SWFRSs Resource Management - Case Study Example

Managing Resources Abstract SWFRS was established by the Wales Local Government Act (1994) in 1996, with the aim of reforming the Welsh local government. South Wales is the most populous area of in the south-western part of the UK, with a population of over two million. Management of resources involves planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling of these resources. All these management functions must be done efficiently and effectively in order to derive maximum benefit from them. SWFRS has numerous resources including financial resources, operational resources, human resources, equipment and appliances, extinguishing media and communications resources. SWFRS came to the realisation that human resource is the most important resource that an organisation can ever have; an organisation cannot succeed without effective management of its human resource. The service has always strived to create a strong corporate culture. SWFRS has been creating a strong corporate culture by encouraging co-operation and integration across the service and establishing quantitative performance measurements. Much of SWFRS’s procurement process is computerised. This is in line with its policy of making its operations more efficient and effective. This has helped in ensuring effective management of its resources. The service strives to ensure continuous improvement of its operations in line with its objectives. To achieve this, the service has strengthened and reinforced its evaluation function. Implementing these policies have helped in ensuring that the service conforms to international standards. SWFRS has contributed greatly to the efficiency effectiveness in fighting fire and saving life. This can be attributed to its integration of information and communications technology into its operations. SWFRS’s management of its resources has also been very efficient at all levels (South Wales Website, 2009). Introduction The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, SWFRS, was established by the Wales Local Government Act (1994) in 1996, with the aim of reforming the Welsh local government (South Wales Website, 2009). SWFRS was created by merging previous fire brigades such as Gwent, South Glamorgan and Mid Glamorgan. It covers about 3,000 square kilometres and about 1.5 million people. The fire authority running this service is a board comprising councillors from ten key areas covered by this service. SWFRS, being one of the UK’s biggest fire services, employs about 1,600 fire-fighters in over fifty stations. South Wales refers to an area bordered by the Bristol Channel to the south, England to the east, West Wales to the west and Mid Wales to the north. South Wales is the most populous area of in the south-western part of the UK, with a population of over two million. It also includes its capital Cardiff, which has an estimated 317,500, and Newport and Swansea. About 33 per cent of South Wales is covered by the Brecon Beacons National Park, which contains Pen y Fan. This is the highest mountain in the south of Snowdonia (South Wales Website, 2009). SWFRS is among the biggest fire services in the UK, responding to around 60,000 emergency calls every year. Its fire fighters depend on detailed information in preparation for emergency situations (Haddon, 2004). This information has always been paper based until quite recently. The service has now created an Intranet portal to make its response faster and more efficient. This portal has gone a long way in providing the employees with detailed information from all stations across the region. Access to this critical information has enabled fire fighters to prepare well before they arrive on site, hence being in a better position to save lives. This information is also very useful in giving insight into any possible hazards, not only to the fire crew members, but also to the general public. Buildings may contain specific risks like chemicals. Advance knowledge of this information is therefore very important in safe fighting of fire, as well as protection of both fire-fighters and the general public (Ciborra, 2004, pp 26). SWFRS came to this realisation, hence their adoption of information and communications technology in their fire-fighting. SWFRS’s Resource Management A resource refers to the materials, information, labour and energies used in running and enhancing the society. Resources usually run out, are degraded or become polluted after a period of being used. By properly managing resources, the society hopes to attain a state of a more equitable distribution of these resources, conserve them and prolong their use. There are two main categories of resources namely renewable and non-renewable resources. Management of resources involves planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling of these resources. All these management functions must be done efficiently and effectively in order to derive maximum benefit from them. SWFRS has numerous resources including financial resources, operational resources, human resources, equipment and appliances, extinguishing media and communications resources (Armstrong, 2006, pp19). It is important that fire and rescue service providers properly manage their resources. In view of this, the SWFRS has put in place a number of measures so as to ensure effective and efficient use of its resources. One notable step towards this was its incorporation of information and communications technology into its operations. This ensures that the fire fighters use the least time possible to get to the scene of fire, and that they reach this scene well-prepared. This undoubtedly saves a lot of time and resources in incidents of fire. For a speedy and efficient reaction to emergency situations, it is very important for fire crews to be always prepared for any situations. SWFRS has trained its employees to efficiently and quickly react under very demanding circumstances. The service has understood that importance of using state-of-the-art methods in order to support teams and fire officers to fight fire. Using state-of-the-art methods to fight fire ensures a high efficiency. It also saves the service a lot of money would have been spent on the maintenance of the equipment. To further boost efficiency, SWFRS undertook a review of all its communications, procedures and internal management in its various sites. This has gone a long way in reducing the time one uses to access information, hence boosting efficiency (Haddon, 2004). The service now has a state-of-the-art Intranet site where its employees communicate efficiently across various sites. SWFRS has further rolled out about seventy wireless computers mounted in their cabs (Goodwin, 1997, pp 31). The VMDS (vehicle-mounted data systems) are touch-sensitive mobile data terminals that run the Windows 2000 operating system. The employees are therefore able to retrieve and send using the GPRS network. Moreover, SWFRS’s devices run the GPS satellite navigation. This has enabled the service to abandon the use of paper maps, and helped to pinpoint the exact directions where fire crews can reach an emergency location quicker (Bain et al, 2002, pp 7). The system is also capable of tracking the position of their vehicles while in the field. The system has made work easier at SWFRS compared to the manual one previously used. Whenever an emergency call is received at the service, its command and control sees the resources obtainable in that location that meet the situation’s criteria. Information is then sent to that station’s printer as well as to the in-cab system in the vehicle. After receiving this information on their device, the fire-fighters are able to know where to go and what to expect (O’Dwyer, 1996, pp 9). The system has led to an increase in the number of lives being saved by the service since the crew now reads the information they require while on their way to the location. This ensures that they do not waste valuable time reviewing while on site. The service is therefore using technology to save lives. Additionally, the new system has greatly improved fire-fighters’ protection. This is because they now arrive at the scene with detailed and up-to-date information, hence better prepared for the task ahead. They can utilize this information in planning tactics before arriving at the site, then proceeding in the most efficient, fastest, safest way (Haddon, 2004). They no longer have to collect risk cards and fire plans on leaving the station. With the information available to them, extra risks, like injuries to fire-fighters and chemical explosions can easily be avoided. SWFRS has managed to considerably reduce the use of inefficient paper documents. The intranet port and satellite navigation have led to a reduced reliance on paper documents like map books. Maintaining and replacing these paper-based documents was very expensive. Moreover, they could easily be destroyed or lost, and took too much time to use. Procedural manuals that contained critical data were also another expense. These manuals contained procedural information, health and safety information, aide memoirs and operational information. This information keeps changing regularly, meaning these manuals needed constant updating. These manuals were bulky and large; about 100 copies had to be printed each time any changes were made. Consequently, it would tie up a whole team of people. Initially, SWFRS use to provide about 12,500 building plans and several thousand risk cards. This is no longer the case since all that information is now available electronically, and can be accessed from all locations. There is no doubt therefore that SWFRS’s new system has led to efficient management of all its resources. SWFRS’s Human Resource Management Human Resource Management refers to formal systems devised to manage people in an organisation (Ulrich, 1996, pp 41). Human resource responsibilities are usually divided into three key management areas namely staffing, compensation, and work definition and design (Legge, 2004, pp 35). The purpose of human resource management is essentially maximizing an organisation’s productivity (Armstrong, 2006, pp 22). This is done by optimization of the effectiveness of the employees. SWFRS’s adoption of information and communications technology has also affected the management of its human resources. SWFRS came to the realisation that human resource is the most important resource that an organisation can ever have; an organisation cannot succeed without effective management of its human resource. The service has always strived to create a strong corporate culture (Wilkinson, 1988, pp 67). This has been through encouraging co-operation and integration across the service and establishing quantitative performance measurements. SWFRS has gone an extra mile in creating a suitable corporate culture and creating programs aimed at reflecting and supporting the service’s core values, hence ensuring its success. SWRFS’s new technology has had a great impact on its Human Resource Management. The new technologies, especially in the areas such as information retrieval and dissemination, have greatly changed the landscape of the service (Haddon, 2004). Computers, computer networking systems, satellite communication and a number of other devices have changed the way SWRFS interacts with other organisations as well as their employees. For instance, telecommuting has turned out to be very popular among the employees. SWFRS greatly integrated the information and communications technologies into its Human Resource Management. For instance, the service’s sourcing and recruitment of its human resources is now Internet-based, as opposed to a couple of years ago. Moreover, its employee payroll and performance appraisal systems are entirely electronic. The service has generally reduced the use of paperwork in its human resource management functions. SWFRS has had a change in its organisational structure in response to the global human resource management trends. Additionally, the organisational philosophies of the service have changed as a result of the new technologies. Like many organisations around the world, the service has adjusted its hierarchical organisational structures in order to adopt flatter management structures. This responsibility shift led to the need to keep reassessing appraisal systems, job descriptions and many other elements of human resource management. Rapid globalization has also had its toll on SWFRS’s human resource management practices. Globalization has greatly increased competition for both jobs and clients. As a result, many organisations, including the service, are continuously demanding high performance from their workers. Other factors that have contributed to the change of HRM nature in the recent past include new operational and management theories such as TQM (total quality management), a change in employment legislation, a change in health insurance and the rapidly changing demographics. SWFRS’s Financial and Physical Resources Management The service has put in place mechanisms to ensure sound financial and physical resource management. These mechanisms have so far helped the service attain high levels of efficiency in its operations. The service has a sound planning policy that enables it to effectively use every resource at its disposal. The planning process at SWFRS always tries to be in line with its operating budget and revenue budget. The service has also made sure that all its stations actively participate in its mission and that none is redundant. The service’s annual budget plans show a great fiscal restraint. These budgets usually reflect the service’s available financial resources and the total disbursements. The service also strives to maintain a healthy operating cash balances to ensure it never runs out money to carry out its mandate. The service’s cash management policies reflect its key focus of fighting fire and saving lives within its jurisdiction. At the same time it always tries to maintain the required liquidity. The policies have undergone external professional review and certified as conforming the recognized good practices in this industry. SWFRS has its own financial internal controls aimed at protecting its assets and sustaining the integrity of its financial systems. The managers at various levels take charge of the implementation of sound controls of the service’s financial and physical resources (Ciborra et al, 2000 pp 27). These managers also monitor and measure the effectiveness of these controls. To ensure SWFRS retains its high performance status, the service has endeavoured to improve its efficiency as well as the performance of its employees. The service is also on a mission to reduce duplication of its functions SWFRS’s procurement processes Many organisations do not regard procurement as a strategic function. In view of this, the service has put in place a number of measures to ensure that the procurement function is in line with its objectives. The service has been exploring realistic procurement options in order to meet its particular needs. The service constantly consults with its end users before procuring any products, services and equipment. It also liaises with the local council whenever support is required. The service’s quality assurance team makes sure that whatever is procured meets its desired quality standards. The service’s procurement policy demands that there must be a needs assessment before the actual procurement. The policy also requires the service to consider consortia arrangements to make it cost effective. Much of SWFRS’s procurement process is computerized. This is in line with its policy of making its operations more efficient and effective. This has helped in ensuring effective management of its resources. SWFRS’s operational assurance and evaluation The service strives to ensure continuous improvement of its operations in line with its objectives. To achieve this, the service has strengthened and reinforced its evaluation function. Implementing these policies have helped in ensuring that the service conforms to international standards. All evaluations at the service are carried out according to the due evaluation process as determined by its policy. The service mainly carries out three types of evaluations namely self evaluations, independent evaluations and the clients’ survey. For evaluation to be properly utilized, it is important for the function to align the purposes of evaluation with how this information will be utilized. SWFRS undertakes evaluations to ensure accountability and to gain new knowledge. Another purpose of evaluation is communication of the service’s performance to its various stakeholders. Conclusion and recommendations SWFRS has contributed greatly to the efficiency effectiveness in fighting fire and saving life. This can be attributed to its integration of information and communications technology into its operations. SWFRS’s management of its resources has also been very efficient at all levels. The service initially served about two million people across Southern Wales. However, the service must now prepare to serve a bigger population. Bibliography Armstrong, M (2006) a Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, Kogan Page, London, pp 19-24 Bain, G et al (2002) The Future of the Fire Service, The Independent Review of the Fire Service, London, pp pp 7 Ciborra, C et al (2000) From Control to Drift, Oxford University, Oxford, pp 26 Ciborra, C (2004) the Labyrinths of Information, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 27 Goodwin, P (1997) Vehicle Mounted Data System, Fire Engineers Journal, pp 31 Haddon, L (2004) Information and Communication Technologies in Everyday Life, Oxford Legge, K (2004) Human Resource Management, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp 35 O’Dwyer, D (1996) the Design and Implementation of a Vehicle Mounted Data System, Fire Engineers Journal, pp 9 South Wales Website (2009) South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, retrieved from Error! Hyperlink reference not valid., on May 13, 2009 Ulrich, D (1996) Human Resource Champions, Harvard Business School Press Boston, Mass, pp 41 Wilkinson, A (1988) Empowerment: theory and practice, Personnel Review, pp 67 Read More