The Fire Safety Training into Britain - Research Proposal Example

Name : xxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxx Title : Research Project Assessment Institution : xxxxxxx @2010 Introduction One of the main challenges within metropolitan developments involves the fire and safety management procedures. As metropolitan development progresses there is a need to improve and standardize service provision such as the fire and rescue services. This entails training of the fire and rescue service provider staff according to international standards with a need to ensure quality service delivery. It is with this understanding that bodies such as the United Kingdom fire services have laid down standards that need to be followed during the management of fire and rescue service practice. As much as possible fire and rescue service providers have put in place programmes to cater for the training of their staff according to the standards laid down (Staff fire Awareness / Marshal Training 2010). This is meant to ensure that their staff posses updated skills while being aware of the very latest in procedure and practice related to fire and rescue services. The United Kingdom fire services is one of the most elaborate fire and rescue service provider covering a number of constituent fire and rescue service providers. Due to the fact that fire remains one of the sensitive issues, the United Kingdom government has laid down standards to govern the operations of all fire and rescue service providers. It is most obvious that fire poses one of the greatest risks in any setup and hence a need to keep abreast with the threat and ways of countering this threat which is important for any fire and rescue services provider (Staff fire safety training 2010). Therefore it becomes inevitable that the staff of these fire and rescue service providers keep abreast with procedures and practices that reflect the latest standards. One of the most vital yard stick against which any fire and rescue service provider can measure themselves up to is the provisions in the fire and rescue services act 2004. This act covers provisions in various areas ranging from fire fighting to safety, traffic accidents and emergencies. It therefore becomes important to realize that staff who keep abreast with these provisions will need to undergo training time and again to ensure compliance to the provisions within this act. It remains unarguable that staff training investment in any industry will result in improved productivity. While considering fire and rescue service provision, a number of areas will attract on going training of staff. Among the areas include incident command, civil resilience, hazardous material handling, community safety and assorted rescue skills training (Fire marshal courses in London and fire warden courses 2010). These areas are crucial due to the fact that other determinant factors such as the environment keep changing as well as their associated needs. This means that part of the training success depends on the staff of the fire and rescue service providers understanding their community well while identifying the risk factors associated to fire within their community. Currently the United Kingdom government has put in place the fire safety order 2005 requiring that all fire and rescue service providers carry out occasional fire safety training for their staff (Fire Safety training, fire risk assessment, fire extinguisher training 2010). The risk assessment aspect has been incorporated into the fire safety order 2005 as a requirement as well. This process is vital especially when the need for an action plan is required. This plan can be developed after a clear risk assessment the aim of which is to limit the likelihood of a fire occurrence. This risk assessment procedure is coupled with regulations and standards the public must subscribe to in upholding safety. Objective There are two main objectives of this research. The research partly assesses the fire safety training available to staff of fire and rescue service providers. On the other hand the research aims at pinpointing the ever changing face of fire risk demanding consistent upgrading of the safety and rescue procedures to minimize losses. Towards this goal therefore the research will consider a number of issues. Some of these issues include: The evaluation of training and development offered to new and existing fire and rescue service staff. This should cover the basic fire fighting, evacuation and prevention procedures and response to emergencies. These courses are vital and have become a requirement for every fire and rescue service provider. It will also cover the unique training on skill upgrading especially in the area of community safety, hazardous material and assorted rescue skills. Through this evaluation on the training and development offered based on the usual and emerging threats, this research aims at determining how suitable and effective the training and development programmes in place are. Literature Review Corporate training remains a very vital undertaking for any company or business entity. Companies have long discovered that it is valuable to invest in their staff training due to the fact that it improves productivity while enhancing the staff self esteem. This research focuses on the training opportunities available to staff of the fire and rescue service providers. It remains a known fact that fire hazards are a potential risk and their magnitude of devastation is more pronounced especially so in he urban areas. In the United Kingdom various training and consultancy firms continue to provide this most important aspect of staff training. The aim of this training is to equip the men and women who man the fire stations with skill in the ever changing urban setting which poses the greatest challenge in the event of a fire outbreak. This review has drawn from a number of such service provision agents indicating some of the relevant programmes offered in this present age. A consolidated study of all these training providers reveals one important requirement closely pointing to the fire safety order 2005 by the UK government that requires that all fire and rescue service providers undergo training. While assessing the impact of training staff in fire and rescue services, this research is evaluating a number of firms who offer this service and carries out a general analysis of the courses on offer and their relevance. A number of these training consultancies have put in place their own standards besides the government requirements to ensure that what they offer conforms to internationally acceptable standards. The Fire Training International (FTI) is one of the firms that offer staff fire safety training. This firm has categorized their courses to target different fire and rescue staff responsibilities that range from warden training, manager training to portable appliance testing (Fire safety training | Fire marshal training | Fire risk assessment 2010). Fire Training International has to their credit field technicians who have BAFE credentials with three decades of experience. This firm offers an online diary system (Fire safety training | Fire marshal training | Fire risk assessment 2010). This system enables one to enroll for some of Fire Training International courses consisting of the portable appliance testing course. This course specifically offers training on ways of testing fire fighting appliances such as different extinguishers in use today. One of the courses that are common among these training consultants including FTI is the fire risk assessment course. This course covers ways of assessing fire as a risk in a particular setup and the ways of deriving an action plan to address this risk (Fire safety training | Fire marshal training | Fire risk assessment 2010). United Kingdom Fire Training is also another consultancy and training firm offering fire safety training as well. This firm flexibly offers on site staff training at the client’s convenience. Many of the courses offered at UK Fire Training are Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) approved. Approval and certification is one way of maintaining standards in any particular industry. Institution of Fire Engineers approval therefore becomes a plus for UK Fire Training as a firm offering fire safety training because their courses are benchmarked against Institution of Fire Engineers approved standards. The importance of upgrading skills especially for staff dealing with such risks as fire cannot be underestimated. This is true especially because of the fact that our urban system expansions has been rapid and resulted in greater challenge on handling fire as a risk. United Kingdom Fire Training safely handles emergency planning while helping staff to identify the vital exit points (Fire risk assessment, Fire extinguisher training 2010). Under the fire risk management UK Fire Training offers courses incorporating all staff understanding their role in the event of a fire outbreak. The fire safety training course is vital for new or transferred staff. This firm suggests repeated training as a vital undertaking for the staff of any fire and rescue service provider (Fire risk assessment, Fire extinguisher training 2010). The Fire Service College is one other firm highly recommended in the area of staff training having launched firelearn a virtual learning system (Training 2010). The system ensures that the prospective trainees can take courses round the clock through the internet. Firelearn is a test case of where staff training is heading to as training providers embrace new technology to support their training programmes. The class sessions and course content can be accessed through the internet from the firm’s database. The Fire Service College offers a unique community safety course. This course is supported by a progressive training approach targeting staff dedicated to community safety. It is important to understand that the success of any training is based on its adaptability and relevance. Fire Services College strives to ensure flexibility where courses can be delivered at a chosen premise (Training 2010). Fire Safety Services is also another of these training providers for the FRS staff. Fire Safety Services runs training solutions that are general and basic as well as specific ones targeting the part of the fire and rescue service staff like the fire marshals. Fire Safety Services run both staff fire awareness and fire marshal training undertaken as certified courses. The Fire Safety Services instructors are qualified according to the “PTLLS standard, a City and Guilds 7303 standard preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector” (Staff fire Awareness / marshal Training 2010, A1). This review lends to the fact that it is very vital to train fire and rescue service staff according to government requirements as well as in line with the continued international standards that are continuously changing. It is evidently clear that the Regulatory Reform (Fire safety) Order 2005 lays a greater emphasis on staff training in terms of information, training and management of risks associated with fire (Legal Requirements 2010). This is meant to ensure that the staff is exposed to the latest information, procedures and standards related to fire fighting rescue and emergency services. Various institutions within the United Kingdom have been mentioned in this review offering both basic and specific courses for the fire and rescue service staff. The programmes being run by these and other similar firms may not be exhausted within this research study, however one clear outcome of the research is that fire and rescue service staff need training and development to improve their performance and that this training must be a continuous and repeated process. Methodology Generally research methods will fall into either of the two main categories which are qualitative or quantitative research methods. Quantitative research methods mostly rely on content analysis where the use of statistics for analysis purposes remains extensive. Surveys which consist of questionnaires and structured interviews form part of this form of research methodology as well. Qualitative research methods on the other hand will involve case studies, informal interviews, using secondary data and observations which can either be participant or non participant in nature. The methodology used in this research is aimed at meeting the main objectives of this research. The qualitative research approach therefore is perceived as a suitable approach in carrying out this research due to the fact that this approach is most suited as an evaluation approach. This suffices to be the training program evaluation research for fire and rescue service staff. There are various means of data collection using this approach. Some of these techniques will include the conventional observation and interview methods. Once the data has been collected it can be analyzed using observer impression as one of the approaches. This research intends to employ the observer impression to draw conclusions concerning the study. The use of secondary data is important in this research also due to the fact that the statistical data gathered can aid the researcher to determine the fire and rescue service staff requirements especially so in the area of training and development. Performance and productivity of these staff over varied periods can be considered to determine their need for training and development. Interviews are used to collect vital information. This is aimed at pinpointing necessity of staff fire training programmes. This research established a number of credible institutions which can offer training and development for the fire and rescue service staff. The courses on offer are in line with the government requirements and are therefore applicable to every fire and rescue service provide. Based on these findings, the research proposes that staff at the fire and rescue service enroll for the most appropriate courses by any of the training and consultancy providers mentioned in this research. Course determination will be properly worked out by the training department head based on the current requirements. It is nonetheless important that all staff at the fire and rescue services undergo general or specialized training depending on the firm’s requirements. This process can also serve the purpose of standardizing the new staff induction procedures so that both new and old staff are reading from the same page in relation to matters on fire and safety training. The courses offered by most of this training and consultancy firms effectively equip the staff in a number of areas. Among the most important skills that need consistent updating are communication skills. The fact that staff continuously deal with different kinds of people calls for refresher courses especially in the area of communication skills. This helps to ensure that the staff are thoroughly equipped to communicate effectively within the team and with the public especially so in emergencies. Desirable qualities for the staff in any fire and rescue service provider would include problem solving skills, resilience situational awareness, adaptability and comittement. The Fire Service College has gone a step ahead to introduce virtual learning where staff in the various fire and rescue service providers around the United Kingdom can have access to virtual training through the internet. FireLearn is the most recommended and suitable because of the flexible schedule that the setup provides for eligible staff. They can use the internet to receive training through the FireLearn module. The schedules can run on a 24 hour basis ensuring that staff are conveniently trained within their working hours and without. The Fire Service College also offers specialized courses related to other risks such water. The findings from the interviews will help the training manager to make a decision as concerns career development of the staff within the fire and rescue services. As a requirement any research must conform to established ethical regulations. It therefore becomes necessary to seek approval from the relevant bodies governing this process so that the research is handled professionally. Further approval must be sought from the various firms the researcher intends to visit to ascertain the facts in relation to staff fire safety training. At the moment the research has been approved, it will be necessary for the researcher to work within the data protection act and other similar legislation to ensure that the information received through the interview is kept in confidence. The respondents or interviewees must be assured that the information they give through the interviews will be kept confidential. This will ensure that the interviewee responds accurately and therefore greatly benefit this research. The general finding from this research points to the need for training of the fire and rescue staff. An emphasis alluding to this fact is that the government has set forth staff training as a requirement stipulated in the fire safety order 2005. Conclusion Training of the fire and rescue staff is an important undertaking that must be carried out occasionally. The benefits that accrue from this exercise not only benefit the staff as such but go a long way to improve staff relationship with the community who are the primary beneficiaries of their services. This is one of the reasons why some of the training consultancy firms offer community resilience skills to equip the staff in the area of handling the community especially so in the event of a fire outbreak. The fire risk assessment course that has become a standard in most of the training and consultancy firms is necessary to enable the staff to draw out an elaborate plan of action in dealing with fire outbreaks. These among a variety of other courses offered by some of the institutions highlighted in this research together with many other are available to every fire and rescue service provider to ensure that their staff are up to date in both information and skills related to their work. This will eventually affect productivity and their efficiency in response to possible fire outbreaks. Recommendation Based on fact that the community requirements are ever changing, fire and rescue staff needs to undergo training and development. One of the firms that offer such training conveniently to staff of fire and rescue service providers is the Fire Service College. The use of their latest FireLearn module enables staff to conveniently train with them using the internet. The findings of this research can enable the training manager to effect training and development for the fire and rescue staff with an institution such as the Fire Service College and especially so through their virtual training program that is presently gaining popularity among various fire and rescue service providers around the United Kingdom. References Fire Safety Training, Fire Risk Assessment, Fire extinguisher Training: UK Fire Training. (2010) Viewed on 21st Sept 2010. http://www.ukfiretraining.com/ Fire marshal courses in London and fire warden courses: City Fire training. (2010) Viewed 21st Sept 2010. http://www.cityfiretraining.co.uk/fire_seeminar.html Fire Safety training and staff fire safety training course: Active fire management. (2010) Viewed 21st Sept 2010. http://www.activefiremanagement.co.uk/safety-courses.htm Fire safety training | Fire marshal training | Fire risk assessment: Fire Training International (2010).Viewed 21st Sept 2010.http://www.fire-training-uk.com/index.asp Legal Requirements: Staff fire training. (2010) Viewed 21st Sept 2010 http://www.stafffiretraining.com/legal_Requirements.htm Staff fire safety training: Key fire Solutions. (2010) Viewed 21st Sept 2010 http://www.keyfiresolutions.co.uk/id2.html Staff fire Awareness / Marshal Training. (2010) Viewed 21st Sept 2010 http://www.firesafetyadvisor.co.uk/staff%20Fire%20Training.html Training: FireLearn. (2010) Viewed 21st September 2010 http://www.fireservicecollege.ac.uk/firelearn.aspx.htm Read More

 

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