Abu Dhabi Fire Rescue Management - Example

ABU DHABI FIRE RESCUE MANAGEMENT (Name) (Institution) (Course) 14 May 2009 Introduction Fire management and rescue system in any country is the most important thing to be done. Therefore, the importance of property, life that can be destroyed by fire is highly dependent on the rescue missions by the fire stations department. Therefore in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi’s’ fire stations are not an exception. Due to high incidences of fire in Abu Dhabi, the fire station is committed to delivering good and prompt services to the people of Abu Dhabi and its environs. The mission of fire stations in Abu Dhabi “establishes a means of confronting disaster and limitation of its results which includes systematic activities for prevention, planning, education, preparedness, response and handling of its consequences regardless the measure is taken before, during and after the said disaster.” This paper critically reviews and identifies the means by which Abu Dhabi Fire Service plans ahead to manage its resources.  There are various ways through which Abu Dhabi Fire Service plans ahead to manage its resources.  It has a number of managers whose mandate is to provide logistical and operational support that includes training other human resource, fire protection, contingency planning and also operational risk management. The department has a large number of staff whose main function is property maintenance support, occupational health and safety, general provision of human resource. In addition, they provide administrative support, manage the fleet, and also they facilitate information technology. The command and control suite handles a lot of emergency calls and all services frequently making its communication system efficient and effective. In Abu Dhabi, the Chief Fire and Rescue officer manages the fire and rescue service on behalf of the combined Fire Authority whose is supported by other junior staff to ensure that the department develops new strategies and has developed corporate resources (Mariam, 2008). It is therefore the full duty of the Board of Director to develop policies that are efficient to combat rescue services in the city. These policies are formulated through a diverse number of factors including the technological, political, sociological, economical legal and also the environmental factors in the fire rescue services authority. These policies ensure that services are delivered accordingly and also that the strategies of the department during an incident of fire are fully communicated to the workforce. This program of communication can be enhanced through appraisal programmes, value performance plan and strategic planning (Ashly, Rob, and Tom, 2007). There have been high incidences of fire in Abu Dhabi by terrorism acts, wild fires, residential and industrial fires to mention just but a few. This increased fire incidences has made the civil defense to develop strategies that responds in time to fire outbreaks anywhere, offer tactful rescue operations and also they use modern fire fighting skills in offering protection services to people and property in Abu Dhabi. The Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) The Abu Dhabi fire rescue department is aimed at reforming programmes that require all the fire authority to maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan. These plans include those that are for change and are designed in a futuristic approach of making Abu Dhabi Safer (Randy et al. 2004). These plans include prevention, intervention, resilience and protection against incidences of fire. The civil defense in Abu Dhabi apply the principles of the IRMPO act by the White paper’s 2003 legislative measures that emphasized the functions of the fire rescue services that it has to prevent fire incidences rather than just responding to them. This form of prevention ensures that safety standards are upheld in every place. It was in 2004 that the fire rescue service act legislated for this act in approach shift in the department in its responsibility and activities. This means that legislation meant that the duty of the fire rescue services extends to other non-fires risks for instance civil emergencies and transport incidences. The Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) in 2006stated that “ Fire and Rescue Authority are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an IRMP which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. An IRMP must set out an authority’s assessment of local risk and, in line with that analysis, how it is going to deploy its resources to tackle those risks and improve the safety of all sections of society. It is, therefore for each Fire & Rescue authority to determine appropriate fire covers in its area.” The IRMP has been universally applied hence Abu Dhabi also implemented the act of prevention. On the other hand, as stipulated by the Fire Section Policy it is the duty of the managers in Abu Dhabi fire stations in the fire rescue department to respond to alarms, assist in the development and implementation of practices, procedural methods for reviewing plans investigating incidences of fires and conduct inspections. For instance in the fire that gutted down a nine storey residential building 18th street on 20th September 2008, in Elecrica Street in Abu Dhabi. The manager in fire stations in Abu Dhabi supervises implements and develops a comprehensive fire prevention plan and the inspection programs for fire incidences. This plan has in many years prevented a substantial number of fire incidences in the city. In general the managers in civil defense fire station departments in Abu Dhabi assume managerial responsibilities for all activities, operations and services in the assignments (Mariam, 2008) Abu Dhabi fire stations have sound financial systems that have facilitated improvement of services through the provision of modern technologies in combating fires. Their financial system has a recognizable standards of excellence and manage their financial and physical resources in an accountable profile system and also competently (Ashly, Rob, and Tom, 2007). This has in a long time facilitated maintenance and improvement of the fire rescue department in Abu Dhabi. The financial department also manages a complex budget processes and also identifies other sources of funds externally that helps in supporting fire station. The department also calculates the estimated costs of resource requirements, staffing and also the costs of new projects in Abu Dhabi. Principles of resource management Resource management in fire and rescue organization entails a system that has capability of performing important rescue strategies that are mapping and arbitration. Resource mapping in a fire and rescues scheme describes finding out the necessary resources that should be applied in strategic request in an organization (Ashly, Rob, and Tom, 2007). Resource arbitration is a process where the fire and rescue organization makes sure that minimal recourses are used within the aptitude of resource management. This means that the principal agitates that optimal resources use is correctly allocated which helps in manning resource hence reducing poor performance when fire and other crisis arise. The principals of management ensure that funds are efficiently managed and intra division billing and transfers are minimized. It is important for the resource managers in the fire and rescue organization to formulate strategies that would standardize and offer methods, which would identify, order, dispatch, and track and demobilize the resources intended to maintain fire incidents and manage other calamities. It is important to note that as much as dispatching of resources in a fire organization requires a detailed approval from the incidents mangers some incidents do require automatic response depending with the emergency (Richard, 2004) The fire and rescue service should be treated as a department in the society that is integrated in a set of operation. The operating resources should be maintained, improved and used in the designated areas to help in facilitating and sustaining the service delivery. The United Arabs Emirates should avail and initiate funds to the Abu Dhabi fire and rescues services organizations that would assist in initiating more expansive developments that would assist in fighting the incidences. It is important that the fire and rescues service management resources as this would in a huge way help in rebalancing workloads and meet emerging risk priorities. In Abu Dhabi most of organizations that are mandated to offer fire and rescues services rely on various forms of equipments perform assignment necessary tasks. An important component of operational readiness is the acquisition of tools and equipments that are necessary in performing specific standards that involve capability in being intolerable with facilities used by other authorities. In fire and rescue services organization resources are categorized in skills, capacity, capacity and size of the rescue firm. This category of resources crafts the resource regulating and send out processes within authorities, across authorities, and between governmental bodies more effective and guarantees that resource managers receive resources appropriate to their requirements. It is important that the Abu Dhabi government facilitates the development and issuance of public standards for typing and certifying personnel which would adversely help in resource management (Richard, 2004). The United Arabs Emirates should join hands with Abu Dhabi authorities in being ready before incidents arise by developing and employing resources in a variety of possible emergency circumstances . (Harry and Edwin, 2006) A local emergency risk management committee has been enacted in Abu Dhabi that is intended to assist in establishing communal plan response to hazardous substances incidents. The key responsibility of the local risk management committee is to identify available public and private industry resources, and formulate response strategies specific to locations that produce, employ, and amass perilous chemicals. This has proven to be effective not only on the perilous substances incidents, but in all hazards planning as well. All of the key players in Abu Dhabi emergency fire response including public and private sector should participate in the management and planning programs to enhance reduction of fire incidences and readiness for calamities. The Sesme’s Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) rescue group has emphasized on managing energy producing materials. This are to said to contribute the biggest percentage of fire crisis due to the heating and vulnerability of the explosives. The objective of the rescue group is to avail and provide a response team within a common managerial structure to effectively alleviate an incident. The resource management team majors in command, Operations, Planning, Logistics and finance administration Human resource management is fundamental in ensuring that the fire and rescue service department meets its statutory obligations and transforming its services to the communities, it is serving. The fire and rescue service has undergone some drastic changes in the modernization to reduce the economic loss, death and injury by delivering professional and resilient emergency response services (Mariam, 2008). The human resource management prioritizes the provision of effective ethical governance and proficient ecological sustainable resource management (Randy et al. 2004). In addition, it provides a competent, skilled, safe and diverse work force to the well being of the community safety. The human resource management is accountable for transactional workforce, human resource strategy and procedure, work-related health and safety, employee resource and parity and assortment. The human resource management usually establishes the framework to ensure that the ambitions, priorities and aims of the organizations are met. The frameworks are geared in the risk management plan then the mutual plan, which are implemented through the staff with the direction of the personal development reviews. Leadership Effective and focused leadership is a key to success. Thus a firm ought to develop its leadership ability as effective leadership should operate at every level. Leadership development is a key element in fire and rescue services learning and strategy development in delivery of the integrated risks management (Randy et al. 2004). There is need for the human resource management to embrace the need to develop leadership capacity through management development tool related to the fire and rescue staff to enhance leadership skills operational, tactical and strategic levels. Training and Development By ensuring that the organization has fully trained and professional workforce, it’s indispensable to meet the planned objective of providing proficient, experienced, safe and diverse workforce. All training and development of the personnel will be based on the integrated personal development system principles. The recruited staffs to the fire and rescue service are entitled to proper induction, training and development to be up to task of all the requirements of their role. This entails realization and maintaining the national occupational standards and signifying individual qualities and attributes relevant to their roles (Harry and Edwin, 2006). The managers will be set to deal with poor performance and decision-making process within the organization and enhance consent support. In addition they will be equipped with skills in budget management and financial information and other related tasks like grievance and discipline, interviewing skills sickness / absence management and change management. On top of that the managers will operate in the performance management framework and the staff under their direction will be able to recognize and understand their contribution to the corporate plan and integrated risk management arrangement. (West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, 2008 – 2011) Career Development and Succession Plan This ensures that the staffs are skilled enough and well trained to be in a position to carry out the duties assigned to the community they serve. The use of the national fire fighter selection test and assessments assists in identifying the future leaders at all levels. The identification of the potential leaders at an early stage of an employee’s career is essential to the progression of the company. Development of high potential schemes offers better ground to compete effectively in fetching on the team with the ranges of brilliant people into the organization. The use of human resource information will assist in ensuring that there is correct number of people to meet the needs of the organization and further deliver the core objectives of the business. Fire and rescue service staff will be recruited and developed to meet the needs of the community in delivering of safety and fire safety strategies. Thus appropriate recruitment and career progression strategy put in place in order to accomplish this requirement. Recruitment and Retention For the fire and rescue service to deliver its core business to the community, it needs to recruit and retain an indispensable number, quality and diversity of employees. The process should be carried in a fair and equitable manner and selection based on merit with regard to the present employment legislation and superior practice (Harry and Edwin, 2006). The fire fighting selection test will be the basis for hiring to operational posts. The employment policies and practices should be frequently evaluated to make certain that they are fit for the function and meet the need of the employees. Retaining of the skilled and motivated staff is important to the improvement of the organization for further development. Transfer of the qualified staff will help in assessing the potential for the transfer of the supervisory staffs in middle management roles. Procurement processes in the fire & rescue service This approach sets the organization and framework for procurement within the fire and rescue services. It follows the first national policy and entails the wider government procurement and policy environment (Randy et al. 2004). Also the strategy defines the stakeholders with the responsibility in delivering of the outcomes identified and set the roles and responsibilities in the structural governance. It sets the vision of the procurement, stakeholders’ engagement arrangements and accountability for the procurement within the fire service departments Reference: UAE legislative department (2003), Fires and rescue services, Abu Dhabi: McGraw-Hill. Mariam M. A, (2008) “The nation” Abu Dhabi: Nation press Information on fire rescue management systems www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk retrieved on 14th May 2009 Information on class specification in fire services www.co.washoe.nv.us retrieved on 14th May 2009 Data related to analyzing capabilities of hazards www.fema.gov retrieved on 13th may 2009 West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, (2008 – 2011) Human resources and workforce development strategy www.communities.gov.uk Communities and local government (2008-2011) The National Procurement Strategy for the Fire and Rescue Service retrieved on May 14, 2009 www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/Value for Money Evaluation in Complex Procurements Information on Abu Dhabi principals of resource management in fire and rescues services. www.sesme.ae. Information retrieved on 13th may 2009. Information on fire and explosive www.firemiddleeastmagazine.com information retrieved on 14th may 2009. Richard L (2004), “Management of resources” South-Western: College Pub. www.communities.gov.uk Communities and local government (2008-2011) The National Procurement Strategy for the Fire and Rescue Service retrieved on May 14, 2009 Ashly, P., Rob, M. and Tom, C. (2007), Human resource management: Ethics and employment, New York: Sage. Randy, O. et al. (2004), Crew Resource management for Fire Service, London: Rutledge. Harry, R. and Edwin, R. (2006), Management in the Fire Service, New York: Harvard University Press. Read More