Fire claims 150 lives due to Staffing shortage at Fire Station With structure fires, hazmat operations, and multiple car accidents the demand for firefighters are going necessary. But what many people out in the community that the fire department are having a hard time to employ full time firefighters to perform in the line of duty. How is the fire department having a difficult time with staffing full time firefighters at the fire station? With the shortage of not having firefighters being employed full time many fire stations have been hiring volunteer firefighters. “Staffing is a hot topic, as many fire departments across the country struggle to have enough firefighters available for all the things the public now expects us to do, on top …show more content…
Every man and women of a fire department will train in their shift that is on duty to keep up with the physical aspect of their job. “In most cases, firefighters are not spending enough time getting good quality training. This quality training doesn’t mean the training officer driving around visiting the station and showing training videos. Videos are interesting, but the real issue is that firefighters have to get up out of their chairs and have a systematic program where they know what the drill is for the day” (Goldfeder). Battalion Chief William Goldfeder explains the true issue of why many fire departments are not performing that well in the field due to the lack of weak training. He also explains how to resolve this issue by the fire department setting up a systematic program that explains what the drill is for the day to keep the firefighters active instead of sitting in a chair. Also Goldfeder says “A typical firefighter works either a 12 or 24-hour shift. There is nothing wrong with spending two or three of those hours per shift on training” (Goldfeder). Firefighters have to train so they can perform their duties as well as helping out the community by dedicating their time to protect people in a fire or hazmat operation. But with the training also gains experience for the men and women of the fire department to help out volunteer or new …show more content…
With all of this equipment that the firefighters have to use in a structure fire scene, a hazardous materials scene or even an automotive crash scene each equipment is very expensive. Not only is the equipment that is used by firefighters is expensive the training is equally the same. With a fire department they have to get a grant to upgrade their fire station by purchasing a new fire apparatus. The fire chief could cut the cost by doing less training, to hire volunteer firefighters and not purchasing new equipment for the fire station and the full time firefighters. But by doing this it could lead to more problems than help out the firefighters. By doing this some of the job that is the physical part will be difficult with the bunker gear and the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), will have the firefighters use all of the oxygen that is in their SCBA. So intent that financing is difficult for any fire department even the best fire departments that are in New York, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and much more will have problems with
As an employee of The New York City Fire Department, it is our duty to know its mission state and what its internal core analysis consists off. “As first responders to fires, public safety and medical emergencies, disasters and terrorist acts, the FDNY protects the lives and property of New York City residents and visitors. The Department advances public safety through its fire prevention, investigation and education programs. The timely delivery of these services enables the FDNY to make significant contributions to the safety of New York City and homeland security efforts. The New York City Fire Department’s internal core analysis consists of: Service: the department continues its unwavering call to protect and serve. Bravery: courage is the foundation of each character. Bravery is the ability to overcome fear through fortitude, instinct, compassion for others and training. Safety: our citizens must be reasonably free from danger, especially deliberate, harmful acts. With the best equipment and training, the department can reduce the risk to the public and its members at fires, emergencies and medical incidents. Honor: the enormous commitment necessary to perform the department’s tasks requires excellence of character. They inspire each other through pride in the unit, which is a belief that every action reflects on all the members of the unit, both past and present. Dedication: a commitment to the objectives to their mission is an essential part of their code of conduct. The faithful observance of duty, calls for the FDNY to fulfill their obligations professionally and honestly. Preparedness: by combining all of the components of their core values, the FDNY will maintain its constant state of readiness to meet all threats and c...
In this report I will focus on desirable traits the Columbus Division of fire are looking for, as well as the City’s hiring process, training requirements, offered benefits, probationary period, promotional opportunities, and departmental structure. I will also...
...yet another firefighter takes your place who is willing to learn. Read books, take extra classes at the fire academy and read those magazines that someone left near the toilet, they have great information for an every changing fire service.
The job duties and training set to be a firefighter varies from which occupational source one chooses to be. Experts say, “Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life property or the environment is at risk.”(www.careerinfonet.org online). In other words firefighters are obligated to do the tasks required of them. Another source states, “Include fire prevention, emergency medical source, hazardous material response, search and rescue, and disaster management.”(www.careerinfonet.org online). Another way to explain this is firefighters have many dangers they have to look out for. As one website says, “Fire fighters spend much of their time at the fire station.”(www.allthingspolitcal.org online). Obviously, firefighters spend their time waiting on a call. Experts say, “Abilities Learned – problem sensitivity, - reaction time, - arm hand steadiness, - manual dexterity, - multi-limb coordination, - response orientation.”(www.careerinfonet.org online). In other words, as a firefighter you learn problem...
Unfortunately, according to an article by Christopher Brennan (2010), most firefighters do not even know their fire department’s mission statement, which as he states, makes it impossible for personnel to live out their department’s supposed mission and values (Brennan, 2010).
The conclusion the author made was that the study showed that undulated training was the way to go for firefighters who need the multidimensional muscular and performance training in order to succeed at their job. Undulated training, in this sense, had greater potential. In 2000, the NFPA created a new firefighting ordinance that created health and physical fitness requirements that firefighters had to pass in order to be cleared to perform their jobs. This was to motivate firefighters to perform the best they could in order to succeed, including improving firefighter health by helping them avoid serious injury or disease and improve their performance in order to succeed at their job.
The duties and responsibilities of the fire department are most importantly responding to fires and other emergencies that involve the assistance from the department such as vehicle accidents, flooding, emergency rescue, and first aid response. When it comes to a fire departments duties and responsibilities when it comes to mutual aid agreements it is to coordinate planning, multiply the response resources available to any one jurisdiction, ensure timely arrival of aid, arrange for specialized resources, and minimize administrative conflict and litigation post-response.
There were some programs out there that were great and there were other places where training was almost non-existent. Many times the programs or communities with very poor training practices were communities that lacked the financial resources to provide their firefighters with good training. The commission proposed that there should be a national fire academy set up so that there would be a minimum standard nationwide on the level of training that firefighters would be receiving. They proposed that many resource lacking communities could immensely improve the quality of their training programs with very little cost increase to the community. The purpose of the academy would be to assist local and state training programs and make sure that proper training was available to all firefighters across the country from all types of communities. By setting up a National Fire Academy the commission believed they could reduce firefighter injuries and deaths, as well as produce more effective and efficient personnel to fight
Mental health in the fire service is an upcoming problem, but has been occurring for years without firefighters even knowing it. Specifically post-traumatic stress disorder known as PTSD and firefighter suicides are the main issues that have a large impact in the fire service. This outline will lay out the main points that are a result, impact, or other subjects in relation to the two main issues above. Firefighter deaths are rising rapidly, members of the fire service need to be educated on PTSD and suicide to provide treatment before another devastating event occurs in result of the issues effects.
Why, at a time like this, would it be deemed appropriate to minimize the staff and shrink the budget of the fire service?
Firefighters are more than friends. You can't fight fires with friends. To fight fires you need a brotherhood. The men and women of the fire service across the globe consider each other family, this is one of the grand traditions of the fire department. Firefighters are constantly looking out for one another, thinking about the things they do and how it may affect the other’s lives and safety. Life safety is of the highest priority in the business of fire rescue. To achieve a safety standard there are many tasks that fire personnel are expected to carry out, for both a personal and a team related purpose. One of these tasks is the daily inspection of the fire apparatus upon arrival to the fire station. This task is with most certainty the most essential process that fire personnel are responsible for in order to get through the shift safely and efficiently.
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.
The Fire and Rescue Service employ a number of styles of communication to suit diverse audiences and for different purposes. The organization communicates with its members of staff differently depending on the circumstances and the message which is being conveyed. With such a large organization approximately 2200 members of staff effective communication is essential. Effective communication plays a vital role in the delivery of all Fire and Rescue Services.
After visiting some actual fire departments, I realized as a firefighter you certainly have a lot to be proud of. It’s not your average job and does require quite a bit of organization to stay on top of everything. Everyday you have to be ready and prepared for just about anything that can happen. You never know what kinds of jobs you are going to be set out to do in one day. This means your equipment should be in order, checked and ready to go.
To combat these and other issues that can arise due to a lack of training, the development of a training program will wan...