Community Fire Safety:
This is just when fire-fighter (though it could be more than one) goes out to work with the community. They often go out to primary and secondary schools to teach about the facts and figures of what fire can do, they teach that prevention is better than cure and also give many demonstrations to pupils to show how they can prevent fire in the home and if applicable at work. Sometimes though these visits can be given by senior members of the fire service about the fire service as a whole and could be used to try and promote the public services. For example, to try and influence young people (between the age of 12 and 18) to become fire cadets and get to know more about the fire service and maybe think about joining the fire service as a full time career in the future.
The Fire and Rescue Emergency Response:
This is the most important role there is in the fire service. This is the response to 999 calls (though they can respond to non emergency incidents) and make sure that the risk of injury, loss of life and damage to property is minimised.
Special Services:
This is when they are called out to rescue, for example, a cat out of a tree/from the roof. The special services also include RTA’s and during times of disaster.
Emergency Planning:
This service is the one that does all the planning and preparing where all small brigades come together and work as one big team, for all the larger scale emergencies, for example, severe floods and train crashes.
Legislative Fire Safety:
This is when the fire brigade work together with the government and local councils to ensure that the community are not put at risk from fires. They also make sure that buildings of all sorts comply with all of the relevant Fire Safety Legislation.
Responsibilities:
As a whole the responsibilities of the fire service are to prevent fire in the home and place of work and to minimise the risk of loss of life, injury and damage to property. Also, to do whatever it takes to complete what they have to do, whether this is to put out a fire and save a family or rescue an old lady from a collapsed building. The fire service has a responsibility to ensure all equipment is in fit working order and ready for usage at any point of the day. It is their responsibility to perform quickly and efficiently to try and produce a successful outcome. At the end of the day they have to do what is necessary, for example, if a ladies life was at risk but it was dangerous for a fire-fighter to reach her he would be willing to put his life out on the line to save that old ladies life. The key thing to remember about the responsibilities of a fire-fighter is that they will do anything (even put their own life on the line) to prevent loss of life, injury and damage to property from fire and other emergencies.
Conclusion:
My conclusion is that the fire service is a very valued public service. It provides the community with the information they need to hear about prevention of fire and they fight fires to help to reduce the risk of death, damage and injury. Overall, the fire service are required to have the ability to search, locate and rescue casualties trapped by structural collapse, casualties trapped within confined spaces and be able to live and work in adverse conditions and a hostile environment. They should also be able to communicate well with anyone whom they will have to work with and to be aware of the requirements for the provision of emergency aid in a disastrous situation and to be able to positively contribute to such a task.
They also work together with other services to achieve a successful outcome. By saying this I mean if for example there was a huge train crash the Police, Ambulance and Fire Service would all work together to try and reduce the risk of death and injury.