Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services - Report Example

Abstract Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services which looks towards providing fire fighting services has made some major changes as the management of the team has changed which has helped them to ensure better facilities and equipments through which risk can be controlled. This has ensured better services and the report highlights the manner in which Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has looked towards identifying the different areas through which they are able to ensure better services. While looking to pursue the objective Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has also ensured that they comply with the legal requirements. Some of the factors which have helped them is a positive budget along with the improvement in the level of service due to which better fire fighting services have been rendered. The only area of concern for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services is to ensure that they look towards constantly changing and keeping with the requirements ensure that better equipments and strategies can be used to save lives and will help to ensure maximum productivity for the organization. Table of Contents Introduction 3 Background 3 Societal Risk Associated with Fire 4 Categorizing Societal Risk 6 Strategies to Change Human Behavior towards Risk 7 Matching Resources to Risk for Decision Making 8 Role of Legislation as a Preventive Measure 9 Effective Response Force 9 Recommendations 10 Conclusion 10 References 12 Introduction Increase in the incidents of fire has increased the pressure on the fire fighters where they have to look towards developing strategies and having all the equipments at their disposal so that they are able to save more human life and preserve property. This increases the role for the decision makers where they have to look towards drafting policies through which better deployment of the resources are possible. This will require development of strategies which are aimed towards having the required resources for manpower and equipment to control fire, complying with the legal requirements and having the availability of finance so that the different areas can be financed. Having the different resources will ensure that the business is able to control the hazards and will help to prevent human fatalities. This report thereby looks to present the manner in which Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has looked towards developing its resources and strategies which are aimed at reducing the overall level f fatalities. To understand it better the Integrated Risk Management Plan for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services is being looked at for the year 2012 to 2015. This will help to identify the different underlying areas and will help to throw light on the different strategies and areas which when worked on will help to improve the overall working condition and preserve human life. Background Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services have witnessed a change in management which has made widespread changes in their policies. These changes have helped to improve the overall efficiency by ensuring that better resources are developed and better control is exercised through which risk assessment has become and risk is controlled. Previously, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services faced huge difficulties due to the fact that they didn’t have sufficient finance but over a passage of time Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services was able to ensure positive budget which will ensure better procurement of the resources and will help to carry out their normal operations in the most efficient manner. The problem that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services faces is the rising number of calls concerning fire and reducing fire fighters have increased the workload on the others and requires proper directives and control to be able to deal with the incident in the best possible manner. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services have been able to improve in certain directions which have helped to control incidents but still are an area of concern. The positivity for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services is that despite recession the rescue service has been able to manage a positive budget which will help to purchase the required resources, have regular drills and training programs which will ensure that the level and magnitude of risk reduces and fire is controlled. Societal Risk Associated with Fire Traditionally the risk process looked towards identifying the mechanism through which hazards were controlled by developing a method which looked towards suppressing the method so as to deal with emergency in a better way. The risk only doesn’t looks towards dealing with fire but also involves identifying the casualties and having the necessary medical arrangements so that human life can be preserved. This thereby helps towards identifying the manner in which Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has to look towards developing steps which are aimed at developing emergency steps through which society can be preserved and human life can be saved (Fire, 2012). This makes it imperative that the different societal risks are identified do that proper methods to deal with the hazards can be developed. The consequences is thereby largely dependent on the manner in which the organization is able to deal with the different risk that the society has to face in relation to duration, nature of fire, loss to life and property, personal injuries, economic loss and other damages which the environment has to undergo. This has thereby helped to identify the different risk that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has to face and deal with and includes the following four areas (Consultation, 2012) Human Impact: This is the risk that the society has to deal with respect to human life and the life of the fire fighters that looks towards protecting the society. It requires proper steps and strategies to be able to preserve human life Economic Impact: This is the risk that the society has to face with respect to the loss of property and the effect it will have on the economic development of the economy. This will impact the society and needs to consider from different angles and ways so that better strategies to deal with those are developed. Psychological Impact: This is the risk that is associated with the confidence level that the society has on the fire fighters and their abilities to protect human life. This process continues longer and looks towards ensuring that proper rehabilitation is provided and confidence of the different section of the society is developed so that better services can be rendered Functional Impact: This is the risk that is associated with the manner the difficulty that the society faced to carry out their responsibilities and mostly arises after fire is controlled and human are allowed to lead their normal life This thereby helps to identify the different societal and community risk that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has to deal with and will require proper strategies to be able to counter those. Categorizing Societal Risk The society has to deal with different risk which increases the complexity for the society and has to identify the manner through which different areas have to be identified through which the different factors which results in risk has to be controlled. This has thereby resulted towards dividing the risk into the following (Fire, 2012) Property: This is the risk that the society has to deal with which results in a loss of property. Since, the structure of the society is such where things are complicated it has resulted in making difficult for the fire fighters to render their services. This has made things worse for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services and requires identification of the different areas through which the loss for the society can be mitigated. Life: Fire results in increased loss of life for the society and required development of special strategy so that the fire fighters are able to work in such a manner through which maximum control can be ascertained and life of people can be saved. This requires that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services looks towards developing strategies through which better control can be exercised and human life can be protected. Critical Infrastructure: This aspect looks towards highlighting the faith and belief that the people have on the fire fighters that human life will be protected and proper services rendered so that the society has the required confidence on the fire services. This will require that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services develops proper strategies through which better control is achieved and human life can be protected. Strategies to Change Human Behavior towards Risk The manner in which has affected society has made Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services develop a coverge plan which is aimed at improving the manner in which hazards were controlled and bringing a change in human behavior. To ensure maximum change in behavior Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has developed and follows “Standard of Response Coverage” through which policies and process are developed which will help to mobilize the resources in a better way and will thereby look towards protecting more human life (Drabek, 2001) This will require that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services develop a service level objective through which the time taken by the fire fighters to reach the spot of incident is reduced. This will also require that confidence building measures are developed which will help to ensure that the public helps the fire fighters to control fire. In addition to it training ans regular drills have to be performed through which better efficiency is gained and the fire fighters are better prepared to act in the most positive manner (Drabek, 2001) Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services have to look towards ensuring that to provide the required services they have the required equipments which has to be purchased. Also timely updates and development has to be made with regard to technology so that the fire fighters are able to control the overall situation is a better way and are able to reduce the level of risk and alter the behavior of the people (Drabek, 2001). Matching Resources to Risk for Decision Making To manage risk Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has looked towards procuring the required resources and having the necessary equipments at their disposal through which the hazard from fire can be controlled (IRMP, 2012). This has also ensured that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services looks towards providing the required training and knowledge which allows the fire fighters to use new technology as well the newly purchased equipments in the most efficient manner. The first step that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services have taken in this direction is to recruit more people who can perform their duties as fire fighters. This has led towards an increase in the number of fire fighters which will enable them to render better services. To match the increase in the number of fire fighters Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has looked towards purchasing the required equipments and technology which will help to provide the best service that is possible. This will help to create a positive effect on the manner the services are rendered and will increase the faith and belief that the community has on the fire fighters. To ensure that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services are able to procure the required resources the change in management has helped. This has been matched by the fact that they have a positive budget which will ensure that they have the required financials to purchase the required resources. . This has resulted in a decrease in the number of incidents in 2010-11 to 59.21 from 63.05 in 2009-10. This has helped Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services to gain efficiency in managing their resources and have enabled them to save more lives by developing ways and paths through which they are able to reach the spot of incident at the shortest possible time (IRMP, 2012) Role of Legislation as a Preventive Measure Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services follow the rules and regulations that have been enacted by the government of England. To abide by the rules stringent measures are in place and the management looks to have a formal process so that all requirements of the law are compiled with. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has developed their priorities and determined their objectives based on the rules enacted by the government of England. This has developed the path that the fire fighters have to follow and has gradually determined the entire framework based on which Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services will be looking towards fulfilling their services. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has ensured that the legislation instead of acting as a barrier ensures a preventive measure which will help to control risk better and direct the fire fighters to follow a path. Effective Response Force The strategies and the legislation which Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services follows will ensure that they are able to improve their services and will help to reduce the number of accidents which takes place due to fire. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services have the basic resources like fire fighters, equipments and proper model will help to reduce the hazard that might be caused due to fire and will help to prevent human life. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services has to ensure that the time taken to reach the spot of the incident is considered which will help to identify the indicators using which better efficiency will be achieved and the fire fighters will be able to gain operational efficiency. The overall process has made Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services gain maximum advantage while using their resources and ensures that the capacity utilization is the best that can be achieved. This has transformed the level of service that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services provides and has helped to develop the required framework through which better services can be provided Recommendations Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services have the required resources and manpower through which better services can be rendered by the fire fighters. They need to look in the same direction and ensure that they have the required budget in terms of finance which will provide them the opportunity through which the required equipments can be purchased and better services provided. This will further requiring that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services complies with the legal requirements and follows the strategies that have been formulated Conclusion The report thereby highlights the different areas which Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services needs to focus and needs to ensure that they have the required resources through which better services can be provided. This will require having a positive budget and determining the resources that will be required. Being able to work on the different areas through which better services can be provided to the community will help Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services to bring a change in the behavior of the people and will help them to provide better services and protect human lives. This will thereby increase the contribution of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services towards the society and will help to protect the society over a longer period of time References Consultation. 2012. Fire & Rescue National Framework for England. Communities & Local Government Drabek, T. 2001. Anticipating Organizational Evacuations: Disaster Planning By Mangers. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 9 (2), 219-245 Fire. 2012. Fire Service Deployment: Assessing Community Vulnerability. Urban Fire Forum IRMP. 2012. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services Integrated Risk Managemetn Plan 20102-2015. 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