Day: July 18, 2019

You hear a knock at the door.  Who is it you ask yourself, probably just another salesperson ready to tell you their sales pitch.  Actually, it’s your local fire departments firefighter trying to discuss some fire safety tips.  How effective can this actually be though?  Jane Jerrard (2011) states “the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service in the UK has reduced fire deaths by close to 60% in the 10 years they’ve focused on home visits” (para. 3).  However, this article is not just about the success of the door-to-door firefighter.

 

 

 

Jane Jerrard covers the Vision 20/20 and how it was created to assist departments and their CRR.  Jerrard (2011) provides an example of two different sized departments by sharing:

 

 

 

“Some departments are more sophisticated than others, and have [staff with expertise] in doing risk assessments. But if you don’t have those resources, you can still do an assessment informally. Just ask the firefighters about the area they’re called to the most. They already know the risk picture; after that, the steps are the same” (para. 5).

 

 

 

The article goes on to talk about the committee of the Vision 20/20 program and how they have funds to visit five departments annually.  The article is summed up by discussing the possibilities of technology such as iPads during the aforementioned door-to-door visits.  Having documents electronic alleviates the needs to print/organize and then go back to the department and type in what was handwritten.  For more information regarding the Vision 20/20 program, the website is https://www.strategicfire.org/

 

 

 

Jerrard, J. (2011, October 01). Community Risk Reduction through Vision 20/20. Retrieved from https://www.firerescuemagazine.com/articles/print/volume-6/issue-10/fire-prevention-and-education/community-risk-reduction-through-vision-20-20.html

 

 

 

#2

 

 

 

https://www.iafc.org/on-scene/on-scene-article/stop-don-t-change-fire-prevention-to-community-risk-reduction

 

This article is very recent (6/9/19) and was written by Brent Faulkner and published on the International Fire Chiefs Association website. The title caught my eye and after reading it I think the point Faulkner is making is very relevant. Essentially the author is stating that Community Risk Reduction should be a part of all the departments responsibility as opposed to being lumped in with only the staffing and budget that is allotted to fire prevention. Typically, the operations section of the budget represents a huge majority and if the CRR responsibilities are grouped with only fire prevention it gives everyone in operations license to ignore any involvement in CRR, which should not be the case. The goal should be for all the members of the fire service to work together as a unit to advance CRR programs and protect the community.

 

 

 

I chose this article because when I looked through the local fire department budget I noticed the imbalance and the vast majority of the funding and staffing was directed to operations. On many levels this makes sense, but fire prevention and CRR are also important to the health of the department overall and it seems like it makes the most sense for each member of the whole department to take ownership of their role in fire prevention in the community and move those programs forward together using their combined resources and influence.

 

 

 

#3

 

 

 

It seems that the hot topic on the internet dealing with Community Risk Reduction is the Vision 20/20. The great thing about this is that it is made up of people from all over the United States. The program is to reduce everything through education. 

 

The Vision 20/20 project is defining Community Risk Reduction as a process to identify and prioritize local risks(CRR).  By training and certifying the local fire departments to conduct thorough risk assessments you greatly increase their power in receiving grants and other monetary donations to use towards risk reduction. The money is going to be easier to account for if you know exactly where you need it to go.

 

 

 

Also through this project, the training that you will get will make sure that everyone is looking at the same things. There is nothing worse than going somewhere with five different people and you come out with five different things because no one is looking for either the same things, or the right things. We can not assume that everyone knows what to look for in prevention. We all have our own ideas, but this project will train you what to look for and how to get down in the weeds.

 

 

It is also always updating, with the first meeting in 2008 they have since grown and expanded. Making the United States a much safer place. To see the fire departments getting out into the community is a great change from where we were 20 or 30 years ago.

 

 

CRR, retrieved from http://riskreduction.strategicfire.org/introduction/community-risk-reduction/

Can you identify different sense-making activities going on during organizational change?What ability do you have to influence these?Do you exercise power in your attempts to influence the interpretations others have of change situations? With what success? What are the implications of this? 

Since there are 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives and only eight weeks of class, we are going to discuss two initiatives per week in the forums.  

Along with the required weekly readings, you should be using the website Everyone Goes Home.  The website is an excellent source of information, for you, that is devoted to the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives.  When using the Everyone Goes Home website, be sure to look at each of the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives sections.  Also, be sure to click on the Resources section of that website as it contains downloadable text and video resources that will provide you with additional information to answer the forum questions.

 

Initiative 13 – Psychological Support

 

It has been said that an organization is defined by the people who make it up.  The push for improving our health and wellness is evidence of this ideology.  The Fire and Life safety Initiatives also recognize its importance and have appropriately devoted both an initiative to address responders’ physical health (Initiative 6) and a separate initiative to their emotional health (Initiative 13).   The 13th Initiative suggests that all firefighters and EMS personnel must have the resources to deal with the complications that their jobs can bring to their lives, especially issues regarding emotional and psychological stress.

 

After reading the required weekly readings, and reviewing the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives section regarding Psychological Support on the website Everyone Goes Home, write a post that achieves the following:

 

1. Please read the case study below and answer the following questions:

 

Case Study:  It’s now been several months since the house fire in which you and your lieutenant rescued two fire victims.  At the time, your department had no access to any type of counseling or psychological support, but now is considering building a comprehensive program.  Because your involvement in the last potentially traumatic event, the fire chief has asked you and your lieutenant to put together some ideas on what type of program would be beneficial.

 

     A. What types of emergencies might dictate the activation of your new program?

 

     B. Should participation be mandatory for all emergency responders who were present?

 

     C. What types of programs are available for you to adopt?

 

Initiative 14 – Public Education

 

In the past several years, many fire departments began to refer to their public education programs as fire and life safety education.  Fire and life safety education is an effective means for establishing fire-safe behavior among the people.  Where does this help in firefighter safety?  People that are educated on fire safety can help reduce the number of fires we respond to, which can then contribute significantly to reducing firefighter deaths.  The 14th Initiative asks us to rethink our priorities in the fire service – to recognize the central and enduring value of public education and to raise fire prevention to the level of other department operations.

 

After reading the required weekly readings, and reviewing the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives section regarding Public Education on the website Everyone Goes Home, write a post that achieves the following:

 

1. Please read the case study below and answer the following questions:

Case Study:  As Fire Prevention Week approaches, your lieutenant asks for your suggestions in creating a fire safety education program for the elementary school.  For the past several years, your firehouse has put on a 1-hour presentation in the gymnasium for teachers and children.

     A. What kind of lessons would be most important to share with them?
     B. How should they be presented to be most effective?
     C. Are there any resources out there to help guide your lesson plan?

 

 

 

#1

 

 

 

Initiative 13

 

 

 

Emergencies of all sorts can be traumatic to the responders involved. Any incident involving seriously harmed children, or where children have died, should incur a mandatory initial counseling. People with children should be required to have a second counseling at a later date( maybe two weeks). 

 

 

 

There was an incident where we worked a 5 month old, who was in the same clothes my youngest child wore, and to this day is one of the few incidents that has had any lasting negative impression on me. Outside of this, as a “buddy watch” sort of program, mandatory counselings could be recommended by crew members if they notice any impact from an incident. 

 

 

 

Lastly, any incident where there was a “firefighter close call” or worse, everyone involved should have an initial counseling.

 

 

 

If an incident negatively impacted one crew member, it is likely that other crew members were affected, even if not to same degree. In these instances, the whole crew should have to at least have an initial counseling.

 

 

 

You can adopt programs like the “Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance” or work with programs like National behavioral Health Alliance, or even established veteran programs to help develop a new targeted program.

 

 

 

Initiative 14

 

 

 

With Elementary schools, It is important to talk about emergency escape plans. What the best practices are in fires. How to stop, drop, and roll. How to get low, and crawl. Depending on the age of the elementary students, maybe do a demonstration of what a firefighter in full gear looks like, so they won’t be scared if they see us in a fire. Talk about making a fire escape plan with the parents.

 

 

 

These might be best presented in smaller groups, with hands on activities and demonstration.

 

 

 

Programs have already been outlined by NFPA, FEMA, FIRE RESCUE, and likely your own department. These can be used to supplement or guide your local program.

 

 

 

#2

 

 

 

Initiative 13 – Psychological Support
     A. What types of emergencies might dictate the activation of your new program?
The program should be available at all times for any type of call. Anyone could be triggered by any type of call and need assistance. An easy example would be calls involving death and trauma with children often bother parents more than firefighters without children. A less common but equally important situation could be something on what is perceived to be a normal call could trigger a much deeper emotional response reminding them of something from another call or something in there homelife. Sometimes its both. I was on a call a few years ago for a 2-year-old who drowned in a backyard wading pool, while at the same times my kids were at the beach on vacation with there mother. 
     B. Should participation be mandatory for all emergency responders who were present?
I think these programs should be mandatory. I don’t think it helps if the person doesn’t want to be there, but a lot of people won’t ask for help or go because others are not going. If they take part in the program may take advantage of what it’s offering and get more help if they need it. Even if the person does not want help providing them with resources to get help later is better than nothing. 
     C. What types of programs are available for you to adopt?
The most widely adopted program is Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. (Initiative 13) Other programs such as Stress First Aid, Alcoholics Anonymous or substance abuse support programs area also available and helpful. 

 

 

 

Initiative 14 – Public Education
     A. What kind of lessons would be most important to share with them?
It should be based on the age of the children, but it should be expanded and increased as the children get older. Talks of “get out and stay out,” staying low in smoke, don’t play with matches and what do to when a smoke detector goes off for the younger children. As they get older talks of Fire Codes and why they exist, talks of fire exits and impeding egress points to let them know why rules are in place. (Bryne 2009)  
     B. How should they be presented to be most effective?
The city of Beaufort South Carolina developed a program called First Impressions – Lasting Impressions. By starting at an early age but also by tailoring the classes to coincide with the student’s studies as they grow. The theory is that by offering a high-quality program even if it’s to a small group of 20 students the information could reach hundreds as the information is passed along. (Bryne 2009)  
     C. Are there any resources out there to help guide your lesson plan?
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, NFPA the National Fire Academy and lots of others such as smoke detector manufacturers have resources available free from their websites. 

 

 

Byrne, D. (2009, 03). Public fire education & training: Making a difference.Firehouse, 34, 72-75. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/docview/229591395?accountid=8289

 

Initiative 13. National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, 2007, www.firstrespondercenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Initiative13.pdf.

Directions: This question is based on the accompanying documents. The documents have been edited for the purposes of this exercise.

 

In your response you should do the following:

 

• Thesis: Respond to the prompt with      a historically defensible thesis or claim that establishes a line of      reasoning.
• Contextualization:      Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
• Evidence      from the Documents: Support an argument in response to the prompt, using      at least six documents.
• Evidence      beyond the Documents: Use at least one additional piece of specific      historical evidence relevant to an argument about the prompt.
• Document      Analysis: For at least three documents, explain how or why the document’s      point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience is relevant      to an argument.
• Historical      Reasoning: Demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical      development that is the focus of the prompt, using evidence to      corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses the question.

Select a current or proposed health care policy that is designed to improve a specific population’s access to quality, cost-effective health care. In a 4 page, include the following:

 

1. Explain the policy and how it is designed to improve cost-effectiveness and health care equity for the population. Is the policy financially sound? Why or why not? How does the policy account for any relevant ethical, legal, and political factors and the nursing perceptive one must consider when implementing it?
2. To what state, federal, global health policies or goals is this particular policy related? How well do you think the policy is designed to achieve those goals?
3. Finally, discuss the advocacy strategies you would employ on behalf of your population to ensure they have access to the benefits of the policy. Explain, from a Christian perspective, the professional and moral obligation of advanced registered nurse to advocate for and promote health and prevent disease among diverse populations.

 

You are required to cite five to 10 sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and nursing content.

“Customer Target Marketing Strategy and Competitive Analysis” Please respond to the following:

 

• Discuss three (3) specific characteristics that you would use to define the target audience. Next, determine how you would utilize this market information to develop your product or service niche. Justify your response.
• Describe two (2) or three (3) elements of a business model that would provide your company with a competitive advantage over other businesses in your industry. Next, list the major risk(s) you would identify as the biggest threat to a company’s success and how they could overcome them. 250 words

The objectives of the business and also the size of the business can impact the security policy framework. Answer the following questions:

 

 

What can happen if the security team chooses a framework as a foundation that does not fit the business objectives? List 4 things that can happen if the framework and objectives are not aligned.

 

How are organizations of varying sizes–small, medium, and large–impacted by the lack of a policy framework?

 

Is there an organization small enough that it can safely avoid a formal security policy framework? Or do even micro organizations (>10 employees) require some sort of structured security policies?

Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 15, 16, 17
Lesson
Instructions
Your country just overthrew its dictator, and you are the newly elected President. Unfortunately, due to the divisions in the country and the years of war, economic, military, and political structures are non-existent. A group of loyalists to the old dictator have been detonating bombs, murdering civilians, assassinating leaders, and terrorizing towns with help from a neighboring country’s dictator.

Create a comprehensive plan for your new government. While creating this government identify 1) the governing style of your government and the principles that govern your leaders (see rubric); 2) the functions of various branches of government; 3) how to maintain public good in domestic areas through at least two programs; 4) an economic structure that is most beneficial to your citizens; 5) ways to create national unity; 6) ways to combat terrorism and violence; and, 6) international organizations to join.

See rubric for specific ways to meet the requirements of the paper.

Paper headings: (Use of APA paper format with headings required!)

Introduction (1 paragraph)
Introduce your country
Briefly outline all of the parts of the paper
Domestic Concerns (1-2 pages)
Identify governing style and principles that correlate to this style
Identify the branches of government and its functions
Development of two public good domestic programs and how they will meet the public good
Economic structure and reason why this should be used
Socializing citizens is noted with rationale for how it creates national unity
Foreign Concerns (1-2 pages)
Two international organizations are noted, one for economics and one for security
Descriptions of both organizations
Rationales for joining these organizations
Steps to joining
Two ways your country will combat the neighboring country’s terrorist threat and the domestic threat
Two ways these will be effective
Conclusion (1 paragraph)
Summarize information

CRITERIAS:

Governing style and principles of the government:
25.0 pts
The governing style is understandable and the principles support the choice of the governing style. Provides structure of power, source of power, ideology of power.

Branches of government and its functions.
20.0 pts
Explains each branch of government and the function of the particular branch and how they support the governing style.

Maintaining public good through at least two domestic programs
20.0 pts
Two domestic programs are created clearly explaining how public good is maintained with these programs.

Economic structure
15.0 pts
The economic structure is named and supports the governing style with a rationale for using the structure.

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Political socializing to create national unity
15.0 pts
There is at least one method the new government will use to socialize citizens to create national unity and rationales for using these methods.

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome International organizations
25.0 pts
At least two different international organizations, one economic and one for security, were identified to join with brief descriptions of the purposes of these organizations, rationale for joining, and steps on how to join.

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Combatting terrorism and violence
20.0 pts
Two ways were offered to combat terrorism and violence (one to deal with international threat and one with domestic). Effective rationale for solutions were offered.