, (2011). Udall: Bill aimed at creating new firefighting funds. McClatchy – Tribune Business News, Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Dateline. (Document ID: 1660408481). Nascap, (2007). Retrieved from: http://www.nascsp.org/data/files/csbg_is_survey/part2fi/instructions/2008/fy08npiguide.pdf Paul Fattig, (2011). Survey gauges attitudes toward interface fire risk. McClatchy - Tribune Business News. Retrieved May from ABI/INFORM Dateline. (Document ID: 2260284451).
"NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, 2010 Edition." National Fire Protection Association. N.p., 1 Jan. 2010. Web. .
"NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, 2010 Edition." National Fire Protection Association. N.p., 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .
Fire safety education is a crucial aspect of fire prevention. The general public needs to know how big of a threat fire is to them and how they can do things in their everyday lives to improve their safety, as well as preventing the threat of fire to begin with. The commission also realized that it was critically important that people know how to properly act once a fire has started. It is important that people have the knowledge to act quickly, safely, and effectively. When people don’t understand fire they can react in many negative ways such as panicking, not evacuating effectively, or by trying to fight a fire that they are not going to be able to extinguish. All these human reactions can decrease safety and end with tragic results. In the commission’s report they approximate that nearly 70 percent of all building fires were due to people acting carelessly because they did not understand the fire dangers that were present. The commission cited studies like one conducted in southeast Missouri. In the southeast Missouri community, a huge emphasis was put into public fire safety education because the fire death rate of the community was much higher than the national average. After increasing fire safety education in the community it was no surprise that the rate of deaths and injuries decreased
For centuries, the men and women of the fire service have been pioneering new ways to “do more with less”. When faced with a predicament, these individuals use the resources available to them to find a suitable resolution. How will this be possible if those resources are not available?
Also, the fire department has created a thorough disaster response plan that considers potential technological, man-made, and natural threats. It should also involve main personnel during the planning process to help
There are many government, state, local and tribal agencies and organizations working together to resolve the aftermath of a massive wildfire. The following will discuss the responsibilities of a Hospital Incident Command Systems (HICS) which is at the forefront for caring and treating individuals and communities affected. The HICS ensures pre-planning, planning, evaluating, and testing of the system has been done prior to an incident (CDC, 2011). The first step when an incident occurs is the hospital needs to assess the situation. Some questions to ask include (CDC, 2011). What geographical area(s) has been or may be adversely impacted? How many people are threatened, affected, exposed, injured, or dead? Have critical infrastructures been affected (electrical power, water supplies, sanitation, telecommunications, transportation)? Is the hospital and surrounding healthcare facilities affected? How will current and forecasted weather conditions affect the situation? Has the local, state, or
Mancock, I., Tristan, C. & Lunn, J., 2004, Introduction to Emergency Management, CD ROM, Charles Sturt University, Australia.
While many natural hazards can be anticipated or even expected, could many of the injuries, deaths and destruction be eliminated? The awareness of our own areas as well as lessons learned from other areas should bring increased value in Community Risk Reduction Programs (CRRP). CRRP are not a new concept for the fire service by any means, but for some reason many agencies are rarely using them to their fullest capacity.
There are a large amount of firefighting jobs. A majority of firefighting jobs come from the municipal government, where the firefighter works for the city. This paper will be limited to just municipal firefighting. In the olden days, firefighting was exactly what it sounded like, fighting fires. Fire extinguishment was the main focus of those firefighters and was achieved through simple suppression with water. Today’s firefighters have a more complex list of chores in their job description. “By the late 200s, it was becoming clear that the role of fire departments had greatly expanded to include not only fire protection but also medical and mutual aid calls” (Fire Protection, 3101) This means that new recruits will go to an academy and learn how to do almost everything, including forcible entry, ventilation, dealing with smoky environments, and escaping dangerous situations (Byrne, 16). Although the name implies a single task, it is actually a jack of all trades career, requiring vast knowledge and skill. The modern inventions that prevent fires are diminishing bread and butter of the fire department. Now firefighters are taking more and more responsibilities and become well versed in any sort of accidents and natural disasters. This does not mean that fires are no longer a problem, but rather, are now a less vital part of the firefighting career. The job o...
Thousands of fires occur on a yearly basis throughout the United States. Whether it is forest fires, house fires, or any other event that involves uncontrollable flames, the outcome will always be the same; high amounts of destruction and physical damage. When fire emergencies occur, responding to the incident may not be much of a complication as apposed to determining the source from where the fire started or what triggered its behavior, which is truly the challenge. In order to do so, a fire investigator has to be present at the scene of the fire after it has been eliminated. The investigator, after reviewing any possible marks or behavior trails, will conclude if the incident was indeed an accident or intentional, thus making it an act of arson. According to the U.S. Fire Administration Topical Fire Research Series, “Arson is the leading cause of fires (267,000 annually) in the United States” (usfa.fema.gov). Arson cases are very complex due to the fact that it can be committed virtually anywhere and by anyone, including fire responders as well. The motives behind arson incidents can also be a very complex issue because it may have been used as a cry for help or simply as a mode of cognitive escape. Gathered reports indicate that the main reasons for arsons committed by firefighter personnel are to be viewed as a heroic figure, an escape from personal stress, financial gain purposes, excitement, or even revenge against the fire company and others.
Every year communities struggle each year around the nation with issues of life safety. In 2012, the nation’s fire departments responded to 31,854,000 responses that resulted in the deaths 0f 2,855 civilians and injuring 16,500 causing an estimated $12,427 million dollars in damage. (United States Fire Administration, 2014) These incidents put at risk 345,950 career and 783,300 volunteer firefighters that resulted in the deaths of 81 individuals (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2013) and nearly 70,000 reported injuries. ( Karter & Molis, 2013) These numbers represent incidents that are determined to be in the line of duty but do not take into consideration the long-term health risk issues that may develop. Evidence shows that he hazards associated with Fire and Emergency Services are consistent across the board whether paid or volunteer and jeopardize the lives and health of each individual, placing administrative and physical control measures reduces this risk to firefighter within an organization. While it is impossible to eliminate the hazards firefighters face, it is important to identify these hazards as the first step in reducing the potential for loss of life and wellbeing both physically and mentally.
This research topic is originated from my experience in working in the fire service since nineteen ninety seven. In the last sixteen years I have moved up the ranks from probationary fire fighter to fire lieutenant. I am currently hold the rank of fire lieutenant. This topic is very important to me because one day at work I can be the Incident Commander on a incident, to the o...
...but with further research and statistics on evaluating the way individuals respond to fires is an ongoing learning experience that will continue to be a concern. With a growing number of deaths in fire related events it raises the question, do people think rationally or irrationally when a fire outbreaks? Just to think about it, the individual could act in accordance to a fire situation but if the tools needed are not available the person could be left with severe injuries or even death.
Every year 5,000 lives are taken due to fire in the homes. Many of these deaths may have been prevented. Fire not only claims lives, it’s destroys property and injuries many. Thankfully, there is something we can do.
Personnel that are responding to a fire need to observe conditions and be aware of activities at or near the scene of the fire. By paying attention to the surrounding conditions, personnel will be able to give the investigating officer, who may arrive later an accurate and complete description (IAFC, 2010). First responders are able to gain invaluable information about the fire throughout their approach to and appearance at the scene. When responders are approaching the scene of a fire, they should observe and note presence, locality, and condition of the victims of the fire and potential witnesses. It is important to note if vehicles are leaving the scene as the first responders approach and if there are any unusual events close to the scene of the fire. Firefighters should also be watching out for by-standers that could potentially have witnessed the fire or may have had something to do with the fire starting. A lot of inf...