Operations and Procedures for Firefighters

¶ … Regulations in Fire Departments Of all the institutions in the country, those dealing with fire safety are probably among the most important. Maintaining a standard of operations is of vital importance in order to ensure the health and safety not only of those receiving disaster management services, but also of those receiving them. For this reason, health and safety, training, standard operating procedures, and record keeping are important components of fire departments across the country.

Safety and Health Policy Occupational health and safety play an important role, particularly in the lives of fire fighters, who strive to ensure the safety of others. For this reason, it is important to establish an Occupational health and Safety Committee (Breede Valley, 2005). The task of the Committee is then to ensure that all items of safety and health are addressed within the department buildings and also within the vehicles and equipment used during rescue operations.

In addition, the Committee will also investigate accidents and make recommendations regarding the prevention and mitigation of future accidents. At least one Committee member must act as the department's Safety Officer. Safety recommendations must then be made following inspections and meetings. Training Effective training is another vital component of fire department operations. Poorly trained officers could result in death and hazards to those relying on the service.

Therefore, the primary goal of the fire department training and education program is to prevent accidents, injuries, illness, and death within the department or among those being assisted. A further goal is to ensure that fire fighters develop the skills of proficient and professional persons. For this reason, all personnel employed at the fire department receive training that is applicable to the duties the y perform. Drivers or operators of apparatus, for example, will be trained specifically to a driver training standard as set out in the Department documents.

All personnel receive training to adhere to the Department Operational Guidelines regarding the Incident Command System. Fire ground operations training occur according to the department's Operational Guidelines. Written procedures are retained regarding training procedures (Breede Valley, 2005). Standard Operating Procedures All fire departments must operate according to a set of standard operating procedures. These procedures indicate best practices within the department and ensure that trained officers conduct their work with optimal safety and efficiency in mind (Whitehall, 2009).

To ensure that the standard operating procedures are continuously accessible to everyone at all times, these are placed prominently on the bulletin board. The procedures are evaluated on an annual basis. Any shortcomings in terms of clarity or efficiency are addressed and changes made accordingly. Standard operating procedures include such items as a zero drug and alcohol policy, where suspected officers are removed from the workplace and detained for investigation. No fireground or apparatus operations can occur under the influence of any harmful substance.

Also included in standard operating procedures is the chain of command established at disaster sites; the first arriving officer at the alarm is the designated Incident Commander, for example, although the arrival of senior personnel will authorize a change in command. The Incident Commander then uses the National Incident Management System to assign sectors to personnel at the scene. Record Keeping Record keeping is also important, since this allows the fire department to maintain statistics on a permanent basis.

These statistics would indicate the nature, frequency and severity of incidents such as accidents, injury, illness, or death, as far as these are related to the work (Breede Valley, 2005). These statistics can then indicate any shortcomings in the department's operating procedures. For this reason, it is vital to maintain accurate and meticulous records for statistical analysis. All officers must therefore take responsibility in the maintenance and entry of such data. In addition, records must be maintained about workers' exposure to hazards, including toxic products or contagious diseases.

The Incident Reporting Procedure must be followed in all cases. Industry Standards Finally, all fire departments must adhere to the industry standards set out by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA, 2013). The Agency requires, for example, that all fire departments retain a written record of safety and health procedures, investigations, and decisions, as well as the duties of all officers within the fire department. There must.