Risk Management for Fire and Rescue Institutions - Literature review Example

Client inserts his/her name Tutor’s name Name of institution Course title Date of submission Risk management Introduction Risk management entails being prepared to handle looming danger or harm that may be caused by anything. The risk is basically managed to reduce the intensity of the harm t may cause to life in general and other resources. Therefore, the way to approach risks involves using resources directed towards preventing fires or other harmful incidents that may occur in particular places. Also it significant to ensure that the service used has the right capacity to offer the correct degree of response in both the right place and time so that the emergencies can be dealt with efficiently. (Teele, 1993) For risk management to be effective, organization or agency involved in the task should consider first the existing risks and then determine and evaluate ways in which they can deal with them in the best way possible. Moreover, it is good to observe better opportunities possible so that the services offered may be improved as well as applying the best policies and standards. It is obvious that the available resources dictate the level of efficiency and it is good to put that fact into consideration. It is significant for fire and rescue institutions to reflect on new strategies of tackling effectively the risks that are at hand while safeguarding potential ones by spreading their services all over the globe. It is essential to note that residents, partners and other stakeholders take part in making necessary decisions and advancements. This is possible through procedural policy proposals and providing opportunity for people to have their say in regards to what affects them in terms of risks. (Teele, 1993) According to Wilder (1995), risks are unavoidable and unpredictable, it is the duty of risk managers or members of the public to stick to the mission of saving the property and the lives of people in danger even if one is also exposed to harm in the process of rescue. The natures of the services these people offer make them brave and ready to venture into facts that the public finds unacceptable. In fact, they have given up their lives for others. The emergency responders are exposed to many inherent risks which result into many deaths and injuries as a result of line of duty. Training is therefore central to the risk management program to prepare the workers to protest both the public and self. The significance of risk management in relation to fire and rescue services In fire and rescue services, the concept of risk management includes a full range of procedures that are basically used to eradicate, trim down or hamper the possibility that a detrimental outcome may take place in the event of a crisis. The measures also aim at elimination any probable magnitude or the intensity of effects in case a disaster occurs. Therefore, risk management addresses both the probability and magnitude of the outcome of the occurrence if it occurs. Risk management is a very significant practice in relation to fire and rescue services. Through proper management risks are generally hampered in regards to the damages they may cause. For instance, the number of fire incidents occurring may be reduced greatly as well as their severity in regards to destruction of life and property. Additionally, other emergencies occurring within the area in which an agency is responsible are greatly reduced such as road accidents. (Wilder, 1995) Since the rescue process is timely and well-organized, the injuries or destructions that are possible in the incident may be curtailed. The severity of the emergencies is cut down because of the rescue teams in place that come to the salvage of the victims. Moreover, it helps reduce the economic, social and commercial impact of sudden fires as well as other incidents by controlling the intensity of destruction. This provides value for money. Above all, the risk management institutions have the capacity to safeguard the environment and the country’s heritage either constructed or natural. Explain the principles and the application of integrated risk assessment plans within fire and rescue services Integrated Risk Management Planning is a holistic and community approach to Improving community safety. It is a versatile plan based on risk management and control. It has to be systematically identified to be effective when applied to any nature of hazard. On the other hand, control measures important in mitigating the hazards are determined. The plans offer an immediate strategic view for making policy decisions regarding risk management. (Kipp & Loflin, 1996) Integrated risk assessment plans consider the value for money since financial challenges have been on the rise in offering effective services in regards to fire emergencies. The principles considered are also termed as our value for money principles that are considered when planning annually and setting the annual budget for fire and rescue services. The planning process entails identification of the risk, prioritization and mitigation of the risk using the principles of governance. The first principle states resources should be allocated in accordance to the level of priority of the activity to be performed. This indicates that activities are organized according to the level of need and urgency in the assessment plan. Secondly, the control council tax is determined and given weight since it determines how activities and conducted. Thirdly, the concerned parties acknowledge the need to set budgets that are realistic and hence workable. Next, the authority that plans always seeks to avoid unnecessary redundancy by increasing the value for money which is the main mission of the entire organization. Finally, the authority aims at advancing in terms of services offered constantly because the value for money can be increased through excellent services. Explain and apply qualitative and quantitative risk evaluation techniques The qualitative risk assessment system entails an index system which entails a causation index, inherent risk index and consequence index. It also involves the aspects mentioned in terms of their corresponding weights. The outcome in reference to this method is the qualitative risk value. The quantitative method of risk assessment entails a probability, consequence and risk analysis. The outcome of the method is the individual risk and the social risk. These methods are applicable in different emergency situations. What matters is the precision requirement of risk assessment. Both methods are varied though. As discussed in the National Fire Academy (1984), qualitative methods are commonly used in evaluating risks due to common lack of adequate data and the problems associated with validity. The first step is to determine whether the particular event is high, medium or low. Both frequency and severity are incorporated in case the maximum losses are considered. The most commonly applied technique involves scoring mechanisms for severity and frequency where each risk is scored between 1 and 5 and the number 5 represents the highest while one represents the lowest. Frequency can be determined by determining how often the risk occurs whether weekly, monthly or annually. If the risk presents differing levels of frequency and severity, different actions of management have to be taken that best suit the situation. It is prudent to combine both methods such that an accurate expected loss may be calculated. The intervening agency will be able to determine how often the loss occurs and the expenses involved in its management and control. According to Lerche & Glaesser (2006), the quantitative method of risk evaluation considers the frequency of risks as well. It is considered to be a measurement between 0 and 1 where the two extremes have a total certainty value. 1 shows certainty while 0 indicates the impossibility of the loss. The idea of such kind of probability is to presents a figure that is less than 1 and greater than 0. Relative frequency is thus obtained from past data record with adjustments made based on the changes that may have occurred over a certain period of time. Unusual increase in the frequency of occurrence is also taken into consideration. Probability is obtained by calculating the number of events and dividing it by the exposure to the event that is being handled. The method’s validity is however questionable. It is tough to come up with what represents the exposure to the incident. For the case of an airplane, this may determined by taking the number of times the airplane takes off the ground because the engine hours are automatically recorded. However, it is impossible to use the same exposure of the number of times the driver is on the wheel in determining the probability of an accident. Severity is another consideration in the quantitative method. It is important in determining the possible loss and the extent of the damage caused in the event of an emergency. Personal injuries are difficult to determine where they are involved. Damages are awarded in a court of law although the basis is uncertain in determining the value of a lost arm or death of an individual for instance. On the other hand, evaluating the value of property damaged is difficult because options of the market price or replacement value are to be used. This method is questionable in regards to validity since the values of things appreciate or depreciate over time and it is thus difficult to estimate the appropriate material value. (Lerche & Glaesser, 2006) The methods thus differ in terms of their level of accuracy for various situations. It is important to choose and apply a method that bears the correct expected value for risk evaluation to be used effectively. (National Fire Academy, 1984) Discuss the different factors leading to specific risks within a workplace and the role of safety and health legislation in this context The people working in the environment of fire and rescue emergency situation are exposed to many risks. The fire agency or department is limited and has no control over the emergency location. Therefore, the environment is not designed for their favor and with the expectation that people may respond swiftly to an emergency at any given time. The nature of such work exposes the workers to dangerous situations that may not be handled by anybody. Emergencies are usually agent and do not allow the fire department to plan to intervene and thus get into action without considering the hazards available in the scene. (Kipp & Loflin, 1996) The organizations that deal with emergencies have a legal obligation to provide its workers with a safe and healthy workplace. They hold full responsibility to manage the levels of risks to which the members have to handle and thus are exposed to it in the performance of their activities. Laws and regulations are set for the employer to offer enough safety and a health work environment for workers. All in all, all activities performed by human beings involve a certain degree of risk which involves potential for illnesses, injury and death where severe. In many jobs and work relations, the employer is unlimited in terms of the responsibility to handle the level of risk. The emergency responders should be individuals who accept situations they are in any time and be able to deal with events as they ensue whether planned or not since their mission is to salvage the situation. In reference to Occupational and Health Administration (OHA) of the United States Department of Labor, federal standards have been enforced that apply to the health and safety workers. The basic regulations apply to the fire department which entails hazardous materials, respiratory protection, fire brigades and blood borne pathogens. The hazard regulations are also managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide for the safety and health of the workers. However, each state has its rules and regulations and a regulatory structure which protects the workers. It is prudent to identify and evaluate dangers that may be inherent in a risk and then take important steps in protecting employees against such dangers. Sample case study A fire occurred within a building and it was reported by a tenant of the building which was hosting two businesses. Unfortunately, as the firefighters conducted the rescue activities to salvage the lives of the people trapped in the building as well as some property that they could reach, one of them fell off a ladder and died on the spot. In regards to the above scenario, the crew probably did not consider the condition of the ladder before using it in the process because of the hurry involved with the main mission, which is to save. The person exposed himself to danger and eventually lost his life. The main concern is how the employer may determine the risk value before carrying out compensation procedures. Such cases are difficult to handle since it is normally difficult to determine the value of human life. Moreover, frequency and severity are impossible which lead to the expected value used for risk evaluation. This is a very common happening that affects the workers when on the job and lack of proper investigation and risk assessment activities have intensified the reoccurrence of the incident over time. (Wilder, 1995) To avoid such cases, it is important to carry out deep thorough investigations to determine the major causes of the incident. It is also prudent to set strategies important in completely hampering the incident from occurring in the future. Any faire agency or organizational department should take into account the importance of launching a fully constructed safety investigation when such incidences that injure workers or claim their lives occur. This is an obligatory component of a risk management operation. The investigation is important since it enables the department to recognize weaknesses of the already established approaches in determining the pre- operation risks. In that regard, areas of improvement can be recognized such that immediate action is taken. Although, some risks may be unavoidable, all of them are acceptable and thus should be investigated. The results are meant to cut off the possibility of future occurrences. Conclusion Participation is a very important part of emergency learning for every individual who has to respond to fire incidents. The firefighters are usually exposed to numerous risk incidents from which they should learn new skills and expand their knowledge in personal risk avoidance and risk evaluation skills. Having been engaged in the outcome of many incidents, the workers should perfect the skills and focus on accuracy and better analysis of the situations. Personal experience is very paramount although it should be supplemented by observing the incidents as closely as possible. (Teele, 1993) It is prudent for those close to the scene of the events to have the capacity to recognize lurking danger swiftly and devise appropriate strategies to handle the situation and to react to it appropriately and adequately to avoid instances of injury or death. The routine should entail looking for possible indicators of danger which extends to every individual who is at the scene of the incident. It is significant when risk management operations call for a balanced probability and consequence analysis and involvement. For instance, it is good to understand that a burning building has the possibility of collapsing because of an error in the construction that may be undetected. The personnel involved in fire and rescue operations should be endowed with adequate skills obtained through training in regards to fire and risk management. Mover, the departments involved with the program should offer the right equipment, clothing, caps, gloves and other materials necessary for the activity. It is also god to analyze the possible risks involved in the operation such that injuries and deaths are minimized. References Kipp, J. & Loflin, M. 1996. Emergency Incident Risk Management. New York, NY. Lerche, I. & Glaesser, W. 2006, Environmental Risk Assessment: Quantitative Measures, Anthropogenic Influences, Human Impact. Berlin: Springer National Fire Academy, 1984. Student Manual. Fire Risk Analysis: A System‘s Approach. Teele, B.W., ed., 1993. NFPA 1500 Handbook. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association. Wilder, S.1995, Health & Safety for Fire and Emergency Services Personnel, Volume 6, Issue 4, pp. 1, 4, 5. Risk Management in the Fire Service. Occupational and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor Read More