Merseyside Fire and Rescue Management - Case Study Example

Merseyside Fire & Rescue QA Name & ID Course Name & Code Instructor’s Name 19th January 2010 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Validity and benefits associated with service plans against HSG 65 framework 3 Policy 3 Organising 4 Planning and implementation 4 Measuring Performance 5 Review Performance 6 Auditing 7 Output measures against Rescue Service National Framework Document 2008-2011 7 Conclusion 11 References 12 Introduction Accidents are common in today environment and needs; this has resulted in the formulation and implementation of different strategies that includes the use of fire and rescue departments. The fire and rescue departments ensure that the community live in an environment that is free from risks and if risks may occur, appropriate measures are in place that guarantees the safety and healthiness of the community. An example of such organisation is the Merseyside Fire & Rescue that ensures the safety of the people within the general United Kingdom is championed. Therefore, the aim of this report is to assess the validity and benefits of key QAs used by Merseyside Fire & Rescue, appropriateness of QAs use to the existing output measures of Merseyside Fire & Rescue, and use of evidential outputs from QAs to ensure consistency of quality enhancement within the organisation. Validity and benefits associated with service plans against HSG 65 framework Policy For any organisation to succeed, policies should be in place that guides and ensures institutions follow, fulfils and achieves its requirements. Policies that are formulated should be within the legal framework of the government, society and stakeholders that are involved in the entire process of formulation and implementation. Within the UK laws and regulations, it is required for all IRMP to follow provisions that are provided, a factor that has been embraced by Merseyside Fire and Rescue department for service plan 2009-2012 (Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, 2010). Generally, MFR policy plan encompasses both objectives, purposes and aims through maximisation of organisational resources to ensure the county and entire UK is safe while risks been minimised. Thus, Merseyside Fire and Rescue policy incorporates value for money and other fundamentals that champion environmental protection, risk assessment, incident reduction strategies, and performance management. Generally, Merseyside Fire and Rescue ensures that policies that are formulated and implemented champions, prevents, reduction, preparedness and rehabilitation of emergencies (Merseyside Fire & Rescue, 2010). Organising The aim of many organising strategies is to ensure that a policy effectively implemented. Thus, it means that bringing together all stakeholders in championing the course of the organisation and ensuring these stakeholders can operate effectively. It is a common phenomenon that organisation employ diverse employees with different backgrounds in terms of culture and other human factors. Hence, control measures should be in places that ensure these diverseness is championed, and Merseyside Fire and Rescue has ensured that it is a fundamental requirement of the organisation. Merseyside Fire and Rescue has formulated effective framework that champions contribution of different stakeholders (Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, 2010). For example, Merseyside Fire and Rescue encourage involvement and participation of communities in championing security and safeness of the environment both socially and economically. To ensure organisational requirements are effectively achieved, the organisation has encouraged effective communication, provision of appropriate and required resources, and ensured that the staffs are competent on what they are doing. Through this approach, Merseyside Fire and Rescue has continuously fulfilled safety and security requirements of the community. The organising fundamentals are poised at ensuring Merseyside Fire and Rescue provides quality, value for money service. Planning and implementation Planning and implementing measure is a process that ensures the formulation system and its provisions can be fulfilled. This means that the planning and implementation measurement should champion risk assessment, clearly defined objectives, safety and health precautions, and management arrangements. Risk assessment is a fundamental function of a fire and rescue department, an aim that Merseyside Fire and Rescue has effectively fulfilled since its inception. Risk assessment has ensured that appropriate strategies and approaches have been involved in defining organisational objectives. Merseyside Fire and Rescue objective that encourages safety and health provides a means in which the society and all stakeholders involved to appreciate the contribution of the organisation. To ensure that the organisation operates optimally, Merseyside Fire and Rescue encourages single equalities scheme, champions the fundamentals of National Fire & Rescue Equality & Diversity Strategy, and their specific contribution of diversity in the workplace is provided by Equality & Diversity Actions 2009/10 (Merseyside Fire & Rescue, 2010). Measuring Performance For any organisation to succeed, it is crucial to ensure the performance accomplished and been plotted should be measured. This means that the measuring performance strategies should incorporate monitoring and corrective measures that ensures the organisation achieves its objectives. Merseyside Fire and Rescue department has put in place different strategies that provide means for measuring performance and accomplishments within the organisation (Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, 2010). Measuring performance strategy that has been employed by Merseyside Fire and Rescue department brings into consideration improvement of health and safety measures, monitoring of distress calls, employees roles and responsibilities, summary of current accomplishments, comparing current and past accomplishments, and number of successful distress calls that have been addressed. Measuring the performance of employees/staff provides a means of assisting them to improve in their efficiency such as introducing training programs, and the measures also determines the strategies that will be used to recognise and award some of the staff members. In the case of community regarding the education provided, measuring performance strategy determines the type of distress calls, authenticity of these distress calls, nature of the distress calls, and general impact of these distress calls towards organisational resources (Merseyside Fire & Rescue, 2010). Generally, the goal of an organisation is to ensure and champion the safety and security of the community, and Merseyside Fire and Rescue has championed this through formulating and implementing measuring performance strategies that ensures all resources of the organisation plus the stakeholders are geared towards achieving objectives of the organisation. Moreover, the outcome of performance measures has ensured that organisations can compare development and effectiveness of the organisation through comparing past accomplishments and current accomplishments. Additionally, measuring performance determines whether the objectives in risk assessment are effectively addressed (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Review Performance Review performance is an important credential in an organisation since saw information from measuring performance cannot be effectively utilised by staff or people who do not have analysis skills. Merseyside Fire and Rescue understands that the staff, community and stakeholders have different analytical capabilities, and thus Merseyside Fire and Rescue usually review performance with the help of stakeholders. The review process determines whether the objectives of different organisational frameworks have been achieved, determining next steps, and formulating appropriate strategies to mitigate the shortcomings of current strategies. Thus, the review of performance is crucial for Merseyside Fire and Rescue and they have ensured that it is part of the organisational requirements and accomplishments (Merseyside Fire & Rescue, 2010). Auditing Auditing is important to determine the success of each quality assurance initiative. Auditing ensures that specific provisions in the national framework are achieved and determining the appropriate strategies that will improve on these crucial benefits (Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, 2010). Generally, auditing can be seen in terms of determining where Merseyside Fire and Rescue went wrong, shortcomings of policies and regulations, accomplishments and areas of improvement, and strategies that will ensure the shortcomings are corrected (Merseyside Fire & Rescue, 2010). Output measures against Rescue Service National Framework Document 2008-2011 Control measures are important in any organisation and thus the government requires formulation of a three-year IRMP. The provisions championed by different reports and frameworks ensures that organisational accomplishments are reviewed, risks been analysed, revised, incorporation of different stakeholders, and assessing whether the organisation has effectively fulfilled and achieved provisions within equality and diversity act. This means he control measures should incorporate prevention strategies that may include protection and education, auditing, performance measurement and response e.g. analysing distress calls. Generally, the control measures ensure the community requirements are championed will the organisation been effective and efficient. To achieve the control measures, organising is crucial in ensuring the objectives and requirements of a fire and rescue department are achieved. For example, organising incorporates strategies such as communication, cooperation control and competence in ensuring the organisation and organising requirements are achieved. Within the Rescue Service National Framework some important contents include protection, prevention and response. Generally, these numerous information are contained in different fire and rescue organisations through provisions in the Integrated Risk Management Planning. Moreover, an organisation should provide control in determining the approach the organisation will take. Control measures also ensures the requirements of an organisation are achieved and fulfilment of community requirements. Thus, effective and efficient connection should exist between protection, provision and prevention to ensure the organisation is successful and the community receives utmost service. The document further champions communication and cooperation between and with stakeholders. When a disaster or accident occurs, stakeholders come together to ensure the distress has been addressed. Thus, it is important to ensure the capabilities and capacities of the stakeholders are understood towards addressing distress calls, and formulating strategies that irons out differences if they may exist. Communication and cooperation are crucial in that an organisation can understand position of stakeholders and strategies that can improve their accomplishments can be implemented. Cooperation means that the different stakeholders can come together without any strings attached to help in fulfilling the requirements of the community. On the other hand, communication ensures that cooperation is efficient and effective. Communication provides means in which the stakeholders can state their position and determine the appropriate approach that they can come together to ensure the provisions of an organisation are achieved (Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, 2010). Another form of cooperation is between central and local governments, and between the local/central governments with the communities. The local and central government champions’ safety and security of the government, regional management boards ensues that effective and effective cooperation exists and resilience is championed by different Fire and Rescue Authorities (Cote, 2003). The stakeholders, and through their cooperation champions the idea that that risks should be averted or effectively mitigated if they occur. Generally, effective and efficient cooperation and communication ensures the community receive optimum services (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Competency s vital in ensuring organising requirements are achieved. The important asset to any organisation is the staff or human resource. This means that the fire and rescue authorities should be encouraged to formulate, implement, review and maintain legislations/policies, procedures, and processes that are effective and efficient. Human resource requires different factors that encourage them to work effectively (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2006). It means that appropriate human resource should be employed, championing equality and diversity, providing appropriate support, formulating and encouraging career progress. Equality and diversity is paramount in any organisation because staff and community members come from different backgrounds, traditional values, religion and race to name some. This means that any fire and rescue department should develop frameworks, policies, procedures, and processes that encourage equality and diversity. For example, the framework document (2008-2011) requires that by 2013 minority ethnic staff should account for 15% while women should account 15%of the entire employees in a Fire and Rescue Service, and should be maintained throughout organisational operation (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Moreover, the organisation should develop and formulate strategies that encourage reviewing, analysing and determining organisational best practices. This means that it is paramount to ensure all organisational activities and operations should be conducted in a manner that is effectively and efficient. Thus, factors such as shift management and allocation of duties should be effective and fulfilling (Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, 2007). Application of evidential outputs from quality assurance systems The accomplishments of an organisation are usually varied, which means it should be analysed and determined whether it fulfils the requirements of the community and meets the obligations of the society. Some of the factors that are championed in the review process include safeguarding organisational assets and interests, formulation and monitoring achievements, ensuring compliance with established policies, procedures and processes, decision making, encourages and champions reliability and integrity of information, and ensuring laws and regulations are followed (Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, 2010). Additionally, audits and reviews are important because in determines the effectiveness and efficiency of an organisation both economy and humanely, and identification, assessment, and management of risks towards achieving the goals initially set. The QA should ensure the auditing and review process should be within the requirements of organisation. In most instances, the evidential output can be analysed in terms of organisational assessment, area assessment, and operational assessment. The operational assessment determines the approaches and technicality of all stakeholders towards delivering effective services. Since, the aim of any fire and rescue department is to champion community safety, health and security, the operational assessment provides capability and previous accomplishments of these institutions (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Generally, it is paramount for an organisation to define the accomplishments of fire and rescue department in terms of operations and technical success. More important is the documentation of such information since it can be used in future deliberations and thus forming basis for references. Thus, operation strategies should be balanced with quality assurance strategies thus resulting in an effective and efficient fire and rescue department (Cote, 2003). On the other hand, organisational assessment brings together resources that are required to ensure the organisation fulfils its obligations and ensuring the society is safe. Since, resource in an organisation are diverse, appropriate frameworks should be in place that ensures that resources are correlated and poised towards fulfilling organisation requirements. This approach ensures the consistency of an organisation is encouraged resulting in effectiveness of an organisation (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Area assessment brings into consideration stakeholders, equipments and localities of risk potential areas. Stakeholders’ aim is to ensure the community is safe, and this means the fire and rescue authorities should value their contributions and also appreciate it. This means that it is important to maintain relationship that is profitable with the stakeholders and ensuring the contribution of the stakeholders are appreciate, and these contributions should be officially recognised. Conclusion Fire and rescue departments should ensure the communities and societies are supported both in health, safety, and security. This means the fire and rescue departments are required to provide services that are within the standards of the organisation. Thus, quality assurance is paramount in that it incorporates planning and implementation, policy, auditing measuring performance, auditing and review of performance. Merseyside Fire and Rescue appreciate the contribution and importance of quality assurance systems through implementing its provision exhaustively. Moreover, the quality assurance deliberations should be long lasting, incorporates all stakeholders, and thus likely leads to the success of the organisation. These strategies can be achieved through balancing organisational assessment, operational assessment and area assessment in formulating and implementing appropriate quality assurance deliberative. References Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. 2010. Service Improvement Plan 2009/2010. Available from http://www.cambsfire.gov.uk/ [accessed 17 January 2010] Communities and Local Government. 2008. Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2008-11. Available from http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/nationalframework200811.pdf [accessed 17 January 2010] Cote, A. 2003. Organising for Fire and Rescue Services. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Department for Communities and Local Government. 2006. Fire Safety Risk Assessment: Educational Premises. London: The Stationery Office. Department for Communities and Local Government. 2006. Fire Safety Risk Assessment: Theatres, Cinemas and Similar Premises. London: The Stationery Office. Department for Communities and Local Government. 2006. Fire Safety Risk Assessment: Offices and Shops. London: The Stationery Office. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority. 2007. Integrated Risk Management Plan 2007-2010. Available from http://www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/ [accessed 17 January 2010] House of Commons. 2006. The Fire and Rescue Service: Session 2005-06. London: The Stationery Office. Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue. 2010. Performance Information. Available from http://microsites.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lfr/section.asp?catid=12781 [accessed 17 January 2010] Merseyside Fire & Rescue. 2010. Integrated risk Management Plan. Available from http://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/aspx/pages/IRMP/irmp.aspx [accessed 17 January 2010] Read More