Working in the Community Firefighters - Essay Example

WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY: FIRE FIGHTERS Nowadays, working as a fire fighter means, not only responding to emergencies, but also making people aware of the importance of prevention. We must take into account that most of fires and other accidents in which fire fighters have to intervene are caused by people and, therefore, they can be prevented. According to the "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)" "the United States has the fourth highest fire death rate of all industrialized countries (International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics 2001). Residential fires are the most important cause of fire-related mortality" ("Fire-Related Injuries and Illnesses", Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). http://www.cdc.gov). Prevention labor is part of fire fighters' educational programs, which are addressed both to children and adults in order to avoid, as far as possible, injures and deaths produced by the fire. This labor is developed with their community and national programs. Community public educational programs "NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) teaches people of all ages how to make responsible choices regarding health and safety. One of our most important commitments is to give people the knowledge and skills they need to lead safer lives" ("Education Programs", National Fire Protection Association. http://www.nfpa.org). Fire fighters have different ways to carry out their community programs, which are addressed to the entire population and also to specific groups that run higher risks if an emergency starts. Children are one of these groups and fire fighters usually talk to them about the risks of a variety of things that may cause fire or other accidents. These programs usually include very easy tips about security in the house: things that are potentially dangerous, things that may cause a fire, things to be careful with or to use under the supervision of an adult. These days, internet is increasingly becoming an important teaching method, so most of Fire Departments include a specific section for children on their websites. This is a complement for the labor they carry out in schools, where they talk to children about fire risks, teach them how to prevent and how to act when a fire starts and carry out fire drills. Usually, the person who talks in schools is a member of the community which takes part in some volunteer program. On the websites, most of the fire prevention tips are usually presented as attractive interactive games for children, with eye-catching animations, like the program of the National Fire Protection Association. In their "Risk Watch Safe Community Program" we can find complete information on how to teach children to prevent unintentional injuries or injuries that can result from natural disasters ("Risk Watch Safe Community Program", National Fire Protection Association. http: //www.nfpa.org.). They use games that attract children's attention, like searching the hazardous elements in the picture of a room, making them aware of the elements they need to play safe or helping Sparky the Fire Dog to complete his emergency kit. Sparky, which is dressed as a fire fighter, has his own website (http://www.sparky.org) in which children can learn more about the labor of fire fighters: the different types of trucks, why Dalmatians are the "official" dogs of fire departments and they can also ask him questions about his duty. The United States Fire Administration is another good example of these interactive games for children. On their website, they will find plenty of educational activities like puzzles, coloring pages, matching games and even a quiz to become a Junior Fire Marshal. Also the Chicago Fire Department has its Kids' Section, with entertaining coloring books for little children. The school programs are a very interesting way to warn and prevent children from fire risks. They will see fire prevention as a part of their education. As fires can start whether at home or at school, it is important for children to know some basic safety regulations and it is also schools' duty to promote these programs. The National Fire Protection Association Preschool Programs (from 3 to 5 years), "Learn Not to Burn", aim to make children aware of safety in a positive and non-threatening manner ("Preschool Programs", National Fire Protection Association. http://www.nfpa.org). In order to achieve this, they use songs, games and a large variety of activities. On the United States Fire Administration 's website it is available to download a PDF with "Sesame Street Fire Safety Station Color and Learn" book and "Marty and Jett's Activity Book"; both can be printed and used in the school or at home. The Chicago Fire Department offers free educational programs as well as personnel to conduct these programs, not only in schools but also in organizations and businesses. Usually, in the kid's section, parents and teachers are mentioned or a special part of the program is addressed to them. The United States Fire Administration, for example, presents a complete guide about fire safety (things parents may know in order to avoid injuries or accidents), escape planning or smoke alarms. It is important that parents attend this section, because they are in charge to protect their children from injuries, and this protection starts with prevention. Older students and universities also have specific guides for them, which are very similar to the adult's ones, only taking into account massive escaping plans in colleges and universities. "At age 65, people are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires compared to the population at large. And with our numbers growing every year - in the United States and Canada, adults age 65 and older make up about 12 percent of the population - it's essential to take the necessary steps to stay safe". ("Escape Planning For Older Adults", National Fire Protection Association. http://www.nfpa.org). Another important part of the community fire fighters address to is older adults, as these persons have more risk of injury or their injures might result more serious. Because of his mobility problems, their fragility or their illnesses they run more risks than any other sector of the population. The National Fire Protection Association has developed the "Remembering When: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults" in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help older adults to live safely. The program consists on 16 points, eight related to fire prevention and eight to fall prevention. Some of the tips contained in this program refer to the installation of smoke alarms, the participation in regular fire drills or the importance of being connected by telephone with emergency personnel. The United States Fire Administration has a complete section addressed to older adults. They stress the importance of cooking, smoking or heating safely, as well as installing fire alarms or fire sprinklers and checking them regularly or designing an escape plan. They also encourage people to conduct group presentations about fire safety for older adults in their communities and they provide all the necessary materials for it, what is a very good idea to make citizens aware of the importance of prevention and get them involved in the community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention remarks the importance of preventing falls among older adults, which is one of the main causes of death among people over 65 years and in which, sometimes, fire fighters have to intervene. "More than 43 million Americans have a disability. The identity of the group of Americans with disabilities is constantly changing - at any moment we ourselves could become part of this group, for maybe a short time or maybe for a long time". ("People With Disabilities", National Fire Protection Association. http://www.nfpa.org). As we can read in the National Fire Protection Association's website, an important sector of the population has a disability (blindness, deafness, speech impairments or a mental or physical disability) and all of us are susceptible of having one during the course of our life. Because of their difficulties to move or the lack of one of the five senses, these people run a higher risk than others in an emergency situation. In the "Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities" we can find plenty of information on how to identify an emergency, how to find the way out, how to get out and what kind of assistance will be required. This guide is also addressed to the professionals or relatives who take care of these persons. The United States Fire Administration also provides specific guides for each disability and remarks the importance of asking for advice when needed. Fire fighters' community labor also stresses the need of prevention in other fields, for example, in the workplace, where is important to design an evacuation plan, inform employees and organize fire drills. In some businesses, not only the employees have to be evacuated, but also the customers (for example, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and others). Other tips are given for community in general: safety for barbeques, Christmas, holidays, fire extinguishers, cooking, carbon monoxide detectors, natural disasters National educational programs Fire fighters also develop national educational programs, which consist on managing "programs that increase capacity of the nation's fire and emergency services and the public to prevent, mitigate, prepare for, and respond to local, regional and national emergencies" ("National Fire Programs", United States Fire Administration. http://www.usfa.dhs.gov). One of the main objectives of these programs is to increase the prevention labor of fire departments and try to respond to emergencies in the best way, by reducing their consequences to the minimum. The improvement of the training methods and materials in the National Fire Academy or the development of new strategies of action and assistance are some measures that these programs carry out. Community programs are part of the national educational programs and their main objective is to increase the awareness of the people in relation to emergencies, and especially to its prevention. But national educational programs coordinate their activities with the State or the local Government and, sometimes, also with other organizations (like non-governmental organizations). The National Response Framework, which is an improvement of the National Response Plan, needs to be mentioned, as it provides guidance for responding whether to domestic emergencies and big disasters. "The Framework defines the key principles, roles, and structures that organize the way we respond as a Nation. It describes how communities, tribes, States, the Federal Government, and private-sector and nongovernmental partners apply these principles for a coordinated, effective national response" ("National Response Framework", Federal Emergency Management Agency. http://www.fema.gov). The national programs are also developed to provide assistance to States and Governments in the creation of new standards for fire fighters' safety as well as assisting in fire legislations, fire prevention activities and coordinating Federal arson prevention programs. Fire fighters work is to prevent hazardous situations and to protect people when an emergency occurs, but we must not forget that they are also persons that need to be protected. They risk their lives for other people and society's duty is to protect them as much as possible. The "Tribute to Heroes" campaign is developed by the United States Fire Administration to reduce fire fighters deaths and to concern people about the importance of installing fire alarms, having emergency escape plans and paying attention to general home safety. In 1992, the United States Congress created the nonprofit organization "Fallen Firefighters Foundation" to help the families of death fire fighters. National fire programs are entrusted with the implementation of using the National Incident Management System (NIMS) developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2004. This plan was created for handling major emergency situations (terrorist acts, natural catastrophes) that could not be managed locally and in which other jurisdictions need to intervene. The NIMS facilitate this collaboration that has a positive effect on the management of the emergency, the preparation of the emergency teams and the mutual aid. A multidisciplinary group, the National Integration Center (NIC) Incident Management Systems Integration Division, has the duty of constantly improving the system and guidance to administrations. Another important labor is the recruitment and formation of voluntary fire fighters with the "Volunteer Incentive Program" developed by the National Fire Academy since 1980. The program's content deals with topics like control of incident operations, fire causes, safety and prevention or how to carry out community and public educational programs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborates with the United States Fire Administration for reducing the number of deaths produced by residential fires. They work in researching the risk factors of fire, the installation of fire alarms and they also projected a Civilian Fire Safety Corps whose main labor is the fire safety education. In 2006 they developed the Public-Private Fire Safety Council which is basically an informative paper about residential fire prevention (http://www.firesafety.gov/downloads/pdf/white-paper-alarms.pdf). Responding public inquires about fire educational programs Fire fighters are responsible of public security in emergencies, but this security depends, to a great extent, on people's own responsibility. Most of the fires break out because of human negligence and, therefore, they can be avoided and prevented. Public fire educational programs are based in prevention because of that reason. Their main objective is to make people aware of this importance and to provide all the necessary materials and information to develop this labor. Community and public education programs are essential to carry out this labor. They might be a complement for children and older students' education, but they have to reach also adults and older adults, with specific programs for each of them. These programs must teach people on how to prevent fires and other risky situations, but they must also imply people and get them involved in their own communities and making them more prepared to face emergency situations, avoid risks and protect their properties. After all, one of the main targets of the public fire educational programs is to create a community awareness and sense of collaboration, of helping each other. Although there are general programs that contain general tips about fire prevention, programs could be designed for a specific community considering its specific risks (for example, what to do when a fire starts is the forest and we live nearby). Programs usually work in the following scopes: Information: nowadays, internet is a big source of information relating to this topic. The National Fire Protection Association, the United States Fire Administration, and the Chicago Fire Department have complete websites with plenty of information with regard to prevention and educational programs. Most of this information could be printed and distributed in the community. Participation: with the information provided, they encourage people to create informative groups to prevent their neighbors. These groups can work in schools, in old people's homes, in workplaces or in public meetings addressed to everybody. Volunteering: fire departments provide volunteer programs for everybody who wants to receive training in fire prevention and emergency response. This training is provided by professional fire services. These groups act as a support of fire brigades and they also develop an educational labor. Obviously, all these programs are free and their main intentions are to safe lives and avoid tragedies, as well as achieving a sense of shared responsibility in the community. Responding to a public inquire, the fire educational programs must be considered as very useful and with a positive impact in the community, not only for the safe information they provide, but also for the sense of community they can generate if people get involved in them. How to keep the community informed When talking about communication, the role of the information officer is essential. His duty will be to put at disposal of the community all the required information. When the major risks of the community are identified and a plan is designed following these guidelines, it must be distributed to the whole community. The distribution channels are varied and all of them can be used so as much as information reaches as many people. The information officer has to identify which of these channels will work better in the community he is working in. Internet is one of the more useful channels, because it is available for everyone with a computer, it can be updated when needed without any cost and it can be consulted whenever the person wants. For children is very eye-catching and for older students and adults is, sometimes, the main way of communication. But not everybody uses internet, so there must be other ways of reaching these people. Organizing regular meetings in which prevention tips and brochures are distributed is a good way to make people start to get involved in fire security and prevention. Perhaps, this is the best way to keep people in touch and generate this sense of shared responsibility. In these meetings, the information officer must intervene, as well as members of the community and the volunteers. Other special meetings must be organized in schools, old people's residences and for people with disabilities, as they require special attention in fire emergencies. Some fire departments organize thematic weeks to attract people's attention, for instance, the Fire Prevention Week or the Arson Awareness Week. They can be very useful tools to raise awareness among the whole community. Tributes to heroes are also a good tool for this purpose. Organizing guided visits to fire departments is a common practice, especially in schools, that help children (and adults) understand the importance of fire fighters' work and how they carry out their duty every day. References: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fire-Related Injuries and Illnesses. http://www.cdc.gov/health/fire.htm. Chicago Fire Department, Fire and Life Safety Education. http://cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalDeptCategoryAction.do. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), National Incident Management System. http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/. National Response Framework. http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nrf/about_nrf.pdf. NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), Learning. http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.aspcategoryID=127&URL=Learning. USFA (United States Fire Administration), USFA for Citizens. http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/index.shtm. Read More