Managing Resources in the Fire Service - Term Paper Example

MANAGING RESOURCES LANCASHIRE FIRE SERVICE Table of Contents 1- Introduction - 3 2- Fire Service Resources - 3 2.1 Physical Resources - 4 2.2 Financial Resources - 5 2.3 Human Resources - 7 2.4 Knowledge Resources - 8 3- Managing Resources in Lancashire Fire Service - 9 4- Crisis Management in Lancashire Fire Service - 10 5- Conclusion/Recommendation - 12 6- Bibliography - 14 1. Introduction The Fire Service has unique management challenges including the need for equipment and personnel to effectively manage emergencies. Members of the fire service risk their lives daily to save lives and property in blazes. Proper management of resources in the fire service is very important as it can affect the performance of the fire fighters and the outcome of the incidents. The following section provides some information about resources commonly managed by the fire services. It also includes relevant facts about the resources management in the Lancashire Fire Service and analysis of their crisis management approaches. Finally, the paper will conclude with the summary of information collected and recommendation on good resources management practices. 2. Fire Service Resources Fire services were initially created to suppress fires but today fire services do even more. Because of their success in reducing and coping with fire dangers and their traditional role in ensuring public safety, in addition to budgets constraints in local government, fire service now provide services in the areas of fire prevention, hazardous material incidents, rescue, emergency medical treatment, and emergency management. A Fire Service essentially involves fire and life safety which necessarily entails managing risks to life and property. All policy and operational decisions about those services represent choices regarding risk. What levels of risk are acceptable, what ways to deal with risk are best, and what resources should be expended to do so. Policy makers decide the acceptable levels of risk and allocation of resources. Although more resources reduce risks, not all risks can be alleviated, and other services require resources as well (Sternberg & Lipman 2006, p.341). Management in the fire service includes those processes used to provide an orderly structure to all of the events in the life cycle on an organisation. It is a process of structuring the activities of an organisation is such a way that it achieves efficiency and effectiveness in the use of human and physical resources to protect life and property (Barr & Eversole, 2003, p.2). A general rule in the fire service is to gear for the normal, not the extreme. This means, even though there are potential major catastrophes, the fire service only maintain what will be required to handle the ‘normal’ emergencies. Most of the time they only maintained the average resources adequate for their needs and on extreme situations, they understand what resources are required, what resources are available, and under what time frames they must operate (Coleman, 2002, p.23). In an incident, various resources are needed to assist the fire service in managing the crisis. Capital resources include local equipment and equipment identified as being available from surrounding agencies or municipalities. Personnel resources are comprised of individuals from within the initial responding agency and those from adjoining municipalities or agencies. 2.1 Physical Resources The most valuable resources in any fire service are the people who staff its agencies and equipment. Yet no matter how well staffed the fire service or how competent the people, members cannot do their jobs without the necessary physical resources. A fire service uses three types of physical resources, facilities, apparatus, and equipment and supplies. These resources make it possible for a fire service to work toward its goals. A fire service’s facilities include buildings or areas for personnel, apparatus, equipment, and supplies, administrative offices, communications functions, training facilities, and maintenance. For instance, a fire station in the centre of fire-fighting operations must be maintained correctly so that it remains functional in the future. If the present building is not adequate to meet the fire fighter and community needs, and if funds have not been budgeted to build a new station in the near future, then the service must make the best of the facilities and initiate steps to alleviate some of the problems (Carter & Rausch 2006, p.273). 2.2 Financial Resources A fire service must be concerned with managing its financial resources effectively and efficient. Most service resources, other than those provided by certain volunteer fire services, are purchased with public money. Public funding is supplemented by some alternative means like financial donations, equipment donations, fund-raising events, in-kind donations of service by professional and public-spirited citizens with special skills. The primary goals of management of financial resources are to ensure that the service will have the necessary funds and will administer them effectively to pay fair and equitable compensation to service staff members, maintain facilities and apparatus in full operating conditions, obtain the needed equipment and supplies, procure additional facilities when needed, purchase additional apparatus, and refurbish existing apparatus to stay abreast of the needs of the community to be protected (Carter & Rausch 2006, p.310). Financial management is the art of directing the acquisition and judicious use of money to accomplish an end (Barr & Eversole 2003, p.42), thus an agency must have specific policies, plans, programs, and management strategies how it will achieve long-term goals. In Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, the budget is coming from government grant, business rates and council tax. In 2008, the budget was greatly influenced by financial pressures relating to national pay awards and the necessity of improving community fire safety initiative. The majority of £3.665 million capital programme for 2007 and 2008 was spent on vehicle replacement and ICT systems (Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service 2009, 2007b, p.2). Figure 1- Percent of Expenditure for 2008 Over £700,000 of the 2009 and 2010 budget were allocated to enhancements in fire safety and a capital programme of £2.2m was set to fund procurement of replacement vehicles and buildings. Their future budget requirements for 2010 to 2012 as shown below were computed based on the 2008 and 2009 approved budget (Lancashire Fire Service 2009, p. 3). Figure 2- LANCASHIRE 2010 TO 2012 BUDGET REQUIREMENTS Since vehicles and equipment represent a significant investment, provide safety to fire service personnel and enable delivery of high-quality emergency services to the community, regular inventory of equipment is necessary (Cote 2003, p.150) and must be regarded as a high priority for the fire service because the lives of fire fighters and citizens depend on it (Buckman 2005, p.13). 2.3 Human Resources The members of the fire service are always the most valuable resource in terms of costs and results. Without well-trained, well-equipped, and well-prepared members, the essential tasks at an incident scene cannot be accomplished effectively, safely, or competently (Smeby 2005, p.73). The fire service poses some unique human resources challenges and shares a number of concerns and challenges with other areas of public administration. These include fair labour practices, health and safety, occupational hazards, etc. (Grant & Hoover 1993, p.76). Human resources management in the fire service include issues such as wage scales and benefits packages, which play an instrumental role in the budget development for personnel services. The fire service is among one of the most dangerous professions and with that comes inherent risk to personnel. As a result of work-related injuries, workers’ compensation claims and insurance premiums, the fire service are required to dedicate their budget to fund statutory requirements for workers’ compensation premiums. The fire service should be aware of workers’ compensation laws in their area and any appropriate laws that involve reporting of injuries, compensation of injured workers, or pay awards for personnel (Crosby & Windisch 2007, p.52). 2.4 Knowledge Resources Knowledge is also considered a resource in the fire service, it is the ability of the leader and those involved in the incident (Cote 2003, p.172). Knowledge management is about inspiring and facilitating creative use of knowledge. It is not auditing the cross-sectional value of knowledge and skills available (Haynes 2003, p.82). Managing knowledge resources in the fire service can generate new ideas and innovations, educate and inspire their members, stimulate more productive activity in the workplace (Figallo & Rhine 2002, p.168). However, managing knowledge requires appropriate attitudes, a systematic approach, and the right combination of enabling technologies. There are knowledge creating, sharing, and exploitation processes to be identified, established and supported (Smith 2004, p.176). Since the role of fire fighters is not just fighting fires, the firefighters need physical strength as well as intelligence. For instance, in Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, training for firefighters includes theoretical lectures and practical exercises (Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service 2009, p.1). 3. Managing Resources in Lancashire Fire Service As stated in their Budget Booklet for years 2009 and 2010, procurement of physical resources such as vehicle replacement, refurbishment/replacement of station, new IT requirements and new operational equipment for enhance fire fighting purposes obviously make up the large part of the operating budget of the Lancashire Fire Service. The 2008 budget is only £60.277 million while 2009 and 2010 has £61,489 million and £62,743 million respectively. An increase of about 1% every year (Lancashire Fire Service, 2007b, p. 9). Figure 3- 2009/10 Budget by Expenditure Purchasing policies vary widely among different governments and their agencies (Smeby 2005, p.66). For instance, the Lancashire Fire Service is spending around £1.3 million a year procuring goods and services from third parties. Based on their published procurement strategy, the Lancashire Fire Service always seeks to secure ‘Best Value’ and appropriate level of professional guidance in the procurement of all goods, services, and supplies. Their procurement strategy is based on the framework provided the Health and Safety Legislation, European Law, and other relevant laws. More importantly, stock levels of all goods in Lancashire Fire Service are kept to its minimum level to enable effective service delivery and maximize the working capital (Lancashire Fire Service, 2006, p. 3). Good procurement policies and strategies are invaluable to the fire service. However, although often ignored, part the procurement process is the training and maintenance requirements of the equipment. The fire service must state up front what the training expectations are from the manufacturer (Buckman 2005, p.218). 4. Crisis Management in Lancashire Fire Service Crisis management is a planned efficient response to any event that significantly disrupts the operation of the organisation (Thackrah 2004, p.54). A crisis is far more crucial than most issues and incidents. It is a major turning points resulting in permanent and drastic change to the organisation. These events can have an internal or external impact, can be sudden or gradual, can be short-term or long-term in nature, and can be human in origin. The failure to respond at the appropriate level can lead to serious errors, spread alarm, and create a siege mentality. The response should be proactive since a nonreactive position may place the organisation in a defensive position (Broder 2006, p.235). A good crisis management involve more than simply trying to minimize danger to an organisation but it should seek to maximize every possible opportunity (Devlin 2007, p.1). In Lancashire Fire Service, use of such theory is apparent because crisis preparation is a key tool in crisis management (Chaleff 2008, p.71). More importantly, “the efficiency of the crisis management directly depends on the quality of the organisation and quality of personnel operating the systems” (Prezelj 2008, p.218). The Lancashire Fire Service Integrated Risk Management Plan published in 2006 aim to provide more prevention, better protection, effective emergency response, and greater value for money (Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service 2007a, p.4). This includes a risk based review of stations and pumping appliances and review of incident command arrangements to reduce loss of life and injury arising out of fires and other emergency incidents. The IRMP integrates five essential stages – “identify risks, evaluate effectiveness of current risk reduction arrangements, determine improvement opportunities, allocate resources, and implement and evaluate” (Lancashire Fire & Rescue 20007a, p. 123). The IRMP also has a provision of risk information to operational staff to fulfil the service’s responsibility to staff and the public under the Health and Safety Law particularly on staff exposure on unnecessary risk (Lancashire Fire & Rescue 2007a, p. 123). Compared to other non-UK fire service, Abu Dhabi Fire Service for instance, most of the budget for crisis preparation goes to the procurement of vehicles and firefighting equipments (IVECO 2005, p.1). The Abu Dhabi Fire Service budget has also increased from its budget for 2010 (Abdul Aziz 2009, p.1). However, the Lancashire Fire & Rescue Fire Service, in terms of fire prevention and community safety, is more visible and spending as almost 14 percent of their budget in 2008 was spent on fire prevention activities. Abu Dhabi Fire Service is still expanding its regional centres and in the process of purchasing new equipments to support their crisis strategy (GDCD 2007, p.1-5). In contrast, the Lancashire Fire Service is replacing its old equipments and expanding its community services. 5. Conclusion/ Recommendation The Fire Service of today not only suppress fires but provide services in fire prevention, hazardous material incidents, rescue, emergency medical treatment, and crisis management. Management in the Fire Service includes managing resources efficiently and effectively. The general rule is to maintain only those resources that are required to handle common emergencies or the average resource adequate for the need. Capital resources in the Fire Service include local equipment and those identified available from nearby agencies. Similarly, human resources are those within the initial responding agency and from adjoining agencies. The Lancashire Fire Service applied several pieces of legislations to prevent fires including personnel safety against unnecessary risks. Their budget is coming from government grant, business rates, and council tax. The need to improve community safety and payment of pay awards greatly influenced their budget in 2008. The majority of the budget was spent on vehicle replacement and ICT systems. In 2009, the budget was raised by one percent, from sixty to sixty one million. The Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service always seeks to secure the best value and professional guidance in procuring goods and services. The service’s IRMP ensures that fire prevention and community and staff protection is at its peak as regular review of facilities, equipment, operations are being implemented. As shown earlier, given an increasing amount of annual operating budget, management of the Lancashire Fire Service should always monitor how their agency’s procurement system functions. Supplies and equipment, for non-emergency as well as for emergency needs, must be constantly maintained at adequate levels for each division of the fire service. Fire officers need to be aware of their role in maintaining adequate supply levels in their respective areas. Periodic physical counting of inventories of all items is needed to assure that control is maintained and resource availability is appropriate. Fire and emergency service managers should be able to spot mistakes or unplanned expenses as soon as possible sot that spending can be adjusted. A system should be set that keeps track of expenditures on a monthly basis. 6. Bibliography Abdul Aziz A., 2009, Safety Violations Will Invite Heavier Fine, available at http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=/data/theuae/2009/May/theuae_May280.xml§ion=theuae Barr R. & Eversole J. 2003, The fire chief's handbook. PennWell Books, US Broder J., 2006, Risk analysis and the security survey, Butterworth-Heinemann, UK Buckman J., 2005, Chief Fire Officer's Desk Reference, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, US Carter H. & Rausch E., 2006, Management in the Fire Service, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, US Chaleff I., 1995, The courageous follower: standing up to and for our leaders, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, US Coleman J., 2001. Managing Major Fires., PennWell Books, US Cote A., 2003, Organizing for Fire And Rescue Services, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, US Crosby F. & Windisch F., 2007, A Leadership Guide for Combination Fire Departments, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, US Devline E., 2007, Crisis Management Planning and Execution, CRC Press, US Figallo C. & Rhine N., 2002. Building the Knowledge Management Network: Best Practices, Tools, and Techniques for Putting Conversation to Work, John Wiley and Sons, US GDCD, 2007, General Civil Defence Directorate: United Arab Emirates, GDCD, Abu Dhabi, Grant N. & Hoover D., 1993, Fire Service Administration, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, US Haynes P., 2003, Managing complexity in the public services, McGraw-Hill International, UK IVECO, 2005, 6 New Firefighting Vehicles to Abu-Dhabi, Al Hamid Group, Abu Dhabi Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, 2006, Procurement Strategy and Policy, available online at http://www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/lfrs/about/procurement.php, UK Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, 2007a, Integrated Risk Management Plan 2007-08, Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, UK Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, 2007b, Statement of Accounts 2007-08, Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, UK Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, 2009, Capital Programme and Revenue Budget for 2009/10, Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, UK Prezelj I., 2008, The Fight Against Terrorism and Crisis Management in the Western Balkans, IOS Press, Netherlands Smith G., 2004, Leading the Professionals: How to Inspire & Motivate Professional Service Teams, Kogan Page Publishers, UK Smeby C., 2005, Fire and emergency service administration: management and leadership, practices, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, US Stenberg C. & Lipman S., 2006, Managing Local Government Services: A Practical Guide, ICMA Press, US Thackrah J., 2004, Dictionary of terrorism, Routledge, US Read More