FIRE BRIGADE ORGANIZATION AND RESPONSIBILITY

What is a fire brigade ?

Group of people within a corporation or industrial site, organized for the purpose of putting out fires.

FIRE BRIGADE ORGANIZATION

A fire brigade organization is mainly composed of the following: Senior Staff Field Operations

Senior Staff The Senior Staffs work normal business hours and are on 24-hour call for any incidents which demand their attention. They are composed of: Fire Chief Assistant Fire Chief

Fire Chief The Fire Chief is the Administrative Officer of the entire Fire-Rescue Organization. The Fire Chief is appointed by the Mayor, confirmed by the City Council and reports to the Chief Operating Officer.

Assistant Fire Chief The Assistant Fire Chief assists in the administration and direct the operation of a division within the organization.

FIELD OPERATIONS Employees in these positions work a 24-hour shift with at least one, and up to six days off between shifts. Employees work a 56 hour week insuring residents have protection 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Deputy Chief Oversees all field operations during the course of their twenty-four hour shift. They report to the Assistant Fire Chief.

Battalion Chief Supervises a Battalion of firefighters and coordinates fire suppression activities within a designated area. Battalion Chiefs act as incident commanders at large scale incidents. The Battalion Chiefs report to the Deputy Chief.

Captain The Captain is in charge of day-to-day activities at his, which may include inspections, inservice training or community education events. At a fire, medical or other emergency the Captain directs the operations of his or her crew.

Fire Engineer A Fire Engineer operates and maintains fire apparatus and associated equipment. They are responsible for the safe delivery of fire crews to and from emergencies.

Firefighter Performs routine station maintenance. At the scene of a fire, firefighters are directly responsible for rescue and extinguishment of the fire. At medical calls, which make up more than 80% of total responses, firefighters are directly involved in patient care.

An example of Table of Organization of a fire brigade.

PERSONAL SAFETY: Emergency Management Systems

What is Emergency Management Systems?
It is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause disasters or catastrophes, and to ensure their continuance within their planned lifetime. It is a comprehensive, integrated program of preparedness, response, and recovery for emergencies/disasters of any kind

Phases of Emergency Management Systems

Mitigation
y y y y The process of decreasing the intensity of the situation. It attempts to prevent hazards from developing into disasters altogether, or to reduce the effects of disasters when they occur. The mitigation phase differs from the other phases because it focuses on long-term measures for reducing or eliminating risk. Mitigative measures can be structural or non-structural. Structural measures use technological solutions, like flood levees. Non-structural measure includes insurance system.

Preparedness
y y Focuses on preparing equipment and procedures for use when a disaster occurs Preparedness measures can take many forms including the construction of shelters, installation of warning devices, creation of back-up life-line services (e.g., power, water, sewage), and rehearsing evacuation plans.

Response
y y y It includes the mobilization of the necessary emergency services and first responders in the disaster area. This is likely to include a first wave of core emergency services, such as firefighters, police and ambulance crews. The response phase of an emergency may commence with search and rescue but in all cases the focus will quickly turn to fulfilling the basic humanitarian needs of the affected population. First Aid falls on this category.

First-Aid
y y y It is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by a non-expert person to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. It generally consists of a series of simple and in some cases, potentially life-saving techniques that an individual can be trained to perform with minimal equipment.

Aims of First-Aid:
y y y PRESERVE LIFE PREVENT FURTHER HARM PROMOTE RECOVERY

CPR
y y y This is the lifesaving measure you can take to save your child if she shows no signs of life (breathing or movement). It is an emergency procedure which is attempted in an effort to return life to a person in cardiac arrest. It uses chest compressions and breaths to circulate blood that contains oxygen to the brain and other vital organs until emergency medical personnel arrive.

LEARN CPR
y y CALL AMBULANCE: check the victim for unresponsiveness. If there is no response, call ambulance and then return to the person. TILT HEAD, LIFT CHIN: CHECK BREATHING: Position the person flat on their back. Kneel by their side and place one-hand on the forehead and the other under the chin. Tilt the head back and lift the chin until teeth almost touch. Look and listen for breathing. GIVE TWO BREATHS: If not breathing normally, pinch the nose and cover the mouth with yours. Give two full breaths. The person's chest will rise if you are giving enough air. POSITION HANDS: Position your hands in the center of the chest between the nipples. Place one hand on top of the other. PUMP 15 TIMES: Push down firmly two inches. Push on chest 15 times.

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Recovery
y y y y The aim of the recovery phase is to restore the affected area to its previous state. It differs from the response phase in its focus; recovery efforts are concerned with issues and decisions that must be made after immediate needs are addressed. Recovery efforts are primarily concerned with actions that involve rebuilding destroyed property, re-employment, and the repair of other essential infrastructure. The recovery phase starts after the immediate threat to human life has subsided. During reconstruction it is recommended to consider the location or construction material of the property. EMS as a Profession Emergency managers are trained in a wide variety of disciplines that support them throughout the emergency life-cycle. Professional emergency managers can focus on government and community preparedness (Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government Planning), or private business preparedness (Business Continuity Management Planning). Training is provided by local, state, private organizations and ranges from public information and media relations to high-level incident command and tactical skills such as studying a terrorist bombing site or controlling an emergency scene.

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Principles: Emergency Management Systems

Comprehensive emergency managers consider and take into account all hazards, all phases, all stakeholders and all impacts relevant to disasters. Progressive emergency managers anticipate future disasters and take preventive and preparatory measures to build disaster-resistant and disaster-resilient communities. Risk-driven emergency managers use sound risk management principles (hazard identification, risk analysis, and impact analysis) in assigning priorities and resources. Integrated emergency managers ensure unity of effort among all levels of government and all elements of a community. Collaborative emergency managers create and sustain broad and sincere relationships among individuals and organizations to encourage trust, advocate a team atmosphere, build consensus, and facilitate communication. Coordinated emergency managers synchronize the activities of all relevant stakeholders to achieve a common purpose. Flexible emergency managers use creative and innovative approaches in solving disaster challenges. Professional emergency managers value a science and knowledge-based approach; based on education, training, experience, ethical practice, public stewardship and continuous improvement.