Ethics in Emergency Services - Research Paper Example

Customary laws form a basic source of ethics for many. Every society has its unique set of customs that are passed from one generation to generation. People have different myths explaining the origin of their morals. The oldest known code of laws was that of Hammurabi that dates back to 1750BC. The Christians believe in the Ten Commandments that they believe were given to Moses by God. Greeks would believe god Zeus was the one who initiated morals to help human beings live in cooperation (Varone, 2007).

 Personal ethics are learned in different ways. The basic of the ways is imitation. Individuals observe how others behave, and they borrow the aspects they believe are desirable. Social learning theory explains that the individuals that are imitated are usually people of strong personality and higher status than their imitators. As individuals grow up, they are guided by the rule and regulations governing their behaviors. Societies have various mechanisms of rewarding desirable behavior and punishing wayward conduct.

Other individuals pick up philosophies in life and use them as their standards of morality (Varone, 2007). Emergency service needs to uphold a high level of ethics as it plays an indispensable role in the provision of essential services. Among the services, they offer to include instant health and rescue aids to individuals such as victims of fires and other calamities. Individuals in such situations are vulnerable and can quite easily be misused and mishandled by emergency service workers.

Wayward emergency workers will ask for money and other undeserved benefits before they serve victims. Some will take bribes and engage in other improprieties. Ethics safeguard the rights of such vulnerable victims. They also serve to instill responsibility in emergency service workers in and out of work (Varone, 2007).