The Needs for Improved Technologies in the Operations of the United States Fire Administration for More Efficient Performances
February 25, 2019

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is a division under the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Created on the 1st April 1979 by the US former president, Jimmy Carter and was brought under DHS in 2003. For almost four decades of its creation, FEMA has been relentlessly committed to helping people before, during, and after disasters, which are its obligations as stated in its statutory mission statement. The agency has been helping US residents to prevent and avert impending dangers, and also providing succor to some in the event of natural and human-made disasters in the country. One of the responsibilities the agency is saddled with is the prevention and management of fire incidents in the country, which is managed by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). In carrying out its duties, USFA employs the various technologies to aid its performance in responding to fire outbreaks in the country. These technologies have tremendously been helpful in carrying out USFA’s duties. Some of these technologies are Smoke and fire alarms; Home fire sprinklers; and Emergency egress and fire escape.

Smoke and fire alarm, a technology which was researched and created with a combined effort of USFA and the CPSC, along with the Naval Research Laboratory. It’s a disk-like device, housed in plastic and powered by a central alarm system, in residential and industrial buildings. It is installed in buildings to sense smoke and raise alert to indicate a possible fire outbreak with the preventive purpose of averting the fire incidence. A home fire sprinkler is another component of technology used by USFA in its discharge of duties. "Home fire sprinklers include a network of piping filled with water under pressure that is installed behind the ceilings and walls, and individual sprinklers are placed along the piping to protect the areas beneath them” (“Fire Sprinkler Initiative”). A fire sprinkler dispenses water whenever there is any detection of fire in a building. It is a highly sensitive device that gets triggered whenever a certain degree of temperature as programmed in the functions of the machine is exceeded, which signals the potential of degenerating into fire outbreak. For emergency egress and fire escape, it is an emergency exit usually set up outside a building to provide an exit for the occupants during an event of an emergency, especially fire incidents that make it difficult for them to access or use the staircase. It is usually made of iron and mounted at almost equal height with a storey building it is meant for.

These highlighted technologies have been so advantageous to the USFA in aiding its preventive and responsive commitments, and to the general public, in saving lives. For instance, the Smoke and fire alarms have been helping in saving lives and has drastically reduced the...…be improved include user education and awareness campaign, and partnering with building associations and more tech companies to provide more efficient technologies for fire incident life-saving devices. As it stands now, many myths are surrounding the cost, maintenance and the efficacy of these three technologies among the general public, IBHS (2014).

As the vision for the Sustainable Development Goal 2030 draws nearer and every industry and nation is working hard to meet up with the actualizations of the set goals, it is imperative that the USFA follow suit. Improvement on cloud-based technology that will enhance organizational management and provides efficiencies with automated communications and use of drones and Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that will aid quick response to distress calls during fire incidents need to be embraced. Avsec (2017). However, the technologies will not be fully effective without the consideration for human factors that will aid the efficiency on the parts of the USFA and the masses. To this end, the 2020 vision fire strategies as suggested by Carter (2014), are worthy of consideration. They include fire prevention advocacy, fire prevention marketing, fire prevention codes and standards. The strategies will go a long way in carrying members of the public along and letting them know that fire prevention is everyone's responsibility. By so doing, there will be more cohesive teamwork between the division and the masses, and with the bigger picture of drastically reducing the number of casualties being currently recorded annually…