How the Project of Managing and Controlling Emergencies of Fire at the Airport Is Managed - Case Study Example

Name: xxxxxxxx Tutor: xxxxxxxx Title: Project Management Institution: xxxxxxxx Date: xxxxxxxx Table of Contents Title: Project Management 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Objectives 3 Fire outbreak at Sharjah international Airport 4 Fire and rescue services 5 Planning and design 6 Execution 6 Closing 6 Initiation 7 Planning and design 9 Executing 9 Closing 11 The project management triangle 12 Project management tools and methodologies 13 Fishbone diagrams 14 Project critical path analysis 15 Prevention of fire accidents in Sharjah Airport Free-Zone 19 Fire prevention applications 20 Integrated risk management plan of Sharjah Airport 21 Recommendations 23 Conclusion 24 Bibliography 25 Yasine K., 2011, Fire inspections make Sharjah safer, Jul 3, 2011 pp.1-2. 26 Introduction Fire outbreaks constitute one of the calamities that face organizations. United Arab Emirates is currently gauged as the leading in the fire and rescue services because of its ability to design fire and safety systems thus ensuring that outbreaks of accidents of fire are managed in the region. This report analysis the important concepts that the management of Sharjah Airport International Free Zone considers for the achievement of the goals and objectives set in their integrated management plan. The scenario in reference is that of an incident of fire which occurred at the premises in 2004 caused by a crash of an aircraft. The report focuses on the management techniques especially the tools and methods applied to manage this project. It also considers the techniques used to plan on the activities and the methods considered evaluating and reporting the outcomes. The statement of the problem is how the project of managing and controlling emergencies of fire at the Airport was managed. Objectives The general objective To establish the management of fire outbreaks in United Arab Emirates considering a scenario of fire outbreak in Sharjah Airport International Free Zone. Specific objectives To establish the cause of fire outbreak in Sharjah Airport International Free Zone To find out the fire and rescue service who helped to fight the emergency To find out how the project was managed and the tools used. Fire outbreak at Sharjah international Airport Sharjah Airport is located in Sharjah, a town which is considered as the heartland of United Arab Emirates. There are a number of industrial activities facilitated by its geographical location thus an exceptional integration of land, air links and sea. The air mode of transport is the most considered because of its efficiency thus most suitable for the perishable goods like fish and fast businesses. Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF-Zone) is the most instrumental in boosting the economic standards of UAE. It is the fastest airport free zone in the entire region and considered as the leading cargo hub across the world (Smeby, 2009). Security from risks and emergencies like fire and floods is given the first priority to ensure that the activities of the premise are not interrupted. In February 2004, a Fokker F27 Mk. 050 which was operated by the Kish Airlines crashed into explosion as it tried to land at Sharjah International Airport. According to the report from the investigators the incident was caused by loss of control as a result of selection of both propellers to the range of ground in the flight. The Aircraft was owned by Kish Airlines from Ekbatan of the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Gulfnews, 2009). The availability of various highly combustible things in the environment caused fast spread of the frames of fire in the facility. The frames were also extended to the neighboring facilities like the vehicles on the road and the commercial buildings like the warehouses and all what was stored in them. Fire and rescue services Anyone working at the airport is a member of fire and rescue service or has the skills to fight or prevent the occurrence of any risk of fire thus they all play an important role to ensure that there is total safety and security of all the passengers traveling in and out of the airport. The staff members in collaboration with the police and other emergency workers like the AMREF fought hard to put of the fire to limit its consequences. For proper management of the entire project, the crew considered the five phases or developmental components. These include initiation, planning and design, execution and construction, monitoring and controlling systems and completion or closing. The structure below shows how these phases were considered by the management of the airport while handling the project. The above processes can be simplified as follows: defining the problem, weigh possible options, selection of the path, implementation and evaluation of the outcome in comparison to the expectations. These steps are not only considered in the management of accident of fire but also in all the other projects irrespective of terminologies and methodologies considered (Haddow & Bullock, 2003). Work break Down Structure (WBS) This is a deliverable-oriented decomposition of projects into manageable components. It provides a definition of project’s discrete elements in a manner that helps organize the overall work scope of the entire project Level one Level two Level Three Initiation The initiating stage begins the whole process and is essential because it helps the managers to establish the nature and scope of the project or the problem to be solved. The management of the Airport considered this phase so as to analyze the aspects of the accident like the cause of the fire its severity and the effects it had on the affected area or victims. They were keen on this stage because it determines the factors to be considered in the other stages. The fire at the airport was caused by a crash of an aircraft which was about to land. Good understanding of the environment enabled the management to handle the initiating stage. This enabled them to know the things which were affected by fire and their combustible thus determining the nature of fire. They reported that the fire burned in explosions because of the presence of oil and oxygen gas used in the Aircraft. They were also sure that all the passengers in that aircraft were victims of the incident and the warehouses near the scene. This figure is a structure of initiating process group and the processes involved. The two ranges of the process are development charter scope and development of the preliminary scope statement (Lindell, Prater & Perry, 2006). The following factors were also considered in the analysis of the initiation process: the expected condition of the Airport before the fire incident, the current status, the incurred loss, and the personnel to be involved in the project and the project charter. The figure above shows the two processes involved in the initiating stage, these are mainly development of the charter and preliminary scope statement. Their main aim is determination of the nature and scope of the project. The stage also covers the following areas: analyzing the goals of the project, current activities, budget the project charter (Alexander & David, 2002). Planning and design Planning and design is considered after the entire incident is analyzed and everything is well understood. The main purpose of this stage is to plan expenses, time and the possible resources with the intention of estimating the work needed and effectively manage the risk during the implementation of the project. The plan of the project depends on the nature of the initiation phase. The management of the airport planned on the ways of handling fire based on its cause and the things affected. The management of Airport considers this stage so as to plan on the schedule or time anticipated, cost and resources for proper estimation of the work or activities needed to effectively manage the risks of fire. For the success and achievement of this stage, they have the following considerations: selection of the planning team, identification of the activities that they need to complete the project. Others like the resources required, time or schedule for each activity and the overall budget. Executing This the third stage in the process of project management and its purpose is to implement all the factors which are considered in the planning stage. There are a number of processes involved in this stage and are shown in the figure below This process involves the ideas of coordinating both human and material resources as well as ensuring that their activities comply with the requirements of the project management plan. of some of the processes which are performed in the observation of execution so as to easily identify some of the possible potential problems before they get to worse states and plan for their solutions (Nokes, Sebastian, 2007). The monitoring and control process includes ideas like: assessments of the ongoing activities of the project, the proposed management plan and project baseline and possible actions to solve them. Below is an example of a monitoring and control cycle which is essential in the efforts of project maintenance. Closing This is the last stage in the process of project management. The managers consider this during the assessment and evaluation of the outcome of the project to determine whether goals and objectives are achieved. This helps to determine the best action for both short term and integrated risk management plan for the entire organization. The two important processes that they consider are shown in the figure below The project management triangle The project management triangle is very essential for the management of projects fighting and controlling incidents of fire at Sharjah Airport. It shows the scope time and cost with each of them representing a constraint and none can be altered with without affecting the others. Quality The constraint of time or schedule refers to the time scheduled to complete a project, cost represent the budget and the scope refers to all the procedures to be considered for the achievement of the objected end results. Project management tools and methodologies Lewis, (2006), says that there are some four commonly used tools for the management of projects at Sharjah Airport: Brainstorming, Fishbone diagrams, critical path analysis flow diagrams and Gantt Charts. The tools are used depending on their strengths and defined purposes. The table below is an example of how these tools are used. Matrix key: B = Brainstorming F = Fishbone/Ishikawa Diagrams C = Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagrams G = Gantt Charts   *** - main tool ** - optional/secondary tool * - sometimes useful B F C G Project brainstorming and initial concepts, ideas, structures, aims, etc *** **     Gathering and identifying all elements, especially causal and hidden factors * *** **   Scheduling and timescales     ** *** Identifying and sequencing parallel and interdependent activities and stages *   *** * Financials - costings, budgets, revenues, profits, variances, etc * * ** *** Monitoring, forecasting, reporting   * ** *** Troubleshooting, problem identification, diagnosis and solutions ** *** ** * 'Snapshot' or 'map' overview - non-sequential, non-scheduled ** *** Format for communications, presentations, updates, progress reports, etc   * * *** Brainstorming Brainstorming is considered as the first tool of management of fire incidences at Sharjah Airport. This allows the members to give their views concerning the operations. It is essential for the improvement of the operations because of the shared ideas. Fishbone diagrams This tool is used in the quality management and specifically useful for early planning after gathering various ideas brainstormed by the members. They help in identifying hidden factors which would be important for large activities. It is referred to as a fishbone diagram because it takes the shape of a fish (Harrison & Dennis, 2004). Cause Effects Material S Process P Equipment People Fishbone analysis The factors joining the central spine highly influence the final outcome of the project. The management uses the diagram to identify the main categories of factors for each project hence are able to handle them depending on their effects. Project critical path analysis The management considers this tool in the management of most complex projects and shows that most of the activities take place in a line to minimize the length of time that a project takes to be completed. It also helps to minimize the effects of fire on the victims because it is faster managed. Gantt Charts These charts are used for budgeting and scheduling of activities involved in the running of a project. It is also considered during the final processes of reporting, presenting and communication of any necessary information. The figure shows the activity, time schedule and the cost of how management of Sharjah Airport plan for their operations, it is an example of a Gantt chart (Harrison & Dennis, 2004). Activity Time (weeks) Cost (dollars) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Defining of the problem, 8 Consideration of the best opinion and preparation of the resources. 8 Implementation under good management 6 9 Evaluation of the outcome in comparison to the expectations 4 7 Reporting of the outcome. 2 5 Total cost 12 37 The organization also considers the Earned value management (EVM) technique to evaluate the performance of the project as well as the progress in comparison to the expectations on the integrated management plan. This is considered to be more effective than the other methods because of its ability to combine the measurements of schedule, scope and cost in graphs thus making it easier and clear to study their progress. Below is an example of a EVM graph which shows all the elements in a project management triangle. There are some methodologies which are considered to manage the projects in UAE, these include: project financial planning and reporting and project contingency planning. These plans concern the budgets and time schedules for all the activities taking place. Other methods includes: good communication of the plan to the team either to inform the members of what is happening or obtain the most essential support, agree and delegation of project actions and good management and motivation of the entire crew. The management considers the proper ways of managing emergencies so as to prevent their future occurrences. The cycle below shows the phases and professional activities of managing emergencies of fire. The level of management depends on both social and economic activities although the cycle shows that emergency management should include long-term activities so as to prevent hazards from developing to disasters. The greatest security of airport is controlled by the officers of Sharjah’s ministry of interior although there is the main element in the approach of the security of the airport due to its uniqueness in the nature of the activities taking place as well as the type of the sensitivity of the substances handled in there. The officers of the ministry work together with the staff members of the airport to ensure that the security goals and objectives are achieved and well handled (Tarantino, 2010). There is a complete fire station located inside the airport which consists of a total of seven appliance bays, five vehicles to respond to any emergency and two ambulances to rush the casualties to the hospital. These appliances are strategically located somewhere close to terminals of cargos and runway crews thus they are easily accessed in less than five minutes. This assisted the fighters to easily put off fire before spreading to the entire port (Gulfnews, 2009). Prevention of fire accidents in Sharjah Airport Free-Zone The safety and security of the passengers at the airport is more evident than the efforts they put to fight the occurrence of fire accidents by the measures the staff members put to prevent occurrence of these risks. For the recent period of time the management of the airport is seen to put much incentive to train the staff members to the highest standards to maintain an accident free zone. This is why UAE is termed as the leading in the efforts to design systems of fire and fire safety across the entire world in all the facilities both residential and commercial. Fire prevention means creation of an atmosphere in which accidents of fire cannot or are difficult to happen. Thus is an assurance of most advanced and highest fire security and safety levels for the commuters through the facility. Observation of fire prevention at the airport has worked to minimize the number of the accidents occurring thus reduce loss of properties and lives of the travelers (Aviation Safety Network, 2009). Fire prevention applications Prevention is the key thing considered in the management of projects at Sharjah Airport. There are a number of applications which are considered in the efforts to prevent occurrence of risks of fire in Sharjah Airport. These are considered as specific applications because each of them is perceived different from the others. Storage of the most flammable commodities is one of the applications. These goods like fuel are stored in safely in conducive environment which cannot easily caught fire. At the airport, these substances are stored in rooms which oxygen is fully reduced. The other application is considering safety precautions while constructing the buildings in the facility like the warehouses. The architectures of the blocks in the airport ensure that there is good ventilation to reduce the pressure of the flames thus preventing them from burning in explosions. The shafts of lifts and stair cases in these buildings also serves as pressurized chambers which contains the flames thus allows people to vacate the buildings safely (Chailloux & Hakura, 2009). There is another technique in Dubai known as sandwich effect, this is whereby smoke is removed from the room where the fire has started before it spreads to the rest of the building then air is pressurized from below and above the room to contain the flames from explosion. This is done by completely removing air from the burning area increasing the pressure on its surrounding thus the burning air is retained in that region and it becomes easier to put it off when it has not spread to a large are. This also reduces the losses that the fire is likely to cause of the properties. The buildings are also constructed with spacious rooms to reduce the pressure of the air inside them thus incase of fire outbreaks they do not burn in explosions (Risk and Insurance Management Society &American Society of Insurance Management, 2010). Good telecommunication is another application which should is considered to prevent or reduce the impacts of occurrence of fire. This facilitates good communication amongst the staff members thus there is quick response in case of occurrence of an emergency. The IT secure rooms contain devices which are able to survey all the activities taking place in the entire facility. This enables the management to control all the operations and detect any problem before it becomes uncontrollable. Automated picking systems ensure that there is a continuous system of preventing outbreaks of fire in spite of the inflammable nature of the components of the system. These systems are best used in the warehouses to reduce the inflammable nature of the stored commodities or reduce the stored goods from being destroyed by smoke like the food substances (Oxford Business Group, 2007). Integrated risk management plan of Sharjah Airport It is requirement of any government for any organization serving the public to have an integrated management plan as a guide in their operations. Sharjah Airport is not an exceptional; it has an integrated risk management plan which is frequently updated for the contents to fit the requirements of the current lifestyles. This plan covers a period of three years although there is room for minor improvements in case an urgent need for rectification arises. The projects to be achieved within the stipulated period are well stated alongside the procedures of achieving them. This is inclusive of all the duties and responsibilities of any staff members who offer the required human force. The integrated plan is essential for the management of the Airport to be able to manage their projects by keenly supervising the operations of the staff members depending on the duties and responsibilities stated on the plan. The plan also guides the management to note the areas which require modification and give guidance on what should be done to update them. All the workers of Sharjah Airport are required to regularly read this document to have their skills as well as work toward achievement of the common goal for the entire organization (SKYbrary, 2011). According to the investigations done UEA is the leading with the designs to control and handle incidences of fire outbreaks with Sharjah Airport being considered as the leading because the management in collaboration with the officers of Sharjah’s ministry of interior work hard to ensure that tight security is maintained not only in Sharjah but also across the entire UAE. The members of Sharjah also work directly with the General Civil Aviation Authority and the other major Airports within UEA. According to the report of fire inspection carried out by the fire safety inspectors in UAE this year have made Sharjah safer. Marwan Bu Afrah, the assistant director general of Sharjah Civil Defense said that the campaign by the Ministry of interior has facilitated their efforts to make majority of the residents after realizing the possible hazards and amending them (Yasine Kakande, 2011). Some of the hazards which were realized include safety lapses in the connection of electricity and gas, poor maintenance of certain buildings, poor ventilation and lack of emergency exits in the most of the buildings like the warehouses. The Ministry recommended that each building should have at least two exits for the security. The director said that they have tried to implement most of the recommendations passed by the inspectors. Recommendations From the findings on the management of the projects in UAE and specifically Sharjah Airport, much of the efforts are implemented to ensure that there is total safety and security against emergencies. However there are some few recommendations for the management to put into consideration for perfect achievement of the targets set on the integrated management plan. They should also consider some other concepts which are likely to cause fire outbreaks like lightening and thunderstorms thus come up with ways of minimizing their risks. This can be done by installing devices like the spike on the tall buildings to attack lightening and thunderstorm. They should be keen on the weather conditions so as to be able to control the movement of aircrafts and carefully direct the pilot to avoid fire outbreaks. Training all the workers in the company about ways of handling fire outbreaks is a step aimed at ensuring that cases of fire are handled in the most appropriate manner. The necessary procedures and safety precautions should be efficiently adhered to. A strict observation of the general procedures and rules can significantly reduces the loses that are usually associated with fire outbreaks. Currently most of the fire outbreaks are caused by electricity especially the short circuit. This is mostly due to the unsafe wiring or overloading of the cables with appliances. Other causes may include use of sub-standard electrical appliances. The management of Sharjah Airport should keenly observe electrical safety precautions to be safe from any electrical fire. Conclusion UAE has recently been classified as leading in terms of the safety and security measures to prevent occurrence of fire outbreaks. Considering how the staff members and other rescuers responded to the fire at Sharjah in 2004, there is good plans on the management of the projects. There are minimal cases of fire breakouts in the airport because the management has concentrated on the aspects of prevention. The report analysis a fire scenario which was caused by a crash of an aircraft as it tried to land on the airport. In February 2004, a Fokker F27 Mk. 050 which was operated by the Kish Airlines crashed into explosion as it tried to land at Sharjah International Airport. The staff members at the port who are all rescue workers together with the General Civil Aviation Authority and the officers of the Ministry of Interior worked hard to put it off and prevent its future occurrence. The report focuses on how the project of controlling and minimizing this fire was managed. It considers the tools and methods applied to run the operations. Bibliography Alexander and David, 2002, Principles of Emergency planning and Management. 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