Managing Difficult Situations In Firefighting - Case Study Example

Work-related pressure is present in all kinds of work but not as common or as grave as when the job description demands that lives and properties be given high priority at all cost. Being a fire safety officer puts me into a lot of work-related pressures as the demand for public safety rests in my hands. Since 2004, I have been leading a team of fire safety officers that have been exposed to various situations that tests our patience, objectiveness, problem solving skills, and our willingness to risk our lives to save the lives of other people. As a fire safety officer, I have acquired and developed certain skills and abilities that are necessary in doing our jobs successfully and with few damages in life and properties. As my experience as a fire fighter increased, my competencies on various levels have increased as well. Five of these competencies are leadership, working under pressure, managing a difficult situation, problem solving, and learning from my mistakes. A thorough discussion on these competencies appears in the grid summaries below. Developing the competence took years of practice and a lot of hours of experience. As a part of the team that either go through the front lines in emergency situations or act as a support team to ensure the safety of the people going in the front lines as well as the onlookers, working under pressure is a common thing. Most of the time, I have worked as a leader and thus took responsibilities in most of the occasion. Being a leader, it is necessary that I maintain communication lines open and anopen mind in order to perform my work. In my line of work, pressure often comes in the form of other people or people who have high expectations on the kind of job we perform. Pressure is usually very high when the demand for public safety is high. In operations where lives and properties are at stake, we bathe in pressure and we need to strengthen our nerves in order to deal with the pressing situations and at the same time muster enough efforts to stay focused on the tasks at hand. In most occasions, we deal with pressure by putting our lives on the line while in some situations we need to be as hard and as tough as possible – physically and emotionally – to withstand the urge to be carried away. In some occasions, managing a difficult situation comes after working under pressure. In firefighting, managing a difficult situation is analogous to keep as many lives as possible without harming your life or the life of your team members. In some situations, it is difficult to manage difficult situations because of a number of factors that would easily come up during the process. For example, a lack of knowledge in structural analysis can lead to a difficult rescue situation for the team which risks everyone present. The example I chose in managing difficult situation is during a practice drill where we have to stop the bomb from detonating where I miserably failed. The situation was difficult for me because I have my team watching how I performed and my performance would add to their respect for me. However, my knowledge on electronic wiring and bomb disposal are limited and so I was not able to dispose the bomb. Instead of making an excuse, I made sure that I acknowledge my defeat and start from there. The same level of accountability is present in problem solving skills. In solving issues related to my work, I need to be accountable and to admit that I do not know everything and would need to ask for help from other experts but keeping some degrees of accountability and responsibility for the whole situation. Fire fighters are trained on the things that they need to know, the protocols they have to follow, and on the possible issues that would arise in the situations yet there are events that are beyond the skills of fire-fighters. Part of the competence in problem solving is to identify the limitations and to involve people that have expertise on the matter. In the event that problem solving methodologies fail, fire-fighters must be mature enough to acknowledge their mistakes and actually grow from it. Learning from the mistakes made in the past is one of the ways fire-fighters exhibit accountability, maturity, and responsibility. If a fire-fighter does not see wisdom in admitting his mistakes, there is a great possibility that his actions would result to the loss of many lives and properties. The bottom line is fire-fighters must always be aware of their responsibilities and must continuously assess their competence in major areas of their work in order to save lives and properties in the process. (a) EVIDENCE OF COMPETENCE IN WORKING UNDER PRESSURE OR TO TIGHT DEADLINES Element of Competence Description of Achievement 1. My best example of problem solving is...... Staying calm and focused during a fire rescue operation in 2004. 2. Brief details of the circumstances of the event or activity – why it was necessary to meet the deadline As a head of a team of firefighters tasked to enter the building premise on fire, with two people trapped in two different locations in a burning building, I was put under a lot of stress and pressure to save both lives and keeping my men safe. 3. Level of responsibility for the work in question – the scale and scope of the event....... The scale of the event is local and the level of responsibility I have had is organization wide. 4. Personal contribution – what I did.......... I was the one who drafted a rescue plan and see to it that everyone is in place. 5. Who else was involved – and what they did. How I involved other people - for example by delegating authority or seeking opinions The people involved in the operation are my team members whom I gave specific tasks to perform, members from the other team who acts as our support groups in rescuing the lives of the people, and my direct superior who input his ideas on how the operation should be carried. 6. Skills I exercised and the qualities I demonstrated.... I showed confidence to boost up the morale of the people under my command, logical and clear thinking to ensure that the steps we take are safe, and an open mind for suggestions. 7. The outcomes – what happened? With the careful planning and fire-safety strategies our team has came up with, we were able to save the trapped people with no casualties or damages incurred. 8. What worked well on this occasion? What worked well for this occasion is the careful and logical planning despite heavy demands for safety. 9. What lessons did I learn from this exercise? I have learned to that thinking clearly and focusing on the issues at hand works well in pressing situations. 10. What would I do differently on another occasion? I would be faster and better in my planning strategies as if preparing for more difficult situations. 11. How do I measure my success in this competence? I measure my success in working under pressure by the degree which I solve the issues and the amount of damage the pressure did on my work. (b) EVIDENCE OF COMPETENCE IN MANAGING A DIFFICULT SITUATION Element of Competence Description of Achievement 1. My best example of managing a difficult situation is...... When I was tasked to stop a bomb from detonating 2. Brief details of the circumstances of the event or activity – why it was necessary to manage a difficult situation A practice exercise in 2005 demands that I stop the bomb from detonating. The make-up bomb is not real but the wirings are quite complex and was not taught in class. Everyone from my team has failed and as a team leader of my team, I should succeed in the activity. 3. Level of responsibility for the work in question – the scale and scope of the event....... The practice exercise means to strengthen our wills and prepare us for the risks during times of emergency. As a leader of the team, I have to perform better than my team. 4. Personal contribution – what I did... However, I have shared my wisdom on the situation with my team saying that each one of us needs to improve our knowledge on bombs. 5. Who else was involved – and what they did. How I involved other people - for example by delegating authority or seeking opinions The people involved in the practice exercise were my team, the team of bomb experts that trained us, the assessors, and our direct supervisors. 6. Skills I exercised and the qualities I demonstrated.... In order to achieve the goals, I have to demonstrate leadership and motivation skills. I also have to use a lot of organization and accountability skills along with technical knowledge in bombs. 7. The outcomes – what happened? I did not manage to stop the bomb from detonating. 8. What worked well on this occasion? What worked well is the fact that we have acknowledged our limitations and are committed to work on the areas that we lack. 9. What lessons did I learn from this exercise? I learned that no matter how attainable a goal looks like, planning, hard work, and a lot of commitment really help one achieve the goals set. 10. What would I do differently on another occasion? I could have spent time studying more complex diagrams for bombs and explosive devices so that I could save more lives in real-life situations 11. How do I measure my success in this competence? I measure my success in managing a difficult task by the degree/quality I achieved the task. (c) EVIDENCE OF COMPETENCE IN PROBLEM SOLVING Element of Competence Description of Achievement 1. My best example of problem solving is...... During the time where my team has to search and rescue three missing persons under the fire debris of a large residential house 2. Brief details of the circumstances of the event or activity – why it was necessary to solve the problem There was a fire in one of the small towns in UAE which unfortunately trapped three people inside the rubbles. The debris has the tendency to collapse further and care must be taken to avoid caving in. 3. Level of responsibility for the work in question – the scale and scope of the event....... I am assigned to produce a rescue operation plan and supervise the actual rescue 4. Personal contribution – what I did.......... I took into account various constraints in the operation plan and integrated other experts to join my team. I suggested having carpenters, engineers, and medical people to work with us. We maintained an open line communication with other stakeholders as well. 5. Who else was involved – and what they did. How I involved other people - for example by delegating authority or seeking opinions We took in our team carpenters, engineers, and medical experts. The carpenters knew about how things are done on site and engineers have deep knowledge in terms of structural safety. Medical people are there to provide medical assistance. They are integrated in my rescue plan. 6. Skills I exercised and the qualities I demonstrated.... I have shown extensive communication and leadership skills, accountability, and objectivity. 7. The outcomes – what happened? We were able to rescue the three people trapped under the debris with minor injuries. The plan worked well. 8. What worked well on this occasion? What worked well in this situation is the thorough planning and open-mindedness to suggestions. 9. What lessons did I learn from this exercise? I have learned that sometimes, fire safety personnel need to ask for help from people who do not have any idea how to rescue lives in fire emergencies. 10. What would I do differently on another occasion? I would have had learned engineering and carpentry works as well apart from my knowledge in fire safety and fire rescue 11. How do I measure my success in this competence? I measure my success in problem solving by the impact of my suggestion to the success of the operations (d) EVIDENCE OF COMPETENCE IN LEARNING FROM MY MISTAKES Element of Competence Description of Achievement 1. My best example of learning from my mistakes is...... When I realized that shouting at people and being irate would not bring good results 2. Brief details of the circumstances of the event or activity I was assigned on a team that provides support to the front line when suddenly the burning house toppled and trapped five people from the other team. Instead of focusing to rescue them, I get panicky and started shouting at people and commanding them to do this and that. I was so irate and frustrated that I never realized how illogical my commands were. 3. Level of responsibility for the work in question – the scale and scope of the event....... Apart from the operations head, I am the next person responsible for the safety of the men on the team. 4. Personal contribution – what I did.......... It was an honest mistake to start shouting and giving commands on instinct. I made matter worse by giving commands at the spur of the moment. 5. Who else was involved – and what they did. How I involved other people - for example by delegating authority or seeking opinions The operations head noticed the series of mistakes and had me corrected and skillfully altered the rescue approach to save the lives of our comrades and to save the property on fire. 6. Skills I exercised and the qualities I demonstrated.... I exercised bad judgment, impatience, irrationality, and subjectivity. 7. The outcomes – what happened? The firemen were rescued but the burning property was not. 8. What worked well on this occasion? The realization I should be more ready when it comes to dealing with surprises in my kind of work worked well in this situation. 9. What lessons did I learn from this exercise? I learned that it is important to be as objective as possible and to easily collect thoughts. 10. What would I do differently on another occasion? I would have had my thoughts well collected and great focus on the problem than start getting panicky. 11. How do I measure my success in this competence? I would measure my success by how well I have learned from my mistakes (e) EVIDENCE OF COMPETENCE IN LEADERSHIP Element of Competence Description of Achievement 1. My best example of working independently is...... I was a leader in a Car accident, which I rescued lives. 2. What I believe is meant by ‘leadership’ You have to be a leader of a group, and to manage the team. 3. Brief Details of the work undertaken, for whom and Where it was done There were two cars in the accident, and there were one person in each car, I took care of the passengers, and rescued their lives. It was in Al Ain in United Arab Emirates. 4. Level of responsibility for the work in question – the scale and scope of the event....... The accident was small and the responsibility was not big because I split the work to two teams as I was trained and each team has it own leader. But what made the event hard that the accident was in the main highway and there were many cars and long traffic. 5. Personal contribution – what I did...... I was observing the accident from a distance to ensure nothing goes wrong. 6. Who else was involved – and what they did. How I involved other people - for example by delegating authority or seeking opinions There were two teams, each team has 5 persons and a leader, in total they were 12 individuals involved, I split the work to two teams to work in each car. 7. Examples of leadership skills I exercised........ First I ensured that the passengers in a safe condition, and I secured the place so no other accident occur. I divided the work into two teams. 8. How I took on board the opinion and feeling of other people I listen to other opinions and I am happy with any discussion, because we were working as a team. 9. The outcomes – what happened? The passengers were rescued and were taken to hospital and the incident was achieved in a short time. 10. What worked well on this occasion? The organising of the team and the team work. 11. What lessons did I learn from this exercise? The excellent communication between the team, and working as a team. 12. What would I do differently on another occasion? I will let the same individuals to work with each other, but instead of two leaders, I will let just one leader for the two groups. 13. How do I measure my success in this competence? My success was measured on the team work and the short time that was taken to achieve this incident. Read More