Management
Introduction
The concept of fire prevention is attributed to the function of fire personnel in actively responding to incidents of fire outbreaks. In fire prevention, it is the goal of the key personnel to educate the public in taking precautions to prevent hazards that could potentially cause an outbreak. On the organizational level, the Fire Office/Manager assumes this responsibility by ensuring compliance to the fire prevention codes. This includes the responsibility to investigate, monitor, inspect, report, and conduct precautionary measures to address potential hazards if found. The discussion will present the mission statement stipulating the role and responsibilities of the Fire Office Manager in terms of securing the safety of the organization from fire. In addition, the discussion will also address the issues found in the organizational building by providing appropriate solutions that comply with the building fire safety code.
“It is the mission of the Fire Prevention Manager and the Office of Fire and Life safety to ensure protection of the organization its people and properties from fire and other circumstances that renders imminent risk to life and safety. Our primary role is to ensure that the organization we serve complies with the Fire and Life Safety Codes including other policies aimed to preserve life and property from fire damages”.
According to the report of the National Fire Protection Association, it was estimated that the annual cost of fire in terms of damages amounts to US$ 329 Billion (Hall, 2014). Although the report encompasses a soft estimate of the economic damages, it is still apparent that the tremendous impact of fire is indisputable (Diamantes, 2014). On the other hand, the NFPA (2015) also reported that an average of 3,005 civilian deaths and 17,500 injuries occur every year as of 2011 because of fire incidents (Hall, 2014). Furthermore, it was also pointed out in the 2015 NFPA report that 38% of the incidents are structural-related (Haynes, 2015). Given the statistical report on fire loss, it is critical that the Fire Office Manager is carefully assessing the structural integrity of the organizational building in order to ensure the highest safety of the lives of the people occupying the building and also to protect the organization’s assets from fire damages.
Situation Overview
Electrical – The supply service is badly worn requiring immediate replacement or repair. In addition, the damaged component belongs to the organization making them responsible for the problem.
Structural – Three of the supporting columns at the basement appears to have indications of fatigue as observed on the visual cracks, spallling of the concrete, and oxidation of the steel trusses supporting the roof.
Ventilation – It appears that the exhaust from the machinery is collecting in the upper level of the work area causing symptoms of monoxide inhalation among the workers. Furthermore, the ventilation issues also extends to the central heating and air conditioning unit, which was found to have worn electric wires, broken seals, and clogged filters.
Proposed Solutions
Electrical – According to the International Code Council (2012), any identified electrical hazards shall be abated. Since the power supply installation is within the side of the organization’s building, the necessary repairs and replacement of the damages is the organization. To address this problem, the Fire Office Manager should order to replace the worn out component. This can be done through a licensed electrical installation contractor since the building electrical codes suggests that replacements and repair of main electrical service lines should be done by a qualified professional considering the industrial level of installation needed for the said issue (National Electrical Installation Standards, n.d.). In addition, a performance-based fire safety design will be implemented, which includes periodical testing to ensure the safety conditions of the electrical system following replacement of the worn out components.
Structural – The structural problems found in the basement should be discussed with the building maintenance department and engineering considering the scope of work necessary to address the damages on the concrete pillars. The review of the building plan and specifications before construction determines whether the damages on the concrete pillars were a result of non-compliance with the codes. The building plan review provides the Fire Office Manager with the necessary information for structural fire protection ratings of the structure in question. In addition, the plan review will enable the Fire Manager to create an emergency evacuation outline establishing the areas of refuge or escape route in case of a fire incident (Diamantes, 2014).
Ventilation – According to Diamantes (2014), improperly maintained and faulty ventilation equipment are major fire causes. It was found from the inspection that the exhaust from machinery is accumulating in the upper level of the work area. This is caused by damage in the airshafts that leads the emission outside of the building. This can be addressed by requesting maintenance to check the ventilation pipes for any cracks or holes that should be repaired including the exhaust fans that are faulty. The accumulation of the exhaust in the work area may not only cause health risks to the employees, but could also result to a chemical reaction that can trigger combustion. It is the same with the AC and heating equipment, which the wirings had to be replaced completely and cleaning of the filters.
References
Diamantes, D. (2014). Principles of fire prevention (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Hall, J. (2014). Total cost of fire. Nfpa.org. Retrieved 13 May 2016, from http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics/fires-in-the-us/overall-fire-problem/total-cost-of-fire
Haynes, H. (2015). NFPA report - Fire loss in the United States. Nfpa.org. Retrieved 13 May 2016, from http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics/fires-in-the-us/overall-fire-problem/fire-loss-in-the-united-states
International Code Council,. (2012). Chapter 6 - Building Services and Systems.Publicecodes.cyberregs.com. Retrieved 13 May 2016, from http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/st/ca/st/b300v10/st_ca_st_b300v10_6_sec005.htm
National Electrical Installation Standards,. State Electrical Regulations. Neca-neis.org. Retrieved 13 May 2016, from http://www.neca-neis.org/state/state-electrical-regulations
