Quality and Standards: Fire and Rescue Service - Term Paper Example

Quality and Standards Fire and Rescue Service Abstract The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service’s existing quality assurance systems were examine and evaluated in line with the government’s policy change last July 2010. The organization is generally committed to the principle of Customer Service Excellence and the primary quality assurance systems in place are IRS (for incident recording and planning) and HSG65 (for workforce health and safety), and ISO 14000 for environmental protection. Performance summary documents of Warwickshire FRS through the years show significant achievement particularly in the area of fire prevention, protection, reduction of fatalities and injuries, and health and safety of the workforce. The quality assurance systems in place are valid, sufficient, and beneficial to the organization as well as to the community they serve. In the absence of external assessment such as CAA and others, the organization may still do well with the existing QA system provided they take self-assessment and performance evaluation seriously. 1. Introduction In line with the United Kingdom government’s decision to abolish the Comprehensive Area Assessments and reduce government inspections for FRS, the need to assess the quality assurance systems being used becomes necessary to determine how well such systems can cope with these changes. The nominated organization is Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service which is an equally active organization complying with the statutory requirements of the Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004. The WFRS created their first IRMP in 2004 and managed to update their IRMP in the next six years. Along with their directorate plan, IRMP, and other relevant documents, this study carefully examines the organizations quality assurance systems, performance, and quality requirements in the near future. 2. Methodology The concern of this report is to critically review and assess the validity and benefits of existing and proposed quality assurance system within Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service. For this reason, relevant documents of the concerned organization such as their previous and current Integrated Risk Management Plan, Directorate Plan, Strategy documents, and others were retrieved from the official website. These documents were examined and analyzed to determine the key quality assurance system in place. Other relevant government documents such the Fire and Rescue Services Act and National Framework for Fire and Rescue 2008-11 were also retrieved from their respective websites for reference and consultation. 3. The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service Quality Assurance System 3.1 Validity and benefits of the key quality assurance systems used by the Fire and Rescue Service pre-government change July 2010. Covering around 736 square miles and a population of over half a million, the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue is doing its best to keep the community safe through its Integrated Risk Management Plan. These include responding to fires and other emergencies effectively, reduce deaths and injuries caused by fire and road accidents, continuously development of skills among its members, and meeting the expectations of the community (Warwickshire FRS, 2010e, p.1). The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Integrated Risk Management Plan have been around for many years and is linked with Warwickshire County Council’s Corporate Business Plan as well as the council’s Sustainable Community Strategy. The fire and rescue service’s IRMP was conceived in compliance with the statutory requirement of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. The first IRMP was introduced in 2004 as an action plan for 2004-2005 which introduced several service improvements that include establishment of Area Risk Teams, Home Fire Safety Checks, Youth Development, Arson Reduction, and new policies to reduce automatic false alarms. However, performance for the year one implementation of Warwickshire IRMP is not available probably because it was still in its development stage (Warwickshire FRS, 2010f, p.1). In 2007-2010, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service reported that it has achieved significant development compared to 2004-2005 performance. According to the report, Warwickshire FRS reduced the total number of fire and injuries caused by fire by 27% and 45% respectively. Similarly, they have reduced accidental and deliberate fires by 9% and 28% respectively. In line with the organization’s Home Fire Safety initiatives, the FRS visited more than 1,800 homes and installed about 26,000 smoke alarms in homes throughout Warwickshire. During this period, the Warwickshire FRS managed to increase youth participation in the Young Fire fighters Association which provide the opportunity for young people to get involved in activities and projects of the FRS (Warwickshire 2010e, p.1). In their performance summary for 2010, the Warwickshire FRS presented a very interesting summary of their achievement form 2001 to 210. The gradual decrease of primary fires per one hundred thousand population from 2001 onwards is a clear indication of operational success and effectiveness in the application of a particular quality assurance system. The number of deliberate fires including vehicles in 2001 was 14.3% and after the implementation of IRMP in 2005, this figure went down to 13.7%. From this period onward, the decrease was consistent and reached 6.33% in their latest report. Similarly, the number of false alarms were reduced considerably from 151 (2005) to 75 in 2010. Injuries arising from accidental dwelling fires went from 4.2% to 2.82% in 2010 (Warwickshire FRS 2010d, p.1). As far as Quality Assurance is concern, the creation of the first IRMP indicates that Warwickshire FRS went to a series of data collection that include identifying potential risks to the communities. The sources of this information were fire reports, neighbouring brigades, census and deprivation data, WCC Research Units, The Chamber of Commerce, and the British Airports Authority. The data collected was then collated and interpreted by Geographical Information System software to produce a risks map for Warwickshire. The risks map enables the FRS to visualize the area where the risk are and predict the probability of an event occurring in a particular area. Based on the reports at least from 2004 to 2010, the Warwickshire FRS appears to have an Incident Reporting System recording and generating reports for the organization. For instance, the FRS managed to generate an incidence and response data for Alcaster from 2007 to 2009 using an IRS. The system is common in most UK-based FRS and it is not surprising that Warwickshire FRS is taking advantage of its capability in ensuring quality within the organization (Warwickshire 2010d, p.1). The recent Integrated Risk Management for 2010-2013 was drafted before the government change in July 2010. This is evident in the IRMP’s emphasis on the recent assessment made by the Audit Commission. However, this IRMP as well the previous IRMP is still based on the “Customer Service Excellence” quality assurance model commonly used in UK’s public sector organization. Along with IRS or Incident Reporting System, HSG65, ISO14000, Warwickshire FRS continues to improve its community service particularly in the area of fire and emergency response, health and safety of the workforce, and environmental protection. The recent IRMP shows that reduction of deaths and injuries caused by fire and vehicular accidents is still a top priority along with skills development and safety of the organization’s workforce (Warwickshire 2010a, p.4). The validity and benefits of key quality assurance systems used by Warwickshire FRS is evident in their significant achievement and continuous reliance on the same system throughout the years. In 2009, for instance, the FRS planned to improve their emergency response capacity and eventually countywide risks information was updated including application of computer-based modelling system that enable the FRS to test their options. The result of such effort was refined ideas and better way of working that include improved deployment of fire fighters and engines, reduction of carbon footprint and FRS impact on the environment, efficient use of money, better Automatic Fire Alarm attendance policy, and improved training facility (Warwickshire 2010a, p.4). Processes developed out of the quality assurance model and incident reporting system help the FRS learn and improve the way they deal with incidents. They have been consistent and conducting regular debriefs which are recorded and evaluated to help them learn from previous experiences. Generally, so much effort has been devoted to data collection and analysis to ensure targets are being met (Warwickshire 2010a, p.6). In the latest Warwickshire FRS IRMP, the organization intends to advance almost all aspect of their operation. For instance, although there have been significant improvement in community fire safety initiative, the FRS still propose to increase the number of home fire safety checks and smoke detectors. Moreover, the FRS actually wants to double the Hot Fires and Incident Command System training for their operational staff annually (Warwickshire 2010a, p.4). With the absence of Comprehensive Area Assessment and the Audit Commission’s external and independent assessment, the FRS must rely on self-assessment while facing the financial pressures being imposed on the public sector. The Warwickshire FRS according to its directorate business plan is determined to continue its improvement initiatives regardless of pressures. As before, the plan is generally focus in performance, value for money, and compliance with the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, Civil Contingencies Act 2004, and the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2008/11. 3.2 Appraisal of the appropriateness of any available QA systems related to the key strategic objectives set out in the current IRMP projections of Warwickshire FRS. Depending on the extent to which “Customer Service Excellence” will be taken into account on Warwickshire FRS’s quest for improvement, the combination of available quality assurance system may be sufficient to support their IRMP projections for 2010-2013. For instance, the implementation of IRS or Incident Reporting System can support clear and systematic response to fire and other emergency. As implemented before, data from the system can be use to evaluate and identity risk areas. Similarly, implementing HSG65 in line with workforce development and well-being can help ensure the health and safety of the workforce and eventually the overall performance of the organization. The ISO 14000 on the other hand can help Warwickshire FRS attain their environmental goals such as reducing their operational impact on the environment. More importantly, these quality assurance systems can ensure delivery of quality service and value for money. The effect of changing risk across the area is being considered by Warwickshire FRS management and it might affect the effectiveness of existing quality assurance system. For instance, the increase in the number of road traffic collisions or RTC clearly requires upgrading of equipment and special training particularly with heavy vehicles. The number of incidents recorded in 2009 shows more than two thousand accidents, almost three hundred of which are serious and may increase in the future if not given appropriate action (Warwickshire 2010a, p.9). Existing quality assurance system deployed within Warwickshire FRS particularly IRS is a valuable tool in monitoring and evaluating occurrences of road accidents. The data that will be generated by the system can greatly help in planning, decision-making, and evaluating the performance of the organization. Similar quality assurance system can be use to ensure value for money such as those involving financial management and proper use of resources. Warwickshire FRS, as mentioned earlier, cover a wide area consists of 19 stations with varying needs and frequency of fire incidents. Proper monitoring and recording of data can help identify priorities and budget required for a particular station thus minimising errors in budget allocation. This can also help ensure realization of priorities set out in the IRMP for 2010-2013 such as providing the right equipment vehicles and information of each station, meeting the expectations of the community, and further reduction of deaths and injuries (Warwickshire 2010a, p.15). In protecting people against extreme weather events, existing quality assurance can help the organization and its partners to plan and raise public awareness of risks and actions to be taken. The risks mapping mentioned early can provide valuable information that the organization can use to respond immediately and provide assistance in the shortest possible time (Warwickshire 2010a, p.10). More importantly, existing quality assurance system can help strike a balance between meeting the extra spending pressures on services and the increasing cost of waste disposal (Warwickshire 2010b, p.9). In terms of compliance with the National Framework 2008/11, the combination of these quality assurance systems may sufficient in terms prevention, protection, and response as proven in many years of application before. They also applicable to resilience, diversity and workforce, governance and improvement as ISR, HSG65, and ISO 14000 are designed to meet each requirement particularly in effective governance, diversity and welfare of the workforce, continuous improvement, and resilience (Department of Communities and Local Government, 2008, p.9). 3.3 Assessment of the validity and benefits of the quality assurance systems suggested for Warwickshire FRS post government change July 2010 The government changes from July 2010 give the fire and rescue more control of their services as the government intend to give greater autonomy to communities where the organization serve. Aligned with these changes, the existing quality assurance systems, independent and unaffected by change, may be equally useful. For instance, similar to previous years IRMP, the currently approved IRMP for 2010 to 2013 seeks further improvement on the way the Fire and Rescue Service respond to fire and other emergencies. It also intends to further reduce the deaths and injuries caused by fire and road traffic accidents. Similarly, continuous development of workforce skills and promotion of health and safety among is always a priority along with effective leadership, value for money, and protection of the environment (Warwickshire 2010a, p.2). Apparently, these activities were controlled by the existing quality assurance systems during previous years thus for as long as they are used properly future application may not be a problem. The combined quality assurance systems seems valid for post government change July 2010 as although control of activities is no longer regional in nature and budget may not be large enough as before, the effect of such system in terms of maintaining and ensuring quality is the same. These systems are independent and regardless of regional or local control, the same processes can be applied. Similarly, the benefits may be the same as data generated by these systems is generally useful in planning particularly when they are already implemented for several years and contains valuable information. 3.4 Review in the application of recommended quality assurance system to ensure consistent proof of quality enhancement within the organization. To maintain and improve quality within the organization, the application of quality assurance system such as the IRS must be consistent. For instance, the data being recorded are valuable pieces of information required to generate an overall picture of performance thus neglect in input can cause errors that can severely affect the quality of decisions and planning. Similarly, HSG65 can be use along with other quality systems as application of IRS data may not yield a positive outcome if the health and safety of the workforce is ignored. Effective health and safety management such as creation of appropriate health and safety policies, proper planning, and measurement of performance is critical to the success of the organization’s quality initiatives since the workforce is its most valuable asset. Reduction of the FRS environmental impact is as important as reducing fatalities and injuries since quality is not only measured by the success of one effort but by the organization’s overall impact. Applied along with other quality assurance systems, the ISO 14000 standard can greatly improve quality enhancement within the organization as its operation will not create any unnecessary complication in the environment. 4. Conclusion and Recommendations Since 2004, the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is complying with the statutory requirements of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. With its consistently updated Integrated Risk Management Plan, the organization managed to enhance their performance and service to the community. Along with the IRMP, several quality assurance systems are being used to ensure and maintain quality in the organization. These include adopting the Customer Service Excellence principle where continuous improvement is necessary, an Incident Reporting System that can provide valuable data required for planning and evaluation of performance, and HSG65 to ensure health and safety of the workforce. Maintaining such systems is recommended regardless of the changes made by government in July 2010. However, new quality assurance system may be adopted provided that it is applicable to the future plans of the organization. Total Word Count = 2,683 (excluding reference section) 5. References/Bibliography Communities and Local Government, 2010, Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2008-11, Department of Communities and Local Government, United Kingdom UK Parliament, 2004, Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, The Stationery Office, United Kingdom Warwickshire FRS, 2010a, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Authority Integrated Risk Management Plan 2010-13, Warwickshire County Council, United Kingdom Warwickshire FRS, 2010b, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Directorate Plan, Warwickshire County Council, United Kingdom Warwickshire FRS, 2010c, Community Fire Protection Strategy 2010-2015, CFP Strategy Document, WFRS, United Kingdom Warwickshire FRS, 2010d, Performance Summary from 2001 to 2010, WFRS, United Kingdom Warwickshire FRS, 2010e, Performance within Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, available online at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/B46CBAA60808D82E80256EE10036BDF5 Warwickshire FRS, 2010f, IRMP Year One, available online at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/31D51BA8FA47EF808025704C00351AAD Read More