Advanced Fire Administration - Essay Example

Fire Administration: My area of residence is the of Oregon, and I live near the native Indians of the state. Most of these people are found in Willamete Valley, in Oregon. The political, economic, and social environment within these people is stable. Large global companies have a presence in Willamete Valley. Examples of these companies are coca cola, Heineken, and Nike Shoe Company. These companies provide economic support to the residing community. Local business people also own a variety of business enterprises, for the sole objective of seeking economic freedom, and empowerment. These businesses range from groceries, computer shops, to supermarkets. These business organizations recruit their staff from all over America. The companies also have a quota system in their recruitment strategies aimed at recruiting local people, for purposes of appealing to the locals in relation to the sale of their products. Big business organizations within my community promote environmental and social initiatives. These are their strategies of creating a positive brand name, within the community. The literacy level of people within my community is over 70%, and this is because of huge investments in school, and other tertiary institutions that offer knowledge. This attracts investors because of the availability of labor and the necessary skills for running an organization (Varone, 47). The Federal and State government ensures that there is adequate security by building police stations, and setting up judicial court houses. This is for purposes of ensuring that the trial conducted is fair, and speedy (Grosshandler, 62). The government has invested on health care provision by building numerous hospitals, and staffing them with highly qualified health care providers. Because of this, my people are assured of better medical care attention. Politically, the environment within my community is stable, with the major political parties possessing an equal membership. That is the Democratic Party, and the Republican Party. On different occasions, political intolerance emanates amongst the residents of my community, and this might be on the different views the members of opposing political parties possess. My community also enjoys a number of social facilities built by the government, and private individuals. This includes stadiums, restaurants, night clubs and casinos. In identifying the issues that the fire department should focus on, the first step is to identify the activities within Oregon that might trigger an outbreak of fire. To effectively do this, it is important for the fire agency to analyze the social, political, and economic environment of Oregon. Activities such as improper use of gas at homes, acts of hooliganism by supporters of political candidates, and negligence by industrial companies in relation to energy use are the factors that the agency should analyze (Keeley, 13). In respect to this, the agency should focus on creating a mechanism that will make it easier to monitor the use of energy within the communities residing in Oregon. To do this, the agency should enact educational awareness programs, for purposes of sensitizing residents on the importance of efficient energy use Karlsson and James, 39). The agency should also focus on creating political tolerance within the inhabitants of Oregon. To effectively focus on this issue, the agency should seek the help of political institutions and government agency for purposes of conducting civil education on the importance of accepting each other’s political view. Emphasizes must be on the importance of harmony among the residents of Oregon. The risks contained in this strategy are the fires bought about by protesters, characterized by the litting of bonfires. Another issue the agency should focus on is how to contain inefficient energy use by companies within Oregon (Bruegman, 32, Varone 19). On this note, the agency needs to collaborate with government institutions charged with the task of energy regulation. This will minimize risks associated with inefficient use of energy. The fire emergency unit does not have the capability of addressing the issues, both current and future challenges in regard to fire administration. One challenge is lack of financial capability and limited human staff to monitor the activities of the community residing in Oregon in relation to efficient energy use. The agency relies mainly on State funding, which at times does not allocate cash that can be used to purchase materials, fund its operations and employ new staff (Keeley, 16). The agency also lacks the ability to conduct civic education because of limited state funding. The organization lacks basic resources for firefighting such as fire proof vehicles, fire proof vests, and sources of producing water that has the capacity of minimizing the risks posed by fire. The agency lacks the ability to efficiently communicate its policies and operations to various members of staff, and a proper command structure. Because of these weaknesses, the agency lacks the ability to effectively conduct its duties. For example, the agency does not have a hotline number that citizens can use to contact it, in case of an outbreak of fire. There is lack of a proper channel of command that distinguishes between a junior officer, and a senior officer. This makes it impossible for the issuance of orders, and subsequent obedience of the orders issued (Mannan, 9). Due to these challenges, the agency with the help of a state and federal government can initiate a number of external and internal changes. The first proposed internal change is establishing a command structure that distinguished between the junior employees of the agency, and the senior members of the agency (Keeley, 28). The role of the senior members of the agency is to provide guidance and leadership to junior members of the agency. Bruegman (41) denotes that improving the communication capability of an agency is a change that the organization needs to implement. By initiating these changes, it will improve the ways and means in which an organization conducts its duties. This can only be possible due to proper and reliable channel of communication. Mannan (11) denotes that the Federal and State governments must initiate policies that will lead to an increase in the funding of the activities of the fire agency. The agency might use the money in training new and existing staff, buying of vehicles which have the capability of withstanding a fire attack, and fire proof vests. The agency must also possess an effective organizational structure that has the capability of managing fire outbreaks. Functional organizational approach is the most sufficient type of structure that the agency should initiate. This approach involves grouping different parts of the organization according to their roles and purpose. For example, within the fire agency, departments such as that of rapid response unit, department of communication, and department of administration must be in place. Keeley (26) denotes that functional approach in organizational management is the most convenient organizational structure of a small fire agency like ours. This is because it relies heavily on the talents and skills of its employees. A person who should lead the department of communication must be a professional in communications. Grosshandler (15) denotes that this will instill professionalism in the methods within which the agency communicates its policies to the public and to its workers. Liaison officers must also be recruited by the agency, their main responsibility should be to identify and analyze the various needs of the organization. After analyzing the needs, they will communicate them to the various concerned department of the agency (Mannan, 52). Liason officers must have experience in serving as fire officers, and must also possess qualifications in communication and fire management. Inexperienced Liaison officers must undergo training on fire management, and methodologies. For the agency to be effective in implementing its objectives, a command channel must be in place, and junior members of the agency must obey the directives of their superiors (Bruegman, 21). This increases the level of efficiency in carrying out their duties, and operations. The administrative department should take the role of supervisory and clerical works. It should be the overall department in charge of formulating the affairs of the agency, recruitment, and promotion of the various employees of the agency. This department should also process the payments of its various employees, and monitor their performance in relation to satisfying the objectives of the agency. To conclude, fire helps mankind in their day to day lives, and it is virtually impossible to do without it. It is also a dangerous element if not used properly, because it can lead to the loss of life, damage to property, and can cause serious injuries. Within Oregon, people residing there know of these dangerous attributes of fire. To minimize risks associated with it, residents initiate measures such as proper use of energy producing products, to reduces chances of an outbreak of uncontrollable fire. According to residents, prevention is the method of managing an outbreak of fire, and the community ensures that each and every individual cooperates with the firefighting agency to help it in achieving its objectives. Works Cited: Bruegman, Randy R.. Advanced fire administration. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print. Grosshandler, William Lytle. Workshop on Fire Testing Measurement Needs proceedings. Gaithersburg, Md.: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Technology Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2001. Print. Karlsson, Björn, and James G. Quintiere. Enclosure fire dynamics. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2000. Print. Keeley, Jon E.. Fire in Mediterranean ecosystems: ecology, evolution and management. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print. Mannan, Sam. Lees Loss Prevention in the Process Industries Vols 1-3 Hazard Identification, Assessment and Control.. 4th ed. Oxford: Elsevier Science, 2012. Print. Varone, J. Curtis. Legal considerations for fire and emergency services. 2nd ed. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More