Law, Ethics, and Globalization: Fire Safety Law UK - Essay Example

Law, Ethics and Globalization- Fire Safety Law UK and Section> Table of Content 1. Fire and safety services Introduction 3 Law in UK ...3 Law operating globally 4-5 2. Ethical considerations in fire and rescue service.5 3. Role of practitioner in a changing world environment....6 4. UAE Fire Safety Law..7-8 5. Communicating the fire service policy in UK and UAE.8 6. Ethical impact of new civil defense stations better equipped to deal with Emergencies...9 7. Ethical impact from case study: a fire in an apartment block in ABU Dhabi10 8. List of References11 9. Appendix.....13 FIRE AND SAFETY SERVICES Introduction In the world of today the safety and health concerns of the individuals are important more than anything. The communities and premises must be free of any risk and uncertainties. People need security at any cost. They demand secure environment to live and work in. Every individual is responsible to take care of their communities and surroundings. The people themselves need to be prepared for any circumstances along with the emergency institutions. One such emergency for which the individuals should take the necessary precautions and preventions is Fire. Fire is a potential danger and a risk for the lives. A proper care and planning can save many lives. The buildings must be built in a way to minimize the risk of fire. The premises should be structures which ensure the proper exits in case of any emergency. There must be proper fire alarm and detection systems in place and the buildings should be fully supplied with the equipments needed for any emergency situation. The people also need a little knowledge and the training about the emergency exits and the use of the equipped in case of any disaster. (Aldis, H. 2004) LAW IN UK Fire Safety Law was changed in 2006 according to the Regulatory Reforms (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The past licenses were terminated and they are not legally acceptable. Now the Law enforces more importance on the prevention from fires and risks. Every person is liable to make sure that the area and the environment he is working in safe and healthy. The reforms are shaped in a way so that every person can understand what is needed to be done to make the premises secure of any hazards and risks. The reforms also provide further information about how to rescue disables. The fire and safety order applies that it is the duty of all the responsible persons to take care of the safety measures of the environment in which they are living and working. The law provides the complete guidance on how to carry out the assessment, maintenance and implementation of the guidelines. (Reform, F. 2005) LAW OPERATING INTERNATIONALLY The global law enforces an investor and the constructor to build a project in such a way that it minimizes the risk of fire, safety and any other measures. The building should be fully equipped with the alarm, fire extinguishers, detectors and other tools for safety. The buildings must be built at a distance from each other. A proper exit ways given in the building to be used in case of any emergency and the premises can be evacuated as soon as possible. The law enforces the use of the material in the building to be fire-retardant. The local fire and rescue service consultant should be asked for a survey before occupying any premises to ensure the safety of the resident and working area to prevent disasters and uncertainties in the future (Safety 2005). The fire and rescue service is regarded as A Service worth defending and people should be proud of the fire fighters. The premises must be risk free for the people to live and work in Security of the building and the residents must be assured. The people should be facilitated Setting up of emergency process is essential The adequate first aid facilities should be provided Taking precautions against danger from flammable or explosive hazards. Proper indications should be provided and maintained for exit. Fire crews work in the dreadful conditions for long hours and they don't even rest to: Equipment Training Planning and Coordination Conditions of service issues Welfare arrangements Working in other fire authority areas The safety, well-being and health of a person should be guaranteed by the government. It is the duty of the government to protect the people. People are also responsible for taking care of the communities they live in. The fire safety law places a responsibility on every individual also to act in accordance with the new law regarding fire safety law. All the necessary precautions should be taken to reduce the safety risks. There should be system in place which is required for the safety measures. Safe Handling and keeping of the hazardous substances is important. The risk of fire should be minimized. (Eland, H. 2006) A person who is responsible for assessing the risk should be trained formally and have a practical acquaintance with acts and events. It is the responsibility of every person to check that whether the premises in which they live or work meet the required standards and is free of any risk. Each firefighter has a strong ability to perceive public obligation. (Safety 2005) ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE Ethical behavior is one of the foremost things for the people working in the fire service. The community has developed clearly defined socially acceptable behavior according to the norms and behaviors of the people living in it. Ethical conduct should be taken into account by all the workers in fire service. There should be clearly set standards of the expected behavior. The fire fighters should respect the people, no matter which religion or cast they belong. The prior concern of a firefighter should be the safety of a person. They must act according to the law and do not follow discrimination or any other criminal act. The workers at fire services should be honest to their job because they need complete devotion to their task. The negligence and carelessness of a fire fighter can cost a life of a person. Malfeasance is the illegal behavior which involves wrong act performed intentionally, must be abandoned by the workers They have an honorable duty of saving the lives so they must be highly committed and motivated toward their job (Chiefs, F. 2008). ROLE OF PRACTITIONER IN A CHANGING WORLD ENVIRONMENT The practitioners have to play a positive and crucial role in the future so they must be motivated to adjust to an ever-changing environment. They are needed to be flexible to the changes taking place in the world. . The skills and capabilities of the fire fighters are continuously being challenged because no one knows what is going to happen in the next minute. They need to keep up with the dynamic world and face those challenges. The role of the practitioner is getting more important with the increasing challenges faced by the world. The practitioners need to be more skilled and better trained to face the problems and incidents. They should be more fit and responsive to the changes taking place in the environment. The practitioner enhances the productivity and capability of the services. They must be involved in developing the vision for the fire and rescue services as they have to play an important role in the upcoming leadership of the Fire and Rescue services. The practitioners should be trained according to the future needs and demands of the environment. (Merseyside 2008) The world is continuously changing after the 9/11 attack and it has placed a great importance on the skilled and trained worker who can better serve to help reduce the risks, uncertainties and disasters in the coming future. The changes in the climate and the increase in the global warming are the most important issues which must be taken into consideration by the practitioners as they have to deal with these challenges in the future. Population growth has also increased the possibilities of the accidents. The increased expectations of the community from the rescue service workers are another major challenge. The society is going to demand and expect more from the future recue staff. The practitioners need Emergency Management Programs to have a real life experience. They need both the physical and mental endurance along with the strength to lift or shift the people or things. The complicated nature of the fire service and the limited resources makes it more challenging in the future. Proper and successful Training programs are required for them so they play a major part in reducing the future risks and incidents, they also need to be encouraged and motivated for the new ideas. Fire fighter practitioners have to deal the intense situations for longer hours so they must be prepared for it. Current training and development programs must be assessed in order to compare them to the future needs. (Parkin, D. 2008) UAE FIRE SAFETY LAW In the year 2008, new rules were made by the UAE government to ensure the safety from fire and other disasters. The new law was enforced to ensure that the standards followed must be up to mark. The building must be built following the standards to make sure the safety and risk of the lives of the people. The new regulations issued are more in detail and have various sub section. The law makes the construction companies to build the buildings by using safety measures. The buildings should be protected from any risk and the lives of the people be protected by avoiding any possible danger (Wilson, B. 2008). Civil Defense of UAE places a great importance on the Fire, Safety and Rescue services and legal actions are taken against those responsible who fail to provide the basic safety and protection to the people. In June, 2008 UAE introduced "Safety First" campaign to reduce the fire accidents. The number of incidents declined by 22% in the year 2008 as compared to those of year 2007, after taking strict actions against the liable persons. The Safety First campaign was launched to carry out the strict monitoring of the areas to ensure the safety from the fire. The campaign was initiated because the fire incidents were increasing in the UAE at the fastest speed. Fire-safety Laws has helped reduce accidents and the establishment aims to reduce the number of accidents more by the next year. The increase in the number of buildings and especially tall buildings has increased to the safety issues (Theeb, A.A. 2009). COMMUNICATING THE FIRE SERVICE POLICY IN UK AND UAE The fire safety Law and Policy should be clearly communicated to all the individuals, responsible persons and the fire and rescue services. The fire safety policies should be clearly explained within the communities. The policies are needed to be updated and revised regularly after a period of time to ensure that they are in accordance with the present requirements and situations. The increasing number of fire incidents makes it necessary to teach the people about how to protect themselves from the risk and possible accidents. The awareness in the people should be developed to reduce the number of accidents of fire. UAE is focusing on the need to develop awareness among people so they can play a role in minimizing the risk. The conferences and exhibitions are being carried out to educate the health and safety organizations and increase the knowledge of the people to save the lives. The exhibitions teach about the latest methods and procedure on fire and rescue techniques. The health and safety of the individuals are of major concern and the state is using every possible method to reduce such accidents. Communicating the fire and safety laws clearly to the communities is important because every person must be given education so they can play an active role along with the fire crew (Newswire, 2008). The UK Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 explained in detail about how to secure yourself, your premises and the communities from the possible risk of fire and safety. It is stated that individuals are also responsible equally for their protections and safety. They must ensure that the premises they are living in is secure from any possible fire hazards or any other safety issue. Every person should clearly assess the building before occupying it for residential purpose and make it check from Fire and Safety experts. The Fire and safety policy circulars are also distributed to prevent the possibly accidents. ETHICAL IMPACT OF NEW CIVIL DEFENSE STATIONS BETTER EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES The fire and rescue service are facing greater number of challenges. So they are now better equipped to deal with the uncertainties and help people at their best. It is the duty of the fire and rescue service to deal with the emergencies such as July 7 in London. They should be provided the equipment to find out the problem, protect and behave in a corresponding manner to respond to the disaster. The responsibility lies on the Local Government to provide them all the needed and latest equipment and train them properly to deal with the uncertainties. The recent attacks in the London made the government to look for the situation and provide the fire and rescue services with the necessary equipment. Fire Control project initiated by the Defense Stations link the control centers with each other and are equipped with the new technology. Fire Link project better the communication between the brigades and the workers in emergencies. The latest equipment and the technology make it easier for the workers to deal with the accidents confidently. They can respond to the situation in a best possible way. The workers require the latest tools so they can give their best in rescuing the people. It will help to gather and store the data. The new system help in identifying the location of the incident It provides the link between the staff and the devices. (R, R. 2007) ETHICAL IMPACT FROM CASE STUDY: A FIRE IN AN APARTMENT BLOCK IN ABU DHABI Despite the strict laws and regulations in Abu Dhabi the state is still observing fire related cases like this one. The fire broke out in a building in Abu Dhabi which caused a great damage to the building and the other situated nearby. The residents of the building belonged to different races like Philippines and Arabs but the fire fighters performed their duty with full honesty and devotion and were able to rescue the people stuck up in the building. The firefighters reached the place as soon as they received the news of fire in the building. The incident took place due to the negligence of one of the inhabitant of the building, the outcomes of which were faced by uncountable number of people. The people living in the premises are responsible for the safety of their surroundings. The people gathered there were acting as spectators only. It is the duty of every adult citizen to take part in the rescue services and help the rescue teams using their full potential. The fire and rescue service crew worked for endless hours and tried their best to save the lives and then the building. After saving the people and evacuating the building they were still trying to save the premises to prevent any further damage. List of References (Cote, E. A 2003) "Organizing for Fire and Rescue Services" published by Jones & Bartlett Publishers, (Chiefs, F. 2008) [online] Available from Jones & Bartlett Publishers [accessed 29th March 2009] Absal, R. (2008) "Helicopters, cranes used to rescue trapped in fire-hit Abu Dhabi building" [online] Available from [accessed 30h March 2009] (Aldis, H. 2004) "Fire Safety Policy" [online] Available from [accessed 30th March 2009] Eland, H (2006) "The Fire and Rescue National Framework" [online] Available from > [accessed 29th March 2009] F, S. (2005) "Fire Service" [online] Available from [accessed 29th March 2009] OPSI, (2005) "The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005" [online] Available from [accessed 29th March 2009] Merseyside, (2008) "Fire Fit Annual Conference 2008" [online] Available from [accessed 30th March 2009] Newswire (2008) "Fire Safety A Major Theme at Intersec Middle East" [online] Available from www.newswire today.com/news [accessed 29th March 2009] (Parkin, D. 2008) "Future Challenges for volunteer based emergency services" [online] Available from [accessed 30th March 2009] Reform, F. (2005) "Fire and Resilience" [online] Available from [accessed 29th March 2009] R, R. (2007) "Resilience and response to emergencies" [online] Available from > [accessed 30th March 2009] Safety, (2005) "Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005" [online] Available from [accessed 30th March 2009] Theeb, A.A 2009) "Fire-safety drive has helped reduce accidents" [online] Available from [accessed 29th March 2009] Wilson, B. (2008) "Dubai beefs up fire safety regulations" [online] Available from [accessed 30th March 2009] APPENDIX CASE STUDY Helicopters, cranes used to rescue trapped in fire-hit Abu Dhabi building By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter Last updated: September 20, 2008, 22:22 Abu Dhabi: A massive fire broke out in a building in the Khalidiya area in Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon, civil defense officials told Gulf News. The fire erupted in the eighth floor of a nine-storey building and quickly spread to the other floors and a nearby building. Civil defense and rescue officials rushed to the site, trying to douse the fire. Two floors of the building were already gutted while rescue teams were trying to save trapped people, when going to press. At least six people were saved from the balcony of an apartment on the eighth floor. Some five people were airlifted by the police and more are still trapped in the building. Technical glitch According to an eye witness, Mousa Alavi, who resides in a nearby building, the fire started at around 4.15 pm. "I saw smoke rising from the building and then heard police sirens and a helicopter," said Alavi. "It is then I realized that the building was on fire." Although the civil defense personnel arrived within few minutes, a technical glitch was preventing them from putting out the fire, Alavi said. "After about one hour the fire spread to the ninth and the fifth floor of the building and after sometime it spread to a nearby building", he added. Hundreds of onlookers had by then gathered around the building to witness the rescue operations. "Around six people, all Filipinos, were gathered on the balcony of the 8th floor and were shouting for help," said Sudheer Mohanan, a resident in the area, who witnessed the drama unfold. "Civil defense teams used a crane to reach the balcony and rescue them. No sooner had the men descended from the crane, when the balcony went up in flames." When contacted by Gulf News, one hour after the fire, a senior rescue official said the police alerted all security personnel that the fire is much bigger what was initially believed. Airlifted to safety At least two helicopters were used to rescue trapped people while dozens of fire fighters continued to fight fire for hours. One of the helicopters airlifted three people while the second rescued two people who have been taken to the Shaikh Khalifa Medical City for treatment. Read More