Crisis Management and Fire Rescue Services - Assignment Example

Insert Your Name Here Subject: Fire Fighting Title: Critical Assessment 3rd September 2010 Crisis management and fire rescue services Fire fighting as always been a passion of mine but I always thought it did not need much writing other than practical. I think I am a practical kind of person so when the assignment came up I was a little bit scared that I might not be able to write it as it should be written and maybe this would give me less marks than I deserve since I know am good at what I am doing and I have good intuitive response to any kind of situation. Well I always knew that it would come to this but it was always just out of reach so I assumed that it is still far off. Fire fighters get themselves into dangerous situations, but the most satisfying part of it is the feeling that it was all worth it. Fire fighting is to my opinion the best vocation that a person would want to have since it entails saving people from dangerous situations. Well what fire fighting simply entails is rescuing people and property while recovering their property. A fire fighter also is required to be able to handle and manage a crisis as it arises be it in a county or in an organization. They are needed to think on their feet. What I knew about fire fighting I had learned about the subject mostly in class and practically but I never wrote a thesis on it. To me it usually was something to do with the practicality of it and less to do with the writing. To me it was supposed to be just the instinct kicking in and working out much more than it was the thinking itself. I had always thought that to be a fire fighter you don’t need to follow a set of plan but you need to work towards one goal and that is to save the situation. So when I had to do the research on crisis management it was an eye opener for me since it showed me why it is important for someone to have some guidelines on what do to when there is a crisis and how to manage the crisis well. Guidelines also showed the way on which things can be done, who is doing what and when something is supposed to be done. The type of crisis to be managed and how to go about it, I also learned about the types of risks which are all important in their own way and they also enable the fire fighters to know what type of equipment, personnel and force to be used against a certain type of crisis. For fire fighting team to be effective there is need for a crisis management plan to enable fluidity in managing the crisis. In my research I had to not only write a literature review about crisis management in fire fighting but also methodology used in analyzing the efficiency of fire fighting teams, crisis management and principles behind the crisis management and the type of team required. To do my research I decided to use the survey method to determine the efficacy of a fire fighting team and the crisis management as a whole. I chose the survey method because with the survey method the fire fighting team would be able to respond to the question asked hence making it clear as to what it entails to put together an effective crisis management plan. Also with the survey type of analysis I was able to ascertain whether experience is a major player in risk management or not. The reason this survey worked well is because the team was able to answer truthfully on the questions asked. The questions being: why they think the type of method they are using in combating disaster and crisis management the best type of method, why do they think their concept is the best among the other concepts available? Why do they think that their concept is successful? What is the role of each and every member of the team in the organizations or the crisis management team? Which do they think is the most successful team, and the rate of the dimension of the team? With this question I was sure I would be able to determine why a particular kind of concept is better than the others. I was also sure that the question should be able to provide answers such as which is the simple structure of the concept, the control span and the command unity of the crisis management team in an organization which is chosen to foresee a particular kind of crisis. This I would get the answer with the first question. The second question was able to determine what part of the team was the best in performing its duty and whether they are geared towards achievement of their goals ad if they are able to achieve the goals which are set out to be done. The third question provided an insight to the team’s approach which they take when combating crisis and the responsibility of each person in the team and their ability to add to the success of the team as a whole. The importance of each member of the team this included their experience. Their ability to work as a team, Flexibility of each and every member, this is with regards to working with the team , And also the effectiveness of the team to communicate with each other. So I would say that the survey method worked better than any other method which I tried. Lessons learned From this research I learned the importance of team work in averting any type of disaster be it natural or man made. It might be destruction of property, or reputation. I also learned that all crisis management team are the same and they use almost the same criteria when combating disaster. Crisis management teams have got the same goal and aim in mind and that is to lessen the effect of a disaster be it in an organization or in the community. I also learned that there are three major objectives of fire fighting team and that is to prevent destruction of property in case of a fire incidence. Second is to prevent loss of life and injuries to individuals in the event of a fire incident or an accident. Thirdly the aim of a fire fighting crisis management team is to restore the organization or community, to its normal operation after a fire incident. I also learned how to deal with the phases of crisis such as the pre crisis phase, the crisis response phase, the initial response phase and the post crisis phase. I also learned the difference between a crisis management and the risk management team or plan. While risk management deals with the crisis before it happens the crisis management deals with the crisis after it has happened in order to avert a lot of damage to property and human. A good crisis management is where the team enables the organization or community to come out of the crisis with minimal damage to its property, the people and their reputations. I also learned that it is imperative that there should be clear channel of communication between the team and the spokesperson and the team and the public or share holders of the said organization. This should enable the people to have confidence in the crisis management team and their ability to help and protect the lives and properties of people in the event of a crisis happening. Their should also be honesty and trust between the team and the public since if the public feels that the team is hiding something from them then it would undermine the work the team is doing in managing the risk that happened. The other aspect of imperative importance is the time. The crisis management team is required to have a set time for briefing the share holders or the public about the work they are doing and what is happening so far. This would build trust among the team and the public. It is advisable that the time frame should not exceed 48 hours after the crisis but it would be good to let the public know about what is going on the sooner they know the better since this will reduce their worries regarding the matter. The message that a spokesperson gives should be clear and devoid of technical terms. The message should be structured in a professional way which would enable the share holders or public to calm down knowing that their safety and the safety of their properties are in safe hands with the crisis management team. I also learned of how broad the subject of fire fighting is and how important that a fire fighter not only needs to know the drill of fire fighting but also be able to talk and explain to people what is going on. It is important for a fire fighter to learn to communicate to the public on what is going on without raising alarm. I also learned of how good coordination can make work easier by taking the example of Columbia shuttle break. The Columbia shuttle incident was of a large scale and the channels of communication was diverse but this did not deter the team from working as a huge team and covering a large area in order to retrieve parts of the shuttle. This crisis management team covered over 700,000 acres of land which extended over 250 miles into three states which is Dallas, Texas and Fort Polk in Louisiana. I also learned that in order to have a good crisis management plan there is need for inclusion of contact information, reminder of what needs to be carried out in the event that there is a crisis and a document needed to record the response of the crisis management team to the crisis at hand. I also learned that a crisis management plan saves time and property since everyone knows what or where they need to be when a crisis strikes. It is also imperative that practical drills are carried out every time even if there is no crisis. This would put the crisis management plan and team into high alert and they would also be able gauge their own response to a crisis as it happens. A crisis management plan needs to be tested in order to know if it works or if it needs changes since an untested crisis management plan is as dangerous as having no plan at all and it offers no surety as to whether it would be successful when it is implemented in a crisis. It also provides the crisis management team with the data needed; the team can be able to collect the data from the test trials which are carried out when the tests are carried out. With a crisis management plan the reference points are also clearly marked so in case of a crisis every one knows whom to refer to or where to go in case of a crisis. A crisis management plan is also reference for crisis management team. A crisis management plan is also a reference tool but not the ultimate decision in crisis management since each and every crisis is unique in its own and needs to be worked on as such. A crisis management plan is mainly consisting of frame works which will enable an organization to respond immediately and effectively to a crisis while defining all the roles, boundaries and responsibilities of the crisis management team. I also learned that in order for a crisis management team to be effective they should speak as one in a crisis. The role of this crisis management team should also include assisting in solving the crisis while also paying attention to details concerning the safety and security which is needed by the share holders and the population at large. The crisis management team should also be able to offer counselling and guidance to the people who have suffered the crisis and also offer the kind of support needed by the population and help them come to terms with the situation at hand. They should also be able to educate the masses on how to go through the situation and come to terms with the crisis, its severity and how to deal with the after math of the crisis as a whole and what they should do should it happen again in the future. A good crisis management team is one which is able to adapt to the uniqueness of the crisis as it arises. The most important person in a crisis management team is the spokesperson since he is the face and mouth of the team as a whole. The spokesperson has the mandate to speak to the public on behalf of the team and he is the one with the responsibility of assuring the share holders or public at large. The spokesperson should be a person who inspires trust since most people will look up to him for assurance. If a person is a spokesperson he should learn to conduct himself in front of an audience without showing any signs of nervousness since if he or she is nervous then it would project an image of un-professionalism of the team whether they have handled the crisis professionally or not. A spokesperson is required to give clear speech whether in private or in public. Benefits to my studies This research benefited me in a sense that I have come to learn that in order to have an effective crisis management there is need for crisis management planning. This is imperative in a sense that you are able to deal with the crisis as it arises with enough confidence in the knowledge that you have gone through the crisis management plan and knows what to do, when to do what you know and how to do it when the time comes for this. The research showed me how to go about planning for the crisis and why I should plan for the crisis before it happens. Instinct is a good thing to follow but sometimes it is better to have a plan since with a plan you will not be in any other person’s way or you would not hinder your team from doing their work since every one knows what is expected of him or her in the given situation. With planning all members have a set role to play so that there will be no one who will be hanging confused as to what he or she needs to do. I have benefited since now I know that I need to work on my public speaking because I might be chosen as a spokesperson in the future and what I need to do is to add public speaking to my studies hence enabling me to deal with the public as and when the time comes for this. Benefits to my work The research will benefit my work in a sense that I now know that it is imperative for me as a fire fighter or a member of a crisis management team, I need to be able to adapt myself to different situations such as be a better team player. Look after my team well and work in coordination with the team at large to carry out our duty. Reference: 1. Sturgeon W. dedicated incidence, retrieved on 24th September 2010 from http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/pdf/efop/efo42561.pdf 2. Hugman B, Crisis management Pretoria (September 2004) 3. Wikipedia, Crisis management, retrieved on 24th September 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_management 4. Coombs T W, crisis management and communications retrieved on 24th September 2010 from http://www.instituteforpr.com/essential_knowledge/detail/crisis_management_and_communications/ 5. Self help sheet student counselling service, retrieved on 24th September 2010 from http://www.mic.ul.ie/counselling/Factsheets/CrisisManagement.pdf 6. Dumont G F What is a crisis retrieved on 24th September 2010 from http://www.strategicsinternational.com/4endumont.htm Read More