Fire Dynamics: The Science Of Firefighting
The article Fire Dynamics: The science of Firefighting by Daniel Madrzykowski discusses how researchers have conducted controlled experiments and computer generated models to explain how changes in construction materials and fuel effect fire dynamics. The changes in fire dynamics calls for improved training, improved personal protective equipment, and a change in fireground tactics. Additionally, leadership in every department needs to acknowledge the changes, educate their members, and incorporate new fire-fighting practices to help protect firefighters and civilians.
In the article Vulnerability Assessment Program by Ronald Jon Siarnicki, he discusses the fact that firefighters in the United States die in the line of duty at the rate of
about 100 individuals a year, while another 70,000 or more are significantly injured (Siarnicki, 2012). The unfortunate fact is most of these injuries and deaths were preventable if known risks had been mitigated (Siarnicki, 2012). The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, U.S. Fire Administration, and Honeywell are all working together to develop a vulnerability assessment tool for fire departments to use for the identification of deficiencies in operational and strategic plans that lead to firefighter injuries and deaths (Siarnicki, 2012). The self-assessment will be available online for chiefs to evaluate their organization to identify areas of vulnerability. A customized report will be generated with resources and suggestions for mitigating areas of concern.
Fire and rescue personnel are at risk for occupational and post-traumatic stress due to the dynamic nature of the calls and work environments. In the article Putting Fire and Rescue Service Stress Management Into Context: A United Kingdom (UK) Informed Perspective by Viv Brunsden, Rowena Hill, and Kevin Maguire they discuss the need to develop an all-inclusive plan to prevent and respond to stress exposure found in the fire and emergency medical services.
Undoubtedly, emergency incidents require emergency responders to make spit-second decisions in extreme conditions that may have positive or detrimental results. The Process of Decision-Making in a Fast-Burning Crisis Situation: A Multiple-Sequence Approach of Decisiveness was written by Bert Brugghemans and Hugo Marynissen. This research paper examines the decision-making process of a fire crew before and during a building collapse in Belgium, Germany (Brugghemans & Marynissen, 2012). The research for this paper indicates that there are multiple processes at play when firefighters must make split-second decisions in crisis situations. Understanding how the decision-making process works in harsh conditions helps to develop recommendations to improve training and development, and for further research in the decision-making process.
The article Examining Firefighter Decision-Making: How Experiences Influences Speed in Process and Choice written by Shawn T. Bayouth, Nir Keren, Warren D. Franke, and Kevin Godby, the authors research the relationships between firefighter experience and the decision-making process. Utilizing computerized virtual reality, the decision-making process was compared between experienced and novice firefighters to examine the speed and choices of each group. The empirical evidence does not support the notion that experienced firefighters review and act upon their first alternative or review less information in less time (Bayouth, Keren, Franke, & Godby, 2012).
The authors Dr. John Moschella and Annie Chou in the article The Role of E-Government in Selected Fire Services of Taiwan and the United States: A Comparative Analysis discusses how electronic government is a necessity in governments throughout the world (2012). They identify six stages of e-government development as: (1) information dissemination, (2) two-way transactions, (3) multipurpose portals, (4) portal personalization, (5) clustering of common services, and (6) full integration and to what extent fire departments in either country follow the development (Moschella & Chou, 2012). After a simple analysis, it was found that no department in either country follows the six-stages, although larger departments tend to have better websites.
In the article Vulnerability Assessment Program by Ronald Jon Siarnicki, he discusses the fact that firefighters in the United States die in the line of duty at the rate of
about 100 individuals a year, while another 70,000 or more are significantly injured (Siarnicki, 2012). The unfortunate fact is most of these injuries and deaths were preventable if known risks had been mitigated (Siarnicki, 2012). The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, U.S. Fire Administration, and Honeywell are all working together to develop a vulnerability assessment tool for fire departments to use for the identification of deficiencies in operational and strategic plans that lead to firefighter injuries and deaths (Siarnicki, 2012). The self-assessment will be available online for chiefs to evaluate their organization to identify areas of vulnerability. A customized report will be generated with resources and suggestions for mitigating areas of concern.
Fire and rescue personnel are at risk for occupational and post-traumatic stress due to the dynamic nature of the calls and work environments. In the article Putting Fire and Rescue Service Stress Management Into Context: A United Kingdom (UK) Informed Perspective by Viv Brunsden, Rowena Hill, and Kevin Maguire they discuss the need to develop an all-inclusive plan to prevent and respond to stress exposure found in the fire and emergency medical services.
Undoubtedly, emergency incidents require emergency responders to make spit-second decisions in extreme conditions that may have positive or detrimental results. The Process of Decision-Making in a Fast-Burning Crisis Situation: A Multiple-Sequence Approach of Decisiveness was written by Bert Brugghemans and Hugo Marynissen. This research paper examines the decision-making process of a fire crew before and during a building collapse in Belgium, Germany (Brugghemans & Marynissen, 2012). The research for this paper indicates that there are multiple processes at play when firefighters must make split-second decisions in crisis situations. Understanding how the decision-making process works in harsh conditions helps to develop recommendations to improve training and development, and for further research in the decision-making process.
The article Examining Firefighter Decision-Making: How Experiences Influences Speed in Process and Choice written by Shawn T. Bayouth, Nir Keren, Warren D. Franke, and Kevin Godby, the authors research the relationships between firefighter experience and the decision-making process. Utilizing computerized virtual reality, the decision-making process was compared between experienced and novice firefighters to examine the speed and choices of each group. The empirical evidence does not support the notion that experienced firefighters review and act upon their first alternative or review less information in less time (Bayouth, Keren, Franke, & Godby, 2012).
The authors Dr. John Moschella and Annie Chou in the article The Role of E-Government in Selected Fire Services of Taiwan and the United States: A Comparative Analysis discusses how electronic government is a necessity in governments throughout the world (2012). They identify six stages of e-government development as: (1) information dissemination, (2) two-way transactions, (3) multipurpose portals, (4) portal personalization, (5) clustering of common services, and (6) full integration and to what extent fire departments in either country follow the development (Moschella & Chou, 2012). After a simple analysis, it was found that no department in either country follows the six-stages, although larger departments tend to have better websites.