High Rise Flats Fire Incident of Harrow Court - Case Study Example

A report on Incident Command System By [ name of the author] A report on Incident Command System from [name of the organization] [author’s name] [date of fulfillment] Acknowledgment Abstract This paper is related to the tragic fire in the High rise flats fire incidentof Harrow Court, Stevenage, Hertfordshire. In this fire two brave fire men, Mike Miller and Jeff Wornham died in the process of saving life. This paper is presenting this particular incident and trying to analyze various factors that came into notice, regarding safety measures that lacked. According to FBU investigation the fire authority did not gave assistance to the fire crews to fight this fire safely. I am also trying to check out some of the points related to this mismanagement. Table of Contents Cover sheet 1 Title page 2 Acknowledgment 3 Abstract 4 Executive Summary 6 The report 7 Conclusion 17 references 19 Recommendations 20 Executive Summary In order to meet a fire incident safely, it is very important to have certain amount of administrative cooperation. However there came up a kind of mismanagement in the High rise flats fire incident of Harrow Court, Stevenage, Hertfordshire. In this paper I am trying to check out al possible measures that would have prevented the incident from disasters and life loss. There are many points that are not followed in this incident and thus resulted in the death of two firemen. Here I am going to make a discussion regarding the aspects that are important to follow in order to have more administrative and secured hold over such accidents. The report introduction ICS developed in the year 1970s. It was the consequences of massive wildfire-fighting efforts that took place in the state of California. It has been well discovered that the communication during an emergency, depends a lot in the management deficiencies. The target of ICS is to modify and systematize these deficiencies. Due to its active participation in the application of security measures in the emergency scene, ICS has been also called as "first-on-scene" structure. There is the follow up of Gold; Silver and Bronze command structure. These are basically during emergency in United Kingdom. These terminologies are used like these as to mention the hierarchical framework for the systematic administrative command and control in case of major incidents and disasters in the state1. These are functional on the basis of Strategic, Tactical and Operational sectorisational structure. However in every respect the categories are same. The sectorisational structures are does not overtly denote hierarchy of rank in the performing zone. The types of sectorisation include Gold, Silver and Bronze command structure. These are meant to be for disasters. The functionality lies basically for the purpose of pre-planned operations in the time of crisis. As for the proceeding there is a strict follow up of level 1 and level 2 incident command procedures. These levels are then followed by the sectorisational structure. This includes the usable functionality of Water sector, Hazmat etc. in the incident scene. This is absolutely bounded with the Incident Command Structure of the whole operation. The role played by the Sector Commander is very vital in case of multiple incidents. He is the man behind all the arrangements pertained for the whole sector of management. As he makes all the necessary arrangements, the Operational Commander looks after the whole strategical plan for the utmost human resource unit. He is the man behind the organizational systematic operation, during the crisis. The Single Incident Commander on the other hand is the man who takes care of the whole situation and is in charge of the whole management. The whole operation starts with the removal of the specified hazard. This leads to the reduction of the risk. The regular attempt is to prevent access to the hazard for elaborative actions. They constantly work towards reduction of exposure to the hazard during emergency. The preplanning strategy aims at proper distribution of the whole operation. It is the chief aim to reduce the number of personnel exposed to the hazard in order to reduce the risk initiative factors. It is also very important to issue personal protection equipment to these professionals for proper and well structured operation in the crisis. There is always the constant demand for the additional resources towards the functionality of these types of risk assessed operations (Gulick and Urwick, 1937)2. The application of Span-of-control is done basically in the business management sector. It is an integral part of the strategies related to the human resource management as stated by Mackenzie (1978, p 121)3. This term stands for the various sectors and the categories of portfolios for a proper follow up of an administrative issue during emergency. It is a structural construction of subordinates and supervisors for the purpose. The proceedings are all done with a proper demarcation in the inner and outer cordon of the effected area. The groups are all placed as per the need of the placement. Some are allotted in the outer cordon, while those with more expertise are in the inner cordon of the area of incident. There is the elaborate undertaking of the tactical modes of offensive, defensive and transitional in making these operations successful. A detailed demonstration has been presented below. Advantage of instigating incident command system As a matter of fact the Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazard incident management concept4. It is always counted to be full proof and it is indeed the one. As being designed for emergency management proceedings it is very appropriate and is very much effective as a process for the crisis management. The application of systematic organizational functioning is very appropriately maintained and thus most of the time is very effective in case of huge accidents or fire outbursts. There is this Comprehensive Resource Management that is well followed. It is the means that ensures that all kinds of possible visibility are maintained over all resources for ‘High Reliability Industries’ (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001)5. The effectiveness lies in the rapid action that gets undertaken. There is all along support for the preparation and response to a particular incident under crisis. I feel this systematic organizational and comprehensive management results in graceful demobilization. As there is instigation for Incident Command System there comes in lots of categorization and distribution of liabilities. These lead to a proper settlement and application of categorizing all kinds of resources. There is a proper professional ordering of the human and materialistic resources. As it is a full fledged administrative functionality, there is also the dispatching of all liable resources in the process (Tissington, 2004a, 42-44)6. The advantage also lies in their functionality towards the tracking of all possible resources, even in crisis. They also work towards the ultimate recovering task of resources. I thus feel that the instigation of Incident Command System is of great advantage in the time of severe crisis and is literally very helpful. The most effective criteria are of course developed from the systematic implementation of every particular issue. These are all pre planned strategies and thus are well maintained even in severe situations. Management of Harrow Court Incident As declared by FBU, the Standard Operating Procedures produced by Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (HFRS) was not well drafted. The disaster at Harrow Court was a tremendous Incident and the review of the HFRS Integrated Risk Management Plan discusses the fact that there was a very slow initial attendance of emergency response resources for High Rise Incidents by them. This particular review ensures a minimum of 13 Firefighters that were available in sufficient time. The disaster is however said to be the cause of the delay in their arrival in the site of incident. There was this common area of agreement. Under the stressed situation Ff Wornham and Ff Miller tried to act for a rescue mission through the opening of the front door to Flat 85 that gave rise to the rapid manifestation. The scene would have been differed if without this strategy they would not have tried to open the front door at the exact time that they did. This was the absolute example for the conditions hat were not made much understandable during the training phase. There was the lack of comprehensive management strategy and that led these two Ffs to go forward with their idea of security, without any supportive resources. After this disaster there was tremendous attempts made for the review of the Coroner’s Rule 43. All the results were directing towards the correction of all the organizational weaknesses I order to prevent such situation in the future. There were many compulsions to be made for the future benefit and it was not only in case of training strategies but also for the development of comprehensive organizational management, especially in the human resource sector7. The breakthrough was made mandatory as and the norms were needed to be well set for further application of preventive criteria. Incident command system for high rise building As the investigations and studies being made over the Incident Command System (ICS) there reveals lots of factors that would have saved the situation better. As an exemplenary case, I am going to make a study over High rise flats fire incident of Harrow Court, Stevenage, Hertfordshire. It has been found that in this particular case the contributions made by ICS was tremendous and so I feel there is the need for a detailed study of it. In this incident the crisis would have been managed by aiming towards specific comprehensive objectives of safety and security. ICS would have made a whole pre planned strategy of objectives as per their preferences. There should have been absolute sectorisation to work with a very least time frame. The functionality of these strategies would have been followed by the first outlining strategies that were well planned. Then according to these plans there would have been the perfect follow up through appropriate tactics. It is always better to get the process of sectorisation through distribution of resources both in inner and outer cordon. These assessments would have cleared options for the lives that were lost in 85 Harrow Court, Silam Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire on 2nd February 2005. In order to note the Health and Safety Investigation, the FBU reported that the capability and the conduct as has been followed by Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service are responsible for the deaths of Ff Wornham and Ff Mille on the spot. It has been stated that they were unable to follow the Fire Services Act 2004 properly. The lack were also regarding the sectors related to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974; the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; national guidance issued by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate, and failed to act adequately upon relevant Health and Safety Executive (HSE) improvement notice recommendations available to them. Similarly, during the course of the FBU’s Health and Safety Investigation HFRS failed to comply with the Safety Representative and Safety Committee Regulations 1977. In such faces the application of ICS is mandatory. This is the means for the enhancement of flexible, scalable response organization providing a common framework for the effective result oriented summation during crisis. The collection of these groups will be done from people multiple agencies. The under the supervision of ICS there can be more comprehensive standard responses and operation procedures reducing enough miscommunication among the people. The scrutinization as has been led by FBU, the death of these two fire fighters is not because of fire phenomenon. The mismanagement occurred through the lack of sufficient amount of availability of water with them. Following this incident of death, FBU came forward with 3 specified categories of comprehensive management strategical structure. These are Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Training and Emergency Response Resources. These are all very compulsory and are very specific in the process of high rise fire fighting. Dynamic and Generic Risk Assessment It is a universal fact that that Fire Service personnel face risk on a daily basis on every incident that they go for rescue. There is always a continuous stress that gets followed under extremely dangerous conditions. This is the reason that there are great demands regarding the management of dynamic risks related to it (Samurçay & Rogalski, 1988)8. The deaths of these two fire fighters would have been stopped by certain implementations. There are special needs for the understanding of fire in different sectors. The fire fighting teams are always under continuous risk. As they proceed with their job there is the tendency to meet some or the other danger at the risk of their lives. To get a well assessment of fire in a building they are always instructed to get well equipped with breathing apparatus, fire resistant clothing. To meet these dynamic risks, it is also very important to get hold of hose-lines into the affected sight9. On the other all the activities with additional specific, significant hazards are all counted under generic risk assessments (GRAs). The accountability and the compatibility of GRA’s help the brigades to get the initial proceeding means for the handling of a crisis. There comes in the capability of making their own assessments with proportion to the local conditions and organizational establishments. The Generic risk assessments are all related to the hazards, risks and controls that related to the use of Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) in a building fire. It acts by forcing air into a building using few fans. The activity leads to the creation of a higher pressure inside the structure. This gets compared to the relative temperature to the external atmospheric pressure. This stands very effective in the time of severe emergency and is resulted to be fruitful enough for similar purposes. Inter-Agency Liaison The idea of Liaison stands to serve as the primary contact in order to support various agencies for the purpose of assisting at an incident. These are all need to be very active and effective at the same time. As they work to lessen the risk in a severe condition, it is thus should be properly structured. The role played by the police is necessarily vita in controlling the whole hustle and tensions that created among the public. Active participation of the ambulance helps in meeting the emergency medical needs to the injured people. By the participation of the local authority (municipal), brings the situation under much control. As they can offer more assistance with proper human resources, it is very important to have their active participation10. Instead of a tensed environment, it is always great to have a more calm and organized atmosphere with lots of patience of course. The role of the Government is undoubtedly very important. They should be more particular about the fire fighters and should make every necessary safety arrangements for them. The deaths of two firefighters would not have taken place if there were enough coordination between all the inter-agency liaisons. The contributions made by Police were though quite active, but the ambulance, could not make them reach the hospital on time. Even the participation made by the Hospital authority was not appreciated. The Housing Department too needs to be lamed as it was not well stuffed with firefighting equipments and that made the major loss to this incident. It has been also discovered that the units related to the Social Services are also not well trained to face such a situation. The participation of the Local Authorities, like that of the structural engineer, would have changed the scene to a great extent, but their contribution was too very passive. Conclusion The incident the led to the death of two firefighters in a flat of 85 Harrow Court, Silam Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire on 2nd February 2005; was due to the lack proper administrative structure. It is a total negligence in the part of the Government and the Fire Fighting unit that caused to these losses of lives. There was no follow up of Incident Command System (ICS) and the price that was paid for it was heavy. As this is such a risky job, it should be always backed by proper comprehensive training and human resource management. The dynamic and the generic risk assessments are to be done more seriously in the training sessions and there should be proper maintenance of the hierarchical structures in following the strategies in the crisis. There should be compulsory dramatized enactments for the severe situations and every fire fighter needs to be well equipped with all kinds of security measures. The contributions as has been forwarded by the local authorities are also very dim. The lives that were lost give the most risky aspect of these kinds incidents. It is therefore very important to have proper understanding and absolute follow ups, to prevent such disasters. references Gulick, L. and Urwick, L. (1937) (eds), Papers on the Science of Administration, Institute of Public Administration, New York Koontz, H. (1966) "Making Theory Operational: The Span of Management", The Journal of Management Studies, Vol 3, 1966. London Emergency Services Liaison Panel: Major Incident Procedure Manual 7th ed, http://www.leslp.gov.uk/ (accessed 29 Jul 08) Mackenzie, Kenneth D. (1978), Organizational Structures, AHM Publishing Corporation Samurçay, R. & Rogalski, J. (1988) Analysis of operators cognitive activities in learning and using a method for decision making in public safety. In J. Patrick & K.D. Duncan (eds) Training Human Decision Making and Control. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. Sull. D. E. (2002) Why Good Companies Go Bad. In Harvard Business Review on Culture & Change. Boston MA. Harvard Business School Press The Fire Experimental Unit’s backdraught simulator, Fire Research News : News of Home Office Fire Research for the Fire Service, Issue 21, Home Office, Winter 1997 Tissington, P.A. (2004a) Command decisions. Fire Engineering Journal, April, pp 42-44. Walton J. (1999) Strategic Human Resource Development. Prentice Hall Weick, K.E. & Sutcliffe, K.M. 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