Fire Prevention from Professional Perspective

Introduction

Despite the availability of the advanced technologies and years of humankind’s experience, fires are still a crucial problem in the 21^st century. It is possible to introduce several main reasons for this issue: first of all, the lack of knowledge of how to protect houses from ignition has to be taken into consideration. Secondly, people seem not to think about the fire as a probable situation because it happens not so often. Thirdly, wooden buildings in the countryside are still wide-spread in some regions of the USA. However, the level of destruction by the fire might be severe enough and cause danger to the lives of ordinary humans. The purpose of this paper is to describe the significance of fire prevention from the position of both professionals and common people.

Education of the Population

The level of understanding of how to save the house from the potential fire is extremely low among regular humans. What is more, they do not want to take responsibility for this danger (Jakubowski, 2014). Nonetheless, it is necessary to assume that for many years there has not been any educational program that could provide qualified and comprehensible information in order to ameliorate the situation (Johnson, 2019). From the point of view of the researcher, it is crucial to establish contact between professionals and people. This would help not only to improve their knowledge about fire prevention but also to attract attention to this urgent issue (Johnson, 2019). Such a project needs significant financial expenditures, but the cost of living is much higher. The government should introduce the program that would be free for all and would give the basic information about preventing the fire in the house and safety rules in buildings of diverse types.

The question of the division of responsibility should also be taken into account. It is a typical situation that, in case of emergency, the residents accuse the fire company or the inspectors. Nevertheless, the duties have to be divided between the official organizations and ordinary people in an equal way (Johnson, 2019). Nowadays, it is not challenging to find several ways to improve the protection of the house. For example, it is vital to keep in mind the possibility of a fire at the stage of buying or renting a building. The construction should meet all the specifications of the International Fire Code and other specific documents in this field (Murphy & Crane, 2012). In case of any doubts, people should address the specialist who could express the independent opinion. In many situations, the fire might be prevented before its start by the compliance of the safety rules and regular inspections.

Teaching people how to fight small fires is another way to influence the situation. Once the inhabitants understand how dangerous and stressful the process is, they will become more attentive and responsible. Moreover, it is possible to provide statistical information about the deaths and injuries because of the fire. The documentary films about the work of the firemen might change the point of view of many individuals and prevent many dangerous situations. In conclusion, the amelioration of the level of knowledge of people about fire prevention is an urgent issue that has to be solved in the nearest future. That would help not only to prevent the fires itself but attract the attention of ordinary humans to such a crucial problem.

The Role of Fire Prevention Division

In daily life, people consider the fire department as a team of firefighters. However, this company has many professionals and specialists in diverse spheres. One of the most significant parts of the organization is the Fire Prevention Division (Smith, 2007). When inhabitants want to have a check-up of their house, the employees of this department verify the conformity of the construction to all the necessary documents and requirements. This job is extremely significant for fire prevention as it aims to minimize the risk of a dangerous situation. Another profession that is crucial in this case is the fire code enforcer (Smith, 2007). He or she is a knowledgeable person who is familiar with the latest documents and government orders. If comparing this role to one in ordinary life, it is possible to say that he or she is a consultant who’s goal is to optimize the working process and organize the communication channel between the authorities and the employees.

In the circumstances of modern society, the work of these specialists becomes more and more challenging. The official documents are being moderated regularly, and it is necessary to have the latest updates on time. What is more, the complexity of the buildings itself has increased dramatically over the last decades. It is a complicated task to take into account all the details during the inspection of the house and to create a regular timetable for the obligatory examinations. The role of the Fire Prevention Division is crucial for many lives on our planet as it helps to avoid thousands of high-risk situations.

The Significance of the Documentation

Fires are considered to be one of the most uncontrolled accidents in the life of ordinary people. It appears unexpectedly and can spread through the whole house in several seconds. That is why there is a set of rules and the code of practice for this type of situation. Until the 19^th century, there has not been any document that concerned the information about ignitions (Johnson, 2019). Nowadays, the circumstances have changed, and there are many papers that regulate the functioning of the department. Among them are the International Fire Code, International Code Council, and others (Murphy & Crane, 2012). There are also specialized governmental organizations that are supposed to control the operation of the department and to put forward the ideas of how to improve the existing system. Those companies make regular announcements of new rules and requirements. Nevertheless, it is important to mention that the firefighters themselves should take part in that type of events and meeting (Murphy & Crane, 2012). No one can know more about the right structure of buildings or the most secure rooftops.

The official documents should pass the verification procedure by the firemen who understand how this would function in real life. Otherwise, the new rules might cause severe problems to both sides: for people, it would be hard to follow them and to comply with the terms, and for the firemen, the process of firefighting would become even more challenging and dangerous. The importance of the safety rules and the documentation should not be underestimated, and the significant role of the fireman in this issue has to be taken into consideration.

Collaboration in Fire Prevention

The cooperative effort of the inhabitants and the firefighters would be extremely effective in the process of preventing the fire. For example, people can use the sprinklers in their gardens or around the house to protect themselves from danger and to make the mission of the specialists easier in case of ignition. According to the statistics, the gadgets operate efficiently in 93% of all the situations (Hall, 2007). First of all, it helps to slow down the spread of the fire. Secondly, it gives the firefighters more chance to save the house and to reach the goal in less time. What is more, the professionals have to investigate the building schematics before entering. If the humans could provide the necessary documents in a fast way, that would be useful in case of the large fire where the supporting structures could have been damaged. The collaboration of the professionals and the inhabitants might not only reduce the number of accidents but also make the consequences of the fires not so disastrous.

Conclusion

Preventing the fire is the responsibility of every human regardless of age, profession, or the place of living. Understanding and following the primary safety rules is the first step to improve the situation. Special governmental and free educational programs should be organized for people in order to ameliorate their knowledge about the possible risks and consequences. Moreover, official requirements should be taken into account; it is necessary to notice that the participation of experienced firefighters is essential for the creation of a beneficial document. It is also important to mention that preventing the fire is not only about saving lives but also about competent leadership of the Fire Prevention Divisions and other specialists in this field. In conclusion, it is crucial to assume that only acting together people can really make a difference in the sphere of fire prevention.

References

1. Hall, J. R. (2007). US experience with sprinklers and other automatic fire extinguishing equipment. National Fire Protection Association.
2. Jakubowski, G. (2014). Preplanning. Fire Protection Engineering, 64(1), 20–30.
3. Johnson, B. A. (2019). Seven habits of highly effective Fire Prevention Organizations. Fire Engineering, 172(2), 64–67.
4. Murphy, J. J., & Crane, S. D. (2012). New codes and standards influence future tactics. Fire Engineering, 165(1), 61–72.
5. Smith, D. (2007). The duty to act: Responsibilities of today’s fire marshal. Fire Engineering, 160(7), 95–98.