Advanced Fire Administration - Essay Example

Advanced Fire Administration With the emerging financial crises faced by our country, every department is being affected. The fire department is not behind in this list of institutions facing funding problems. As the population grows, so does its needs and the accidents that have the potential to occur. In light of this scenario, it becomes imperative to increase the number of employees in a fire district. However, it has not been easy over the past years to recruit more members owing to the budget cuts and revenue issues. The fire departments all over the different states are now faced with the “more or less” dilemma. Efforts are being made by both the fire districts’ officials and the local political and administrative leaders to find effective solutions for the problem at hand. Considering the entire scenario, some solutions and alternatives come to mind which can help relieve the issue to some extent. As much as possible, the high ranking fire officials try and apply for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant. It is a program started by the federal government to help assist the fire departments in financially affording the fire department new employees. It basically helps fire department so that their ability to deal with crisis is improved and they can provide better protected to their community. It basically deals on two levels i.e. hiring new fire fighters and recruitment and retention of volunteer fire fighters (SAFER website). This has proved to be an effective solution for several places and is widely appreciated in various parts. A US senator Sherrod Brown (2010) widely appreciated the changes in Ohio that SAFER have put through. In February 2012 congress released $670 million for fire department and SAFER grant. (IAFF 2012). Moreover, apart from applying grant there can be several other measures to improve the administrative structure and effectively of fire department. NFPA Standard 1720 is set of standard guidelines that all fire departments in country should try to apply in their structure and should try to meet the standards. Moreover, the policy of recruitment and effectively should be kept in check and monitored. Fire chief should call in weekly meetings to see the affectivity of the department. 2. In the company I work for, the budget is planned after collaboration with an oil company. In this way the deficit is met effectively. Due to the budget cuts, it has become a huge responsibility for the fire officials to maintain the working on all fire department projects. An ingenious way found out by my local company was through working hand in hand with an oil company to achieve the common objectives. In this way, both the organizations put in comparatively less revenue than they would have while working on the same projects individually. Not only this but the efficiency also increased and so did the output quality. As far as the level of accountability is concerned, the fiscal matters are subject to intense scrutiny at all levels in the organization, starting from the level of Chairman all the way to the House man. In between these officers, the various levels of organization involved are Ethics, public relations and government officer, personnel, buildings and grounds officer, apparatus and equipment, financial and budget officer, and secretary/ treasurer. By passing through all these levels, a plan of action regarding any project reaches completion and is implemented. Despite the precision and intricacy involved, some room for improvement is always present. There are several ways in which this fiscal accountability can further be made fool proof. Such as, by making the public more aware of the services a fire department provides and by increasing the funding by general public, by increasing the transparency of funds being utilized in various projects and in similar ways, the fire departments can be made more efficient in their working even with budget cuts. 3. Fire department is crucial for the safety and protection of a country and In order to make a fire department or district customer friendly, a number of steps can be taken. It is important for the community to be well-aware of the services available to them as far as the fire and EMS organizations are concerned. Not only would this knowledge be better for the public but also the fire department would get an insight regarding the public knowledge of the imminent fire related dangers. The affectivity of fire department would only be judged by the approach they have towards the safety of general public which can be done only when there is effective communication between the two. For this matter, some steps need to be taken. For example, by conducting family friendly public demonstrations regarding safety measurements in cases of a fire; by this method, the public and fire workers would get a chance to interact and for the fire department to impart knowledge regarding the services they can provide. Also, it would serve as a very effective method of communication to increase the public knowledge about the potential hazards around them. Fire department can also tell people about the immediate measure people have to take in-case of a fire so that there is control damage when there is any unfortunate incidence. Another way of making a fire organization customer friendly can be to distribute pamphlets telling about the importance of protecting the houses against fire accidents. Through this initiative, it would help impart into the minds of the general public that their fire and EMS department care for them and are active in the role they have to play to safeguard lives and property. Proper consultation with fire department at the time of building houses can be a sure method to ensure maximum protective measures. Lastly, through gathering feedback in various ways, the interaction between firefighting organizations and public can be further strengthened. This can be implemented through the official websites a department may have and also through handouts every now and then or by any other requisite means. 4.   Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act, SAFER was enacted in order to overcome the budget crises faced by the fire department. It was passed by the 108 Congress. According to Kruger (n.p.), passed under Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 108-136) the Act authorizes grants to different subsets of fire departments in order to help them support a greater number of fire fighters. The chapter/section title is “FY 2005 SAFER Grants Program Guidance Documents” according to fema.gov (n.p.) and chapter/ section number is “FY 2005 Guidance”. Starting from the state level, this grant passes through a system of authority that ultimately sees its disposal with the local fire districts and departments. The passage of funding is such that it follows the following departments in descending order; Federal level/ legislation State level/ legislation Local/ municipal level Level of the local fire department Through these series of steps the grant ultimately reaches the final point in its destination and is put to practical use (IAFF Monograph 2, n.p.) References: Fema.gov. "FEMA Library - Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program Guidance and Application Kit." N.p., 2012. Web. 16 Dec 2012. [http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do;jsessionid=DBA06DEFD3BEFFEDDDB521766C72E645.WorkerLibrary?fromSearch=fromsearch&id=4468]. IAFF. EMS and the Legislative Process Monograph 2. N.p., 2012. Web. 16 Dec 2012. [https://www.iaff.org/tech/PDF/Monograph2.pdf]. International Association of Fire Fighters. SAFER AND FIRE GRANTS, 2012. Kruger L . Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program N.p., 2012. Web. 16 Dec 2012. [http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL33375.pdf]. Official website of Federal Emergency Management Agency. http://www.fema.gov/staffing-adequate-fire-emergency-response-grants Senator Sherrod Brown: Xenia City Council accepts SAFER grant to hire firefighters, Xenia, Ohio. Feb 2011. Westhamptonbeachfd.org. "Westhampton Beach Fire Department." N.p., 2003. Web. 16 Dec 2012. [http://www.westhamptonbeachfd.org/content/commissioners/]. Read More