Governmental Influences on Fire Prevention Organization and Management - Term Paper Example

A Report on Governmental Influences on Fire Prevention Organization and Management Your name: Institutional affiliation: 1.0 Introduction This report is about the government’s initiative to support fire prevention and management in our states. It analyses the steps taken by the government towards this issue in terms of federal agencies it runs, programs it supports that are aimed at preventing fires, state agencies that work to prevent fire, and the parameters that the government has put in place to ensure fire prevention while staying out of their citizen’s privacy. Fire has been one of the leading causes of death in the United States with casualties ranging from fire victims, firemen, emergency medical staff and law enforcement authorities. Over the years, research into the fire trends in various states has revealed that, policies guiding operation on fire prevention and management have been leaning towards fire suppression as opposed to prevention (USFA, 2000). This has led to a fire force that reacts to disasters instead of preventing them. The federal government has tried to change this by introducing fire prevention policies into their practice. Firemen are now involved in the pre-emergency and emergency time of fire related incidents. Approaches to implementing fire prevention include regular check on fire systems in residential and public areas to ensure they are up to date in case of an emergency, offering public education to the public on how to stay safe in case of a fire, financing the fire department for all needful equipment, resources and personnel, and working together with law enforcement agencies to detect and prevent intentional fires in form of terrorism and arson attacks (Hall Jr, 2002). The fire prevention initiatives have ensured that the number of fire related deaths have declined over the years. Records from the United States Fire Association indicate that in the year 2008, fire deaths were at 12% down from 13.6% in 2004 (USFA, 2004). The current projected death rate is at 5% for fire related deaths in the United States. Rural and sub-urban areas depend on volunteers and private fire security organization for fire prevention and suppression while urban areas depend on firemen instituted by the local government (Hall Jr, 2002). These firemen work on a 24 hour shift in clusters of 5 to 13 depending on the size of the region and personnel available (Diamantes, 2010). 2.0 Federal Organizations undertaking Fire Protection The federal government’s initiative to prevent fire is advanced by a number of agencies which it has given this mandate. 2.1 Occupational Safety and Health Administration The agency was started in 1971 and its purpose was to promote workplace safety. An estimated 2.5 million people were injured while 14,000 died from work related hazards in the year 1970 prior to this agency (Delmarlearning, 2004). Currently the number of accidents has been reduced by half and additional standards on fire, explosions and hazards have been set. OSHA has also set standards for fire brigade personnel and their training. 2.2 Department of Defense The military have their fire protection unit which protects properties of the US government from fire and also maintains all its substations by ensuring they are well equipped to deal with emergencies. The DOD conducts fire inspections, fire prevention education programs and fire safety consultancy. The agency has a fire training facility in Texas called the Louis F. Garland Academy. It is mandatory for all DOD firefighters to undertake fire inspector training and certification (Diamantes, 2010). 2.3 U.S. Consumer Products and Services Commission The commission ensures safety and quality of products for use by consumers. USCPSC conducts research, sets quality and safety standards for manufacturers, educates consumers and recalls unsafe products. CPSC has been on the watch on fire safety. In 1974, it set standards for children’s sleepwear; it set the type of material to be used for making children’s sleepwear and those that did not meet the standard were banned (Delmar learning, 2004). Also, in 1998 they banned Omega’s fire sprinklers and all other problematic sprinklers that were in the market. CPSC has embraced their special role in fire prevention and beyond. 2.4. National Interagency Fire center This agency was founded in 1965 in Boise, Idaho. The agency is a cooperative effort by a number of agencies such as: US Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Weather Service, Bureau of Indian Management, National Association of State Foresters and Fish and Wildlife Service. This interagency is an act of collective effort to reduce wild fires and other fire related accidents which could otherwise be prevented. The agency educates the public, reduces potential burning capacity of fuels by placing fire breaks. They also make laws on open fire burning at federal and state level (Diamantes, 2010). 2.5 National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control It was formed in 1968 by the Late President Richard Nixon as a result of recommendations made by the report on “America Burning” Some of the recommendations on fire prevention are: placing more emphasis on fire prevention through fire safety education, inspection and setting codes to be followed, Quality training for fire service personnel, installing up to date fire protection mechanisms in buildings so as to protect life and property and for other fire protection agencies to work together with US consumer product safety commission in regulating materials affecting fire safety (USFA. 2000). The commission also championed the formation of USFA which would open a national fire academy to train firemen, conduct research, maintain fire related data and fund smaller units of the government in fire prevention. 2.6 United States Fire Administration It was formed in 1974 as an Act of the Senate on Federal Fire Prevention and Control. The agency’s initial name was the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration but was later renamed United States Fire Administration (USFA). It is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). USFA conducts public education campaigns, trains in emergency response and tests fire technology before releasing it for use. It also collects, analyses and release data on fire related incidents and accidents (Diamantes, 2010). 3.0 USFA Programs that Support Fire Prevention 3.1 USFA Public Education Programs This agency has educational programs that teach on safety and fire prevention. They also have educational materials like pamphlets and magazines which can either be bought online or at their publication center (Delmar learning, 2004). They have a publication called The Fire Safety Directory which gives basic directions on how to manage all types of fire accidents. 3.2 USFA Training Programs USFA trainings are held in their Emmetsburg campus. The campus has a national fire academy which provides resident courses in conjunction with regional training organizations. They train in fire prevention and emergency planning, public awareness, code enforcement, and hazardous material. The campus also has emergency management institute which trains on natural disaster preparedness and civil defense. 3.3 USFA Fire Safety Technology Programs USFA works with other public and private organizations to carry out research and testing. The organization distributes its research findings to firemen and other organizations in the firefighting course. They also have a special course for architects and designers to help them develop fire safe structures (Delmar learning, 2004). 3.4 USFA Data Collection, Analysis and Dissemination This program provides funds for fire protection and prevention and also gathers analyses and distributes data used in reviewing the state of fire prevention programs for quality management. 4.0 State Agencies with Responsibility for Fire Protection 4.1 Fire Marshal Office Most states consider the fire marshal’s office as the center for fire protection activities at state level. They educate the public, conduct research, investigate fires, provide fire training, give license to fire industries, implementing fire codes and to compile a loss statistics report in case of a fire in which property is destroyed (etudes project, 2003). 4.2 Health Department The health department can allow the fire marshal’s office to conduct research on fire safety in their sector 4.3 Department of Education The education sector trains students in fire safety practices at school and at home. It also trains students to engage in public education programs in the community. Public Utilities Commission It helps the federal government in conducting inspections in the pipeline systems to ensure their safety at all times. 4.4 Forestry The forestry department controls open fire lighting especially in the wooden area. It is also responsible for handling refunds in case of fire suppression and also refunds to individuals who lose their property in fires 5.0 Parameters that Allow the Government to Support Fire Prevention Maintaining citizens’ privacy is paramount to the success of fire prevention programs because this is the only way they can cooperate with the federal government in their plans. Parameter that the government uses include: 5.1 Badges and Cards Use of badges and cards that can be identified by the general public (N.I.ST, 1975) 5.2 Fire Alert Bells Bells connected to the nearest fire department that can be rung in case of a fire. 5.3 Smoke detectors These cause the fire bell to ring when a certain amount of smoke is detected 6.0 Conclusion and Recommendations The federal government had taken a back seat in fire protection except in cases when federal property was affected. This was until the report on “America Burns” was out in 1973 that the situation changed. Currently, the government is actively involved in fire prevention through the US Fire Administration, National Fire Data Centre, the National Fire Academy and other related agencies. To further fire prevention programs, I give the following recommendations. 1. Proper coordination between federal agencies and private organizations with an interest in fire prevention. 2. Allocation of enough funds to further the course of fire prevention through research, testing and data management. 3. Regular refresher courses should be held for people out of school to ensure they are up to date with current fire protection practices. 4. The different federal agencies need to have clear duties to avoid overlapping 7.0 References “America Burning” (1973) “America Burning Revisited “(1987). America at Risk (2000). United States Fire Administration. Available at http://www.usfa.fema.org. Diamantes, D. (2010). Principles of Fire Prevention. Cengage Learning. Available at http:// books.google.co.ke/books Hall Jr. (2002). The U.S. Fire Problem. National Fire Protection Association, 3rd October. Retrieved from http://www.nfpa.org National Bureau of Standards. (1975). Computer Security Guidelines for Implementing the Security Act 1974. Processing Standards Publications, May 30. Retrieved from http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fips41.pdf Public Fire Prevention Organizations and Functions, chapter 2. Retrieved from http://webtools.delmarlearning.com/sample_chapters/1401826113_Ch02.pdf State Agencies and Their Fire Prevention Activities. Available at http://etudesproject.org/nonfpdata/cog/FS357/FPOM_files-linked/03--TheStateAgencies&aposRoleinPrevention.pdf Read More