Work-Based Learning: Cambria Fire and Rescue Service Community - Case Study Example

Running Header: Work Based Learning Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Work Based Learning Introduction Cumbria Fire and Rescue service has striven to streamline to changes with a focus of turning Cumbria a safe haven in which to work and live in. According Barclay (2004, p. 13), June 2003 the government developed a blue print by the name ‘Our Fire and Rescue Service’. The paper was meant to set guidelines of vision of the government for the Fire and rescue service of the future, the method to deliver vision and turning the service more effective and efficient and specifically to lower the cases of fires and related injuries and deaths. Through this government vision, Fire and Rescue Services such as Cumbria has taken further step to ensure that new fire and rescue service of today has to take a greater community role. Cumbria Fire and Rescue service Authority covers a huge area and currently it’s operating 38 fire stations throughout the county where community is under protection for 24 hours a day, seven days a week by highly equipped and well trained firefighters. In line to the changes that are aimed to improve Fire and rescue services, Cumbria has initiated a vibrant and strong voluntary and community program that is vital component for the future. Society volunteers program initiated by Fire and Rescue Service of Cumbria is aimed at improving and retaining the fire safe environment by creating closer connections with the society. Programs like this have also been known to bring on board goodwill and skills through volunteers. There is also promotion of the acknowledgement of diversity of culture within the service. The establishment of effective links of communication between the representative groups, local fire station and other volunteer agencies has been promoted by volunteers programs. Cambria Fire and Rescue Service community volunteers has formed a part of it core values which is to elevate its personal service to the residents of Cumbria (Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service 2009a, p. 4). This implies that it will encourage volunteers from every sector because it is easier to offer advice and support by a person you are associated with. It becomes even more effective when involving minority ethnic, black and older people groups. Majority of people have desire to make a contribution and a lot of them do not have knowledge of how they can contribute to advance their life and elevating the quality of others life. Therefore, this program has the advantage of making sure those opportunities for volunteering to this work is well and widely recognized by vigorous undertaking to publicize the initiative. Volunteering programs are found to empower community since people are involved in activities of which benefit their own neighborhood through connecting them with their local fire services. Consideration of all inclusive approach during recruiting volunteers is a great ingredient in creating a strongly integrated and cohesive community. An involved, empowered and active community has interest and ownership of what is happening (Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service 2010). This is to streamline with vision of government of offering cohesive and prosperous communities with a healthy, safe and sustainable atmosphere for all. Objective This research is focused on one main objective. The first objective is to assess the Cumbria Fire and Rescue services community volunteers program. Hence, regarding this goal the will consider a number of issues. Some these issues include: The evaluation of volunteer role in Cumbria fire and rescue service community volunteers program. It will also cover on issues concerning volunteers and the law. This because in the recent days concern have been raised regarding the legal status of volunteer and the implications this issue might have on the organizations involved. Issue of recruitment/screening will also be covered because this is a sensitive issue where volunteers replicate the diversity of the local community and establish connections with it. Literature Review Both the third sector (faith, community and voluntary etc) and government acknowledge the value of volunteering. The major and unique contribution from volunteers puts value to delivery of service with one of the main vital benefits recognized through volunteering as being the elimination of exclusion of society. At present there are approximately 22 million persons contributing as volunteers in the United Kingdom, approximately half of whom contribute after each 7 days. These people undertake 90 million hours of work in voluntary in the entire UK after every 7 days and the economic benefit to the nation is put at more than 40 million pounds per year (Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service 2009a, p. 8). Cumbria fire and rescue service has taken the initiative that is required to be taken by today’s organization by embracing a greater role in community through program such as volunteers. This is in line to lower the risks of fire and various emergencies. Through such initiatives, this service has been able to reduce injuries from accidental dwelling fires by 65% from year 2003. The aim of the outcome in this program is to capitalize on huge potency of including society support volunteers which is their elasticity to cover varied wants within fire and rescue service of Cumbria and the society. Innovation and creativity in volunteer role nurturing is vital in all levels to make sure that volunteers are meaningfully engaged in roles that pass added value to the service. The study reveals that it is important to define who is a volunteer in order to handle legal implication that might surround this issue. While evaluating the community volunteer program, this research is assessing on the issue regarding to recruitment/screening of the volunteers to the program. In regard to roles of volunteers, Cumbria fire and service endeavored to define their roles and how this will add value. However, in developing these roles, it is taken into consideration that community volunteers are not placed to replace employees who are paid for their services. Some of roles that are carried out by community volunteers include: Offering advice after flood or fire and extending support for home fire safety. Generating and assisting with home safety checks. Delivering leaflets and giving presentation to local people. Attending local events such as creating awareness of issues of safety and involving in safety compgains such as winter warm, street safe events and street cage soccer among others. Co-production to work with dwellers to develop safer neighborhoods, create services to ensure flexibility and receptiveness to residents need and appropriate for purpose. In an effort to add value, the approach is aimed at developing tasks for volunteers in regard to requirements pinpointed from within the service. Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service (2010) suggests that every proposed task is assessed for its suitability as an activity of the volunteer and its contribution to priorities, objectives and aims. The accepted task is subject to health and safety risk assessment, suitable training is prepared and necessary equipments are provided. There are some few tasks that are considered for this development. One of these tasks is extended home fire safety support. In many instances people are unable to follow the requirements suggested during the check of home safety. After a check on hone safety or other service from Cumbria fire and rescue service staff, it possible for a trained volunteer to further make sure those susceptible persons remains safe from fire. By working with volunteers it is possible to add value to service of home safety check because they are trained to recognize risks of fire, have knowhow of agencies who can offer supplementary support and be able to accomplish the easy tasks needed to create safer place. The other task is home fire safety checks which are absolutely free service where a specific advice on fire safety is given to home of a person and smoke alarms are installed properly. The service is mainly offered by firefighters as they stay prepared to tackle other emergencies and it’s made available to every household in Cumbria (Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service 2009b, p. 4). Few of the persons at specific fire risk are hard to reach. Therefore, a local volunteer may have the opportunity and time to approach susceptible household or individual, not as an employee from public service but as a well recognized neighbor. In the extended support after flood or fire, the organization is able to use a compact network of volunteers who are able to launch procedures and processes instantly after flood or fire and aid returning the affected people back to their comfortable lives. When volunteers team up with paid member of staff are able to launch compgains for supporting safety through attendance to local activities in community designed to create awareness on issues of fire safety. The legal status of the participants in fire and rescue service of Cumbria community volunteers program has been addressed since it can generate legal implications (Knight 2009 p. 9). This legal consideration has allowed the organization to differentiate between volunteers and employees. Employees get salaries while volunteers receive reimbursement. Also volunteers are not subject to law of employment while employees are and volunteering is founded on will and not obligation. This has enabled this service to appropriately define who is volunteer without any compromise. Recruitment practices in volunteers program is compliance with Cumbria fire and rescue service policy of reflecting the diversity of the local residents and developing connections with it. The application forms are designed to extract information that is relevant to the process of recruitment. The interview for volunteers is informal and gives potential candidates the opportunity to know about working with Cumbria Fire and rescue service. The successful candidates are subjected to induction process with an aim of welcoming them to the team. Additionally, all new volunteers are subjected to training. In order to comply with data protection/freedom of information act, volunteers are assured that the information is kept securely, access to it only, and will not spread their information without permission unless obliged by law. This review has confirmed that inclusion of community through programs such as that initiated by Cumbria fire and rescue services are vital towards improving values on services delivered. Through volunteers program the organization has been able to low injuries from accidental dwelling fires by 65% from year 2003 (Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service 2009b, p. 3). It is vividly shown that Cumbria fire and rescue service has highly considered this program owing to it benefits to services delivers and the entire community at large. Various ways of how volunteers have added value to the organization services have been mentioned. Other issues covered are about legal implications of volunteers and their recruitment. Alls issues concerning Cumbria fire and rescue service community volunteers program cannot be exhausted within this research study but from the research it is vivid that volunteers are vital in improvement of service delivery to the community. Methodology In particular, this research method will be had through both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Creswell (2003, p. 129) argue that qualitative research methods are known to include informal interviews, case studies, observations and secondary data. In observations, it can be regarded as non participant or participant in nature. Quantitative method of research is high dependant on analysis of data and statistics for purposes of analysis have found a wide use. Structured interviews and questionnaires are part of surveys conducted which are the part and parcel of this method of research. The technique utilized for this research is meant to satisfy the main objectives of the research. From the indicated information regarding these methods, the qualitative method of research is regarded as the most appropriate in undertaking this research because it is method that is mostly and suitably used for evaluation. As indicated earlier, this research is aimed at evaluating the Cumbria Fire and Rescue services community volunteers program. The various methods and techniques that will be utilized to gather data for the evaluation are methods of interview and conventional observation. Thereafter, it is possible to analyze data using methods such as observer impression. This research method has considered to utilizing the observer impression as way of obtaining conclusion regarding the study. Secondary data is also a vital aspect in this research because this statistic data are analyzed and allows the researcher to evaluate fire and rescue service programs that are aimed at improving service delivery to the community. Community volunteers program of Cumbria fire and rescue service can be assessed to determine its effectiveness toward service delivery. Interviews are used to collect important information that cannot be obtained from secondary data (Creswell 2003, p. 128). This research confirms that Cumbria fire and rescue service community volunteers program plays a vital role in adding value to service deliver through various way. Legal implications and approaches of recruitment of volunteers have been found to be one of the major factors in order to develop an effective community orient program through volunteers. The values that volunteers add to organization will be stipulated clearly in way community is able to understand. Volunteers will be able to understand legal implications concerning his/her relationship with Cumbria fire and rescue service to insure smooth cooperation. It is vital for every research to be carried out with the set ethical limits by seeking approval from the relevant authority (Creswell 2003, p. 125). At the moment this research has been given green light and it’s the responsibility of researcher to work within set ethics and regulations to make sure that information given by interviewees is compliance with data protection/freedom of information act. The general finding from this research shows that Cumbria fire and rescue service community volunteers program is important in improve services delivery to the community and there has been reduction in injuries from accidental dwelling fires. Conclusion Volunteers program carried out by Cumbria fire and rescue service is vital in ensuring deliverance of quality results to the community and it should be replicated in all fire and rescue services in the entire United Kingdom. The program has achieved the reduction injuries from accidental dwelling fires in the area of Cumbria and this is attributed by capitalizing on huge strength of involving community. Roles of volunteers have been stipulated in order to differentiate their roles and those of employees. Volunteer has been defined from legal perspective so as to eliminate any legal implications that might arise. The recruitment procedure in this program has been designed to reflect diversity of the local dwellers and to conform to data protection/freedom of information act. Recommendation Owing to the fact that community fire safety services are striving to deliver quality services, other fire and rescue services across UK needs to emulate Cambria fire and rescue service community volunteers program. Pressing issues such as legal matter regarding volunteers are sensitive and should be tackled with extra care. The findings from this research should be utilized by other fire and rescue services in UK in order to develop more elaborate volunteers programs. Community should be involved in fire and rescue service so that they can have a feeling of being part of the initiative. References Barclay, C 2004, The Fire and Rescue Services Bill, pp. 9-36. Creswell, W 2003, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches, Sage Publication, Inc., California. Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service 2010, Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service: Preventing-Protecting- Responding, viewed 28 September 2010, . Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service 2009a, The Way Forward: Community Volunteer Strategy, pp. 2-20. Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service 2009b, A Community Focused Fire and Rescue Service, pp. 1-8. Knight, K 2009, ‘Report to the Secretary of State by the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser on the emerging issues arising from the fatal fire at Lakanal House, Camberwell on 3 July 2009’, Communities and Local Government, pp. 1-18. Read More