Law, Globalisation & Ethics - the UKs International Search and Rescue Team - Essay Example

Law, Globalisation & Ethics Table of Contents Introduction 3 The UK’s International Search and Rescue Team 4 Role of the Fire Department 4 Analysing the Role of Globalisation and Ethics in the Fire Services 6 Fire and Service Act, 2004 7 The Haiti Earthquake 8 Changing Role of the Practitioner 9 Conclusion 11 References 12 Bibliography 14 Introduction Law, globalisation and ethics are strongly interrelated. It is impossible for a society to ignore the principles of law, globalisation and ethics. All three are directly proportional to one another and have a strong influence in different aspects of society. It can be stated that the law and order of a country truly depends on the globalisation effect and on the ethical practices witnessed in a particular society or a country. It is also the same with that of globalisation and the ethics. They are constantly guarded by the forces of law and order pertaining to a country. With the world becoming a global village and globalisation is a common phenomenon, there is a complete need for the strengthening of the law and order in the society and also the society becoming ethical in its approach. With the increase of globalisation the rate of natural calamities on the world has also increased, and it has become a tremendous problem for the sustenance of mankind. It has even a long term effect on those who have survived from such deadly event. It is almost impossible to prevent such happenings but what can be possible is to soothe the life of the victims who have been affected by such events. This can only be done through the constant effort of the law and ethical orientation of the society. And it has to take place not only from the affected place but also from the entire world, which is actually the true meaning of globalisation (Sayles, 2008). The UK’s International Search and Rescue Team UK’s International Search and Rescue Team is a special team which has been successful in many life saving operations throughout the world. It is been operating since the year 1967. To undertake rescue missions both in United Kingdom a well as abroad, it is registered under the British Government, the United Nations Secretariat (INSARAG) and even with the International Civil Defence Organisation. In all major events ranging from floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, war and missile attacks, the team has been constantly beside the victims. The teams have supported such victims in all possible way they could have done. They have saved thousands of life in such misfortune events. With the growing dangers even there is a growing need of such volunteers to be part of the international rescue missions. But it should also be checked that the law and the ethical conditions permit to such situations (British Civil Defence, n.d.). Role of the Fire Department The fire department is one such department that has been one of the most valiant departments fighting with all odds to save the life of several people under adverse circumstances. But the fire service department are bound by certain rules and regulations. There are several laws which have been made in order to ensure the safety of the work and also the related persons. Several rules are imposed on the usage of fire and fire related activities, space allocation, training and risk assessment. The fire regulations have been modified in the year 2005 named as Fire Safety Order and is applied to all non domestic products with certain exemptions. It is actually a replacement of the fire precautions Act, 1971. It takes into account major concerns such as the safety of the employees, it sets a certain regulation on the premises and its ability to asses the risk, and even it has the duty to carry out the work of the free risk assessment. There are certain other laws in the country which sees that there are minimum risks in the country related with fire. The role of the fire department has been more difficult as not only they are into saving the lives of the people but also they are the watchdog of any negligence of the precautionary measures. Therefore it has been a very toiling job for the fire department in order to asses the risk as well as to fight against it whenever there is a mishap occurring. It not only purview the domain of any fire related mishaps but also other major adversities. The role of the fire department is not bounded in only the national region there are several occasions when the fire fighters of the UK have been active against fighting all odds. Haiti is one of the recent examples in which the fire fighters of UK risked their lives for saving thousands of life (Moran, 1998). The role of the fire department has expanded broadly. With the rapid globalisation, there is an emergence of the modification or lateral shift of the law transcending regional boundaries, so that each nation can contribute to its level best whenever required. It is not the law that has brought about the change but rather the moral and ethical behaviour of the people, government and the nations that has brought about such a beautiful change. Thus it can be understood that the law, ethics and globalisation are strongly interlinked and is a necessity for the sustenance of mankind in the present day scenario. Analysing the Role of Globalisation and Ethics in the Fire Services Globalisation and ethics are two different terms but have a strong connection. As with each day the differences between the nations are decreasing so is the increase felt in the moral standards of the people. Fire services are one of those departments that have been a tremendous example for the globalisation and ethical consideration. The fire service imposes a lot of rules and regulations on the common people, society and the business concerns. In such cases the individuals are forced to have a moral bent of mind and along with it continuous practice makes them ethical in their judgement. Even the services offered by the fire fighters in time of distress and emergencies is no less an ethical behaviour on part of the fire service department. They engage in their duty to save lives of the people irrespective of the caste, creed, and nationality of the victims. It is to be analysed that the fire fighting service is one of the major forces in the destruction management. It is actually the fire service department that have the suitable resources of undertaking any search and rescue mission. The human as well as the technical resources that are needed for a search and rescue mission is present in the fire service department. Thus addition of the fire service department in the UK’s search and rescue team would provide the necessary impetus in related missions. Thinking in a more ethical view point, the inclusion of the fire service department would save thousands of lives. And in a world where law, ethics and globalisation is linked, such services are truly required for the betterment of the human civilization (Bederman, n.d.). Globalisation has also brought about a significant change in the nature of the services offered by the fire department. There have been rapid changes in the environment and in the nature. Destructions have in recent times become a natural phenomenon. Therefore with the growing risks, the fire service department have become more alert and precautionary than before. It is also to be noted that many people of different nations reside in UK. It is not that the fire service department is providing service only to the inhabitants of UK. In times of distress it is equally serving foreign nationals and the local people. Thus, there is a lot to learn from the fire service department as they have proved themselves worthy in all situations. Fire and Service Act, 2004 The Fire and Service Act, 2004 establishes certain functions on the duties of the fire department. The major functions of the fire department are fire safety, fire fighting, road traffic accidents and emergencies. There are several guidelines laid by the Act which the department have to follow. In the case of fire safety, guidelines are provided in an attempt to keep the society secure, train people of preventing fire and also the right way to act in trembling situations. Again in the case of fire fighting, it is the primary duty of the department to extinguish fire and also to save as many lives as well as property as possible. It also has to check the facilities available to them regarding personnel; equipments and also information to check whether they are fully competent in carrying out related activities. The Act also states certain duties for the fire department in cases of road mishaps. The primary duty of them is to save the lives of the people in case of such accidents either by protecting them or rescuing them. Emergencies are one other dimension which the department has to cater. In a case of emergency the department has to serve people even outside its jurisdiction. It has to provide all possible facilities if needed by any other group. Even such kind of decisions can only be taken with the approval of the Security of the State and a few authorised people. Therefore it is quite clear from the Act that the department can also provide essential support in cases of emergencies in foreign land (National Archives, n.d.). The Haiti Earthquake The Haiti earthquake was one of the most catastrophic events in this decade. The earthquake that struck Haiti in the month of January 2010 affected millions of people. A number of them died, some were severely injured and some rendered homeless. It was the time when those affected by the earthquake needed the support of people round the world. The rescue mission and the relief work was one of the best examples of globalisation, law and ethics. Most of the government felt their duties towards the victims of the earthquakes. Even individuals helped those victims in all possible ways through the help of funds and other basic amenities, even various voluntarily organisations were formed in an attempt to save the lives of the people. Law, ethics and the globalisation came hand in hand in the case of Haiti (Jamieson, 2010). One of the most active organisations in rescuing the people from the debris and also helping them with other amenities were the UK fire fighting department. They made an active contribution by saving thousands of lives who if not timely rescued could have died under such terrible situation. A team of sixty four fire fighters were sent to the site to help the people in dire need. The UK government felt the need of the specialised UK fire fighters who could do a lot in the troubled situation. The group of sixty four trained fire fighters were divided into groups of six with two trained dogs for the quick search and rescue mission. They had to work under tremendous adverse conditions. The heat was scorching and even there were not any upgraded instruments to lift the heavy pieces of rocks and stones and save human life. They constantly patrolled the roads and were in search of any person under the huge debris of bricks and stones. They were able to rescue four survivors in a period of ten days. As the days went by the chances of people living under the debris also started decreasing but still constant efforts were made by the British fire fighting team to save as many lives of the people as they can. One of the most success stories is that of the two year old Mia who was rescued from a collapsing building. She was later reunited to her mother again by the efforts of the UK fire department. Though the situations were not in their favour but the UK fire fighters tried their best to provide as much service as expected of them in such situations. More than their duties they felt it was their responsibility as a global citizen to help the people in their troubled times. The courage and the determination shown by the UK fire fighters in the tough conditions of the Haiti aftermath is an example of understanding the relation between the law, ethics and globalisation in the world. Even the incident of Haiti has proved that the people have started giving more emphasis to the world and not just the national frontiers. This act of unity in time of need makes this world a much better place to live in (BBC News, 2010). Changing Role of the Practitioner The global environment is very dynamic and so is the changing scenario of professions. There is a strong link between the law, ethics, globalisation and profession. Actually it is the need of the hour, that the practitioners do change their outlook in this era of globalisation. The professionals have become much more active in their considerations then they were few decades back. The practitioners have to keep in mind various considerations before any act. The scope of mistake or negligence has been narrowed with the rapid increase in globalisation. Life of a fire fighter is always full of danger. They do their job with conviction and in many situations there is a trade-off between job ethics and their personal safety. In such cases they have to guide themselves by their ethics. These characteristics have been integral part of any profession. But with time, the loyalties have shifted a lot towards the more ethical and legal considerations. The practitioners do have to keep in mind various legal and ethical matters before taking a particular decision or before doing a particular job. With time, things have become more complex in every field. The changing scenario of the destruction management has made it very important that each professional follow their job according to the guidelines and maintain a close relation between theory and practice. There are various situations in a life of a practitioner, where they are in a dilemma to choose between the right and the wrong. Under many circumstances they have to fight against all adversities. Even the duties of the practitioners have grown wider and they have to cater to a large number of activities apart from just fire fighting. Choosing the right or being ethical may from time to time mean a short term loss but in the long term it can bring about greater gains for the practitioner. Therefore in this current dynamic world and exposed nature of business and profession, it is very wise for any practitioner to be dedicated to their profession and also be deriving moral values from their profession (Terry, 2008). Conclusion The changing nature of environment has made it so complex that every aspect of life is connected with one another. And in this case law, ethics and globalisation are the perfect examples of a strong link. One without the other, two won’t have any meaning and in any respect if two are considered, the third aspect gets considered automatically. In this situation when disasters and calamities have been increasing it is very important for each and every individual to their bit in making the world a better place to live in. Ethics and law always went hand in hand but the rapid changes made in this segment are because of the globalisation. Due to globalisation the world has become a smaller place to live in. Therefore, it is the necessity of the hour to be habituated in the global environment and take all necessary steps that is deemed fit in any situation. But one should always have to remember that the future largely depends on how law, ethics and globalisation are dealt together (Mofid, 2003). References BBC News, 2010. UK Agencies to Help in Haiti Earthquake Rescue. World News. [Online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8456252.stm [Accessed September 27, 2010]. Bederman, D., No Date. Globalization and International Law. Georgetown University. [Online] Available at: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/LegalTheory/documents/MovementandCommons_000.pdf [Accessed September 27, 2010]. British Civil Defence, No Date. International Search and Rescue Team. Home. [Online] Available at: http://www.britishcivildefence.org/International_Rescue_Team/international_rescue_team.html [Accessed September 27, 2010]. Jamieson, A., 2010. British Rescue Team Recalls Haiti Earthquake Horror. Telegraph. [Online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/7061900/British-rescue-team-recalls-Haiti-earthquake-horror.html [Accessed September 27, 2010]. Mofid, K., 2003. Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility and Globalisation for the Common Good. Shwpheard Walwyn. [Online] Available at: http://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/jgcg/downloads/BusinessEthics.pdf [Accessed September 27, 2010]. Moran, E., 1998. Ethics in the Fire Service. FEMA. [Online] Available at: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/pdf/efop/efo28273.pdf [Accessed September27, 2010]. National Archives, No Date. Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. Legislation.gov.uk. [Online] Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/21/contents [Accessed September 27, 2010]. Sayles, W., 2008. Ethics, Law and Globalization. Coinlink. [Online] Available at: http://www.coinlink.com/News/ancients/ethics-law-and-globalization/ [Accessed September 27, 2010]. Terry, L., 2008. The Legal World Is Flat: Globalization and Its Effect on Lawyers Practicing in Non-Global Law Firms. Penn State University. [Online] Available at: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/l/s/lst3/terry_legal_world_is_flat.pdf [Accessed September 27, 2010]. Bibliography Accident advice, No Date. The Role of the Fire Service. Traffic Accident Advice. [Online] Available at: http://www.trafficaccidentadvice.co.uk/role-of-the-fire-service-in-a-road-accident.html [Accessed September 27, 2010]. BILETA Annual Conference, 2002. Globalisation of Legal Practice - Will there be Any High Street Lawyers in 2010? Globalisation of Legal Practice. [Online] Available at: http://www.bileta.ac.uk/Document%20Library/1/Globalisation%20of%20Legal%20Practice%20-%20Will%20There%20Be%20Any%20High%20Street%20Lawyers%20in%202010.pdf [Accessed September 27, 2010]. Georgia State University, No Date. Ethics and the Law. Chapter 2. [Online] Available at: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=15&ved=0CCUQFjAEOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rmi.gsu.edu%2FFaculty%2Fteaching%2FOakley%2FWRD_2009%2FChapter02.doc&rct=j&q=relation%20between%20law%20and%20ethics%20site%3Aedu&ei=9uSdTIKHNIyCvgOzzuW0DQ&usg=AFQjCNFF3z2naGeg1SIfi0i27cr5ZSkFSg [Accessed September 27, 2010]. Mark, S., No Date. Harmonization or Homogenization. The Globalisation of Law and Legal Ethics. 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