Services with Respect to Legislation, Ethics, and Globalization in England and Wales - Case Study Example

Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : xxxxxxxxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Introduction and Background The UK has been trying to improve its fire and rescue authority service to work nationally and internationally over a period of time. We, as a fire and rescue service agency, are considering to put in place our strategies and effort to deal with fire incidences and rescue operations both nationally and internationally. We would like to affect these services legally, ethically and globally. Law in England and Wales and how it operates internationally as it relates to the fire service Before world war two, the fire and rescue service was managed by the local governments and the responsibilities delegated mostly by the police. It was later nationalized after the world war two. The fire act service became law in 1947, enabling the fire service department to operate independently as well as coming up with a legal framework on how the fire service should be set up and even more be administrated. The main function then was merely the extinguishing of fires and little was incorporated on other functions of the fire and rescue services. This was later on defined within subsection 1(1) (f) conditioned the fire service to provide fire prevention in respect to the special services roll (Fire and Rescues Service Act, 2004). There were no problems before with the secondary functions of the fire and rescue services since they required very little amount of resources. By the 1970s, they required more resources. The fire precautions act was later introduced with the fire safety departments growing significantly. Fire officers were required by the act to make sure all premises obliged to the required standards as regards fire safety. This was ensured by carrying out surveys on premises, re-doing inspections and the issuing of certificates. And as a result of the resources required for the secondary functions, deficits occurred in various budgets along with rising problems. As a result the fire service in England and Wales had to lobby the governments to come with a new fire act which had the provisions for the secondary functions. The outcome was the fire and rescue services act 2004 which is currently law. All these have some operational, legislative as well as administrative level involvement in the fire service within the UK.This led to the improvement or amendments in law with respect to fire rescue services (Fire and Rescues Service Act, 2004). This act was essentially practical in England and Wales. Then came 2006, was the regulatory fire safety alteration which was part of the secondary legislation that replaced various acts on fire precautions and safety within the premises. This integrated too the currently non-functional provision of fire certificates. This was gratified on the 1 October; 2006.In general, fire safety in England and Wales is made available with compliance to the regulatory fire safety reform (Fire and Rescues Service Act, 2004). Our Services in Respect to Legislation, Ethics and Globalization Our agency’s activities will comply with the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004.These implies that all of our activities should be within the speculated functions that the act requires. The core functions that the act expects to be met include; Fire safety, fire-fighting, road traffic accidents and emergencies. In meeting the act requirements, we will be able to carry out our obligations in an efficient manner and satisfactorily (Smbey, 2005). The agency will perform its duties within the ethical expectations and also in considering the human rights as stipulated to the Geneva Conference. We will also ensure that norms and cultural beliefs are respected internationally in our operations. Global standards and expectations will be our priority due to its time after time changes. We will also be ready to work together with other agencies from other nations. This will be achieved by having flexible programmes. With this in place, cases like the Haiti incidence will be easily dealt with due to joined forces and use of modernized equipments. The operation of the fire act has four clauses of what is expected to be achieved by all fire and rescue agencies. These clauses are; fire safety, fire-fighting, road traffic accidents and emergencies. The law expects each authority to have provisions of promoting fire safety in its area. It also expects publicity or educating people on safety measures in an event of fire, how to prevent its spread to other buildings and property and how to escape in such cases (Fire and Rescues Service Act, 2004). With these, our agency has put in place programmes to educate the society, training in cases of fire and rescue operations e.g. like in Haiti, we could have send special troop that could have helped a great deal in rescuing through training the survivors in order to act quickly. The act expects each authority to have provisions for extinguishing and protecting life, property in events of fire in its area and also should have qualified personnel, modernized equipments and also good communications lines to receive alerts in event of fire and other emergencies. For example in Haiti we have modernized equipment and personnel that would have helped in quick and fast rescue of many lives. The act expects the agencies to have provisions for protecting people and property in event of road accident. Our agency has good machinery and personnel that can be of great help to road users and their property. We also good vehicles with good alarm system in order to help ease the accessibility of accident site and also when transporting rescued casualties to hospitals, since other road users will clear off quickly on hearing the alarm. For example, in Haiti, these would have helped in transportation of relief foods, medication and rescued casualties to hospitals. The act expects that each authority be able to deal with other emergency cases besides fire and road traffic accidents. The authority should also be able to deal with cases outside their specified area. These will be our core duty, since we will be out to operate nationally and internationally we have qualified personnel and swift transportation system and also good communication channels .These help us respond to both national and international alerts swiftly and quickly. For example, in the case of Haiti we could have taken the shortest time possible to get there. This could have helped us rescue more lives and secured many properties in the shortest time possible. We also have equipments that could help us deal with floods and also with partnership with local companies; we can raise food that could be of great help to affected places e.g. Haiti (Fire and Rescues Service Act, 2004). How Globalization Affects Legislative and Substantive Work of those in the Fire and Rescue Service Globalization has played s significant impacts affecting the legislative and substantive work of those in the fire and rescue services. Nations ought to put up laws or ratify international laws so as to have same laws operating in every nation, thus to make it easier in dealing with fire and rescuing services. Different countries have different laws which make it hard for fire and rescuing agencies to operate in them in times especially where help is needed from outside. Countries that have not ratified international treaties make it hard for some agencies to work inside their borders. Agencies from these nations also find it hard to work outside their bodies.Uk has best legislation that has made it easy for our agency to operate globally as long as we have skilled personnel which our agency has (Earls,2006). Laws being made by countries should ensure that they make it flexible and easy for the agencies to operate. This should be done by ensuring that such agencies are not restricted especially for the privately owned, in terms of taxation or operating fee. Some legislation makes it hard for some agencies to operate freely. These in turn affects the people working in these agencies. With these put in place, it will be easier and effective for such agencies to take up their positions in cases of fire or rescue missions are needed. E.g. Haiti had good legislation that enable free and easy operation of such agencies.Uk also has the best legislation that allows these agencies to operate freely as long as they have qualified and well trained personnel. Our company has qualified and well trained hence skilled personnel which will make us operate swiftly and with accuracy to various occasions that may arise. Nations worldwide should put in place laws that are similar or take up the laws in this act. These will be of much benefit in cases of handling fire and rescue services. It will also help to effect the agencies operating in such tasks to ensure that all services are well handled and managed. They should implement the core functions; fire safety, fire fighting, road traffic accidents and emergency for the well being of the society, their property and the international front. For example working at Haiti was easier because their legislation allowed for fire and rescue agencies to operate easily and also allowed for help to come from outside (Earls, 2006). Border restrictions affect people working in the fire and rescue agencies in that they find it hard to operate outside their borders. The changing global environment has made this easier as nations all over the globe are opening their borders for other agencies hence affecting people working in the fire and rescue agencies positively. With unrestricted borders, any agency from another nation will be able to give assistance in cases where tragic incidences have occurred like in Haiti. If it wasn’t for their unrestricted borders, then it would have been a more tragic case. With these in place, aids can be brought in; better personnel can be brought in to help. To be in a better position, countries should join hands in organizations like the United Nations and The Red Cross and be as one. Haiti benefited from such bodies as they got aid from such organizations. As UK has laid a good foundation for us and our personnel being ready to serve our organization will be fitted to start its operations internationally. Use of modern equipments like cranes and refrigerated vehicles makes work to be very easy to supply relief food and also to carry out rescue operations. This equipment can be expensive and hence a great challenge to those working under fire and rescue agencies. Our agency has these hence this won’t be a challenge. In the case of Haiti it was an easy task as there were many agencies that were well sophisticated making it easy for rescue operations. The changing technology has affected the activities of the fire and rescue agencies in a great deal. Introduction of new techniques has made rescue operations easy and accurate compared to the past. With these put in place, rescuing services will be at an higher advantage thus saving more and more lives and property. With new and better communications systems being put in place, then it will be easier and fast to take up operations and to answer response faster. An agency has therefore, a need to ensure their communications systems are well put in place in order to offer faster services (Parker, 1990). There should be adequate and extensive training to the personnel dealing with the different positions of rescuing services. Our agency has ensured that we offer good training to each member, to ensure that each one of us takes up his or her responsibilities with due skills. In the case of Haiti, we would have sent only those who are well skilled in cases of earthquake to take up such an event. Every agency has the role duty to ensure that besides offering services in calamities, they should also give awareness to the public, for example, what to do in case of an accident, how to escape from a building caught up in fire and how to give first aid to the rescued. We as an agency, we have put in place special programmes and personnel who will go all around UK giving training to the public. Ethical Considerations A compliance approach to deciding the general public ethical problems is not enough, ethical decisions and complexity are essential for efficient public service. Without a doubt, ethical considerations ought to be demonstrated within the limits of law as well as constitutional custom of the government by sensibly exercising administrative judgment based on the suitable values. This means, public managers are endowed with an ethical compulsion to react to various values governed within the legal control. The values are found in the UK regime and offer constitutional ethics with regards to ethical analysis expected of public managers towards the responsible application of administrative judgment (Angle, 2004). As an agency, we will offer our services to each and every person irrespective of their living standards, whether low, medium or high class. We will ensure that each person gets equal treatment to our services and ensure as well that our operations, our services are put in place in a way that, we can take up any task in a different nation, or to different nationalities in our nation. We will therefore not discriminate any person in and out of our nation. We will also offer our services with due respect to every person. In that, we will take up any task with quick response and modarlity.we will work with total respect to life and property. Roles of Practitioners with regards to the Changing Environment The present roles of practitioners are rapidly changing taking on a strategic status. The current environment requires practitioners to efficiently manage both macro as well as micro environmental challenges. Successful repositioning suggests that they have to conduct significant roles, classified as tactical, consultancy in addition to service roles. Efficient performance of there tasks entails a combination of various skills including strategic, organizational as well as personal skills. The future course for practitioner therefore lies on coming up with a joint business partnerships to make sure the improvement of their organizational as well as professional status (Angle, 2004). A practitioner will be expected to offer services in respect with the globalization and the ethics of the community. This implies that, all its services should bear in mind ethical considerations from the least to the highly placed community. Its services will be expected to be available internationally in order to cover up cases of extreme calamities. It will be supposed to prevent loss of lives and property in cases of accidents. This requires high technology to ensure quick and effective rescue services. The practitioner will be expected to meet emergencies upon occurrence. A practitioner will offer training to the public on handling cases of calamities like how to escape in cases of fire and simple services like giving first aid. More to this, it will be supposed to equip its agency with the latest communication, rescuing and training systems. With these put in place, a practitioner will be able to offer their services and operations effectively and conveniently in times of calamities like the Haiti (RACGP, 1993). Bibliographies Angle, J.S, 2004, Occupational Safety and Health in the Emergency Services, Second Edition, Retrieved on September 25 from http://webtools.delmarlearning.com/sample_chapters/1401859038_FM.pdf Earls, A.R, 2001, Globalization: Reshaping the Fire and Safety Business: Healthcare Industry, Retrieved on September 26 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3737/is_200107/ai_n8970289/ Fire and Rescues Service Act 2004 Haraway, W & Kunselman, J.C, 2006, Ethical Leadership and Administrative Discretion: The Fire Chief's Hiring Dilemma: Presented at the 2005 Southeastern Conference. Parker, D, 1990, Ethical Considerations for Fire Service Leaders, National Fire Academy. RACGP, 1993, Report of the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes Task Force. Melbourne: Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Smbey, C, 2005, Fire and emergency service administration: management and leadership practices, Jones & Bartlett Learning. Read More