Fire safety management practices and implementation

¶ … fire safety management. The writer explores several areas of fire safety and proposes several ways to manage its implementation. There were six sources used to complete this paper.

Throughout history fires have destroyed property and killed people. Because a fire can happen anywhere at anytime the world has experienced fires in almost every setting and capacity. Fires in major hotels, high rise buildings and single dwelling homes are all things that have been experienced within the last few years. Fire fighters devote their lives to the rescues and saving of others, while risking their own lives in the process. In the effort to curb the number of lives lost and to decrease the amount of property being destroyed fire safety management has become a popular line of defense in many venues. Fire safety management can be utilized in all areas of life. Whether it is promoting safety at elementary schools, in high rise offices or at large hotels the purpose of fire safety management is to educate and prevent future fires. Fire safety management has become more popular in recent years as the importance and effectiveness of preventative measures continue to become known. Years ago the fire department responded to the calls of fire and their entire existence was about reacting. Today, fire management techniques work in a proactive fashion and try and reduce the number of fires that occur. Fire safety management must be planned with the recipient or recipients in mind for it to be effective. It is important to fire safety management that all aspects of the topic are addressed. Fire safety management addresses the steps that can be taken to recognize danger, as well as things that can be done to prevent dangers in the first place. Fire safety management works to include proactive steps in the field so that even when a fire breaks out there is a reduced chance of serious injury. Fire safety management has become more prevalent in recent years. This is due in part to the higher buildings being constructed, the larger hotels, and the more advanced technology in the world. All of these things mean when a fire breaks out it is a tragedy waiting to happen. Fire safety management is designed to address these and other issues while using education of the public to help reduce the panic, and death that can occur in a fire situation.

THE ISSUES

The issue of fire safety management is complicated because of the broad base of possibilities that come with the industry. Fire safety management has to deal with issues such as propane, gasoline, dry brush, careless people and other factors that can cause fires where no fire should have begun. In the interest of fire safety management many fire safety organizations nation wide have worked to promote the education of the public regarding fire safety. One example of this occurring is the NFPA's recent adoption of new standards when it comes to propane safety. Those changes include the mandated information being given to firefighters nation wide. Fire fighters who understand how propane works and how best to prevent propane fires can educate those who live in their local area thereby preventing fires.

PROLEMS IN FIRE SAFETY Management

One of the biggest issues in fire safety management today is the area of inspections. While the news carries reports of house fires in which entire families have died because the house did not have a smoke alarm, there are thousands of buildings nation wide that house millions of humans and do not have their inspections up-to-date.

Often times when a major fire occurs the investigation reveals that the fire safety management steps had not been followed through on before the fire broke out. Around the nation fire safety management calls for the inspection of areas and buildings which house many people at given times for events. Places like theaters, hotels, sporting arenas and others are hotspots for fires to start and also hotbeds of death if proper precautions have not been taken in the beginning. One such example is the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The complex attracts more than 8 million visitors every year, yet had not been inspected in 1999. There were mandates for it to have an annual inspection but the fire safety management steps had not been followed and the inspection had been allowed to fall through the cracks. A recent study of one are revealed that a full twelve percent of the buildings that were mandated to have inspections had escaped without one. One of the scariest revelations of this study was that many of the schools had not been inspected as they should have been.

The report revealed many more failures when it comes to fire safety management including:

Nearly 12% of the buildings were not inspected in 1999. Projected to the region as a whole, that means inspectors probably missed between 1,143 and 1,214 buildings that can pose a serious safety risk.

Inspection reports were missing for nearly one of every five buildings in the sample.

Almost half of the towns in North Jersey could not produce a 1999 inspection report for at least one of the buildings included in The Record's survey.

Inspectors in Paterson and Passaic, the two cities in the region with the highest incidence of fires, rarely cited building owners for fire code violations.

Tardy inspections can delay the discovery of serious violations. Only after The Record requested inspection records did local officials find a Bloomingdale restaurant without fire extinguishers, a Leonia manufacturing firm where exit doors could not be easily opened from inside, and a Bergenfield auto repair shop with broken electrical outlets, damaged power cords, and unsecured canisters of compressed gas."

This study is representative of many towns across the nation. The standard of care given to any fire safety management plan is only as good as those who implement it and those who see that it is enforced. This brings up one of the most important points in fire safety management, which is standards. It is vital for any fire safety management plan to have standards that it adheres to. Whether the standards call for annual building inspections, school education programs or other events to occur, it is important that the standards are decided on and implemented.

In the fire safety management field consistency is very important.

Flaws in a fire safety management program can defeat the purpose of having one. Things like missed inspection deadlines, lack of educational programs, cursory inspections, and poor record keeping all contribute to the failure of many fire safety management programs.

New Jersey recently implemented a fire safety management program and it has been successful." Fire officials say the inspections, combined with education campaigns about fire safety, helped lower the state's fire fatality rate to 10.9 per 1 million people in 1996 -- the 14th-lowest rate in the United States. "

FIRE SAFETY Management NEEDS

There are several aspects to fire safety management needs that have to be addressed if one wants to implement a solid fire safety management program. No one aspect is more important than another because each one is aimed at creating a more safe environment for residents and fire fighters alike.

FIRE FIGHTERS

Any good fire safety management program is going to include some aspects for the firefighters themselves. The firefighters are heavily dependent on the community to help them in their job. They count on businesses addressing fire hazards that have been noted in inspection, they count on residents of dwellings using smoke alarms and not remove the batteries and they count on the educational programs to be implemented so that people know what to do when a fire does break out. While firefighters are dependent on the communities that they work in there are aspects of fire safety management issues that deal exclusively with the firefighters. A good fire safety management program includes regular inspections of the firefighter equipment. Each year there are published reports about fire stations whose equipment is outdated and the city or town that they server refuses to pay for new replacements. A firefighter cannot do a good job protecting the community if he or she is not provided with the proper equipment. When a firefighter arrives at a fire he or she may only have a few minutes to save the lives of those who are trapped in the building. Old or defective equipment not only endangers the firefighter, but it also reduces the time and ability of the firefighter to rescue those who are trapped by fire. A good fire safety management program will provide for the annual inspection of all the safety equipment and if things are found to be defective a report should be generated. The report may not make or break the town leaders decisions but it can promote enough pressure form the residents that the decisions will be made. It is vital that any fire safety management program also take a look at the training programs being given to new hires as well as ongoing education for those who are already working in the field. Each year new chemicals are developed and new fire facts exist. It is important to maintain current knowledge and training for firefighter so that they can stay safe and they are well equipped to keep the community they serve safe as well.

EDUCATION OF COMMUNITY

The next step in any well run fire safety management program includes education. The education of community members can go along way in the prevention of future fires. Once members of the community are trained they also serve as eyes and ears for the fire department in their community. Many tips have been called in to fire inspectors by community members who are trained to recognize dangers. In addition many community members do not know about fire safety without having a program to teach them. There are several aspects of education in a fire safety management. One of the most important things for fire safety management to do by way of education is to develop programs for children. Throughout the nation there are good programs implemented at the schools that allow children to learn about fire safety. Thousands of fires each year are started by children who play with matches or do other fire starting activities.

In 1998, 683 children ages 14 and under died in home fires, and another 2,500 (roughly) suffered non-fatal injuries in reported fires. Young children are at particular risk of death in fire, with kids ages five and under twice as likely to die in a fire as the rest of the population. In 1998, more than half of the children killed in home fires fell within the five and under age group.

Child-playing is the leading cause of fires leading to deaths of preschoolers; most child-playing fires involve matches and lighters.

In 1999, an estimated 99,500 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for burn-related injuries. Young children are particularly vulnerable to burn-related injury and death. Young children's skin is thinner than adults' and can suffer serious deep burns more quickly."

Educating children about fire danger and fire safety will help reduce the number of child started fires each year. A fire safety management program that incorporates children's curiosity and their eagerness to learn will provide a perfect stage for safety training. Programs that teach about stop, drop and roll are always needed and other programs about what starts a fire and what to do once one gets out of a fire are also needed.

When it comes to the teaching of fire safety to children it is important to reach them at a level that holds their interest and that they understand. Silly messages have proven effective in getting children to learn the information and retain its message. One program uses clowns for that purpose and it seems to be working.

The program has been so successful in the past that there are now nationally recognized training centers that firefighters go to and learn how to be clowns for the children. They blow bubbles, twist balloons and do other silly things all the while promoting fire safety. The children listen because they are fascinated by the clowns.

It's a natural thing to be doing this," explained a smiling Keith Tanner, the fire marshal of Round Rock, Texas. He and about 50 other firefighters were preparing to embark on three days of learning about bubble-blowing machines, rubber-chicken tricks and tips on where to get the best set of fake buck teeth. "

Another fire safety management program that has been utilized in the past is a coloring contest. The children in a district are encouraged to design a poster promoting fire safety and then there are prizes given for the top contestants. The program is for the purpose of getting children to think about fire safety and developing ideas about the poster. While only a few win ribbons everybody in the community benefits by the posters and the ideas they give to others.

There are several basic fire safety rules hat any fire safety management program needs to promote in the education of children in fire safety and they include.:

It is important for children to learn and practice fire safety messages. Here are some helpful fire safety rules for children:

Plan and practice a home fire escape plan.

Know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds.

Stop, drop, and roll if clothes catch fire. STOP immediately where you are. DROP to the ground. ROLL over and over, covering your face and mouth with your hands.

Cool a burn" any time you burn your skin. If you get burned by touching a hot object or liquid, cool the area with cold water for 10-15 minutes. Tell a grown-up about the burn."

Matches and lighters are not toys. They are tools for grown-ups only. Tell a grown-up if you find matches or lighters.

Elementary students are not the only students who can benefit from a fire safety management program. Each year fires break out in dorm rooms, and kill students who did not know what to do. "State officials, citing "multiple failures" that exacerbated the January 2000 fire at Seton Hall University, plan to study the level of fire safety at colleges throughout New Jersey. The study, by an organization or consultant hired by the state, would examine several issues, including possible hazards, the schools' emergency procedures, and the preparedness of local fire departments that serve the schools."

University buildings are often very old. This means they may not be up to current standards when it comes to fire safety. A good fire safety management program will include the regular inspection of every building on the campus paying particularly close attention to the areas that students sleep in.

Two of those problems -- fire protection devices and student complacency -- have gotten attention from state and local fire officials, as well as university administrators."

Fire safety management for universities should include sprinkler systems throughout all buildings. Fire safety management programs should include educating the college age students. Students who go to college have to sleep away from home and it is important that they be instructed in fire safety. Programs can include seminars, posters on the university web sites and speakers at various club meetings and functions. The fire safety management programs geared for the college student must take into account the young adults belief that they are invincible and can withstand anything that comes their way. Another thing that can be done in a fire safety management program for colleges is to provide information about how to use a fire extinguisher.

New Jersey has already taken proactive steps when it comes to fire safety management and their university students.

In July 2000, the state enacted a law requiring that all dormitory rooms be fitted with sprinklers by 2004. In the 20 months since the fire, universities have stepped up their efforts to educate students about fire safety. It's unclear, however, what state officials meant by "inadequate security measures" and "highly combustible interior finish elements." Officials at the Fire Safety Division have not discussed those issues publicly, and they would not elaborate on the document last week." recent study reported that inspections are not being done at the nation's campuses either. A strong fire safety management program must include regularly conducted inspections so that dangers and infractions can be caught and corrected before they cause a fire and possible death.

OFFICE BUILDINGS

Examining 815 life hazard buildings in Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, and Morris counties, The Record found that nearly 12% weren't inspected in 1999. Projected over the region as a whole, that amounts to about 1,200 life hazard uses that might not have been checked for violations of the state's fire code."

This is the information that was reported in one town in America. If one takes this information and extrapolates it nationwide this adds up to many buildings that are not being inspected. A fire safety management plan must include fire safety for office buildings within its jurisdiction. Office buildings provide a unique safety challenge in that they are many shapes, sizes and capacities. Office buildings can be high rises, or they can be one story. They might house thousands of employees or they may house two. Whatever the situation each office building must have a fire safety plan. A fire safety management program will work with the businesses to establish fire safety guidelines. These guidelines are for the purpose of training office personnel to conduct regular inspections as well as seminars in fire safety. The object is to prepare the staff to act if a fire breaks out as well as recognize dangers and prevent fires.