Evaluate the hazmat laws, regulations, and standards on the local, State, and Federal levels.

Submission of final written assignment – course research paper:

• You should focus on completing your Course Final Project according to the Course Final Project Requirements & Guidelines below:  
  • Your Final Project should demonstrate your grasp of the concepts covered in the course, and on an issue of particular interest to you.
    • Concepts Covered in the Course:
      • Evaluate the hazmat laws, regulations, and standards on the local, State, and Federal levels.
      • Participate meaningfully in the process of planning, organizing, and training for response to hazmat/terrorist incidents.
      • Interpret and act on departmental responsibility for hazmat response preparedness, incident prevention, and incident response.
      • Identify and work with representatives of multiple services, levels of government, and organizations in an organized incident-management structure.
      • Discuss issues pertaining to terrorism and tactical violence, including terrorism preparedness, response, and planning issues.
      • Develop an incident command organizational structure for a hazmat response using the guidelines set forth in the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
  • The paper should be 15 pages minimum (including Title and Reference pages), and should not exceed 25 APA-formatted double-spaced pages.
  • First person writing “I” is not acceptable in formal writing.
    • Papers containing first person or not containing a clear and supportable thesis will receive no higher than a “C.”

Running head: How Belton FD Can Improve its Safety and Efficiency 1

BELTON FIRE EMERGENCIES 2

How Belton FD Can Improve its Safety and Efficiency

Alex Sierra

AMU

In Belton, Texas fire cases are usually a bit off the chart. This means that the fire department needs to be always on its toes in anticipation of fire emergencies. In the Belton fire department, a number of issues face it thus reducing its work efficiency. One of the major issues is the inadequate number of staff especially fire fighters. With as little as about 30 firefighters, these individuals are at times a little too stretched. Working in shifts makes It more difficult as the emergency operation is a 24hour operating team. The fire team has numerously complained on the staff shortages.

Another problem is issues in health hazards. Members of the Belton Central Station had to relocate from their normal working place due to this circumstance (Hamilton, 2019). This was after reported issues of lack of quality air in the building. This was later found to be as a result of mold and moisture damage to the brick walls of the station. Another issue is the stretched budget of both the department and the local government. This makes salaries unappealing and the ability to maintain the department difficult. It is necessary the shortcomings are addressed.

There are several ways that the Belton Fire Department can ensure safety on their operations. One and importantly is to educate the masses on the proper response to fire emergencies. This can be as simple as fire drills in industries and schools. Knowing where they are shorthanded, they can teach the community on how to react to an emergency in regards to their response time and equipment. Safety can also be ensured by proper training of personnel. The firefighters should be properly trained and their fitness monitored.

Safety is not only to the citizens but also to the firefighters as well (Dodson, 2015). They should ensure their own safety and they can do so by ensuring they have the proper apparel and gear when taking to stop a fire or any other emergency under their jurisdiction. Proper gear like helmets and the full bunker gear should be used. Anyone without shouldn’t be allowed to work. This can put pressure on the government to provide more equipment. Ensuring that they obtain proper equipment can also help improve their terms of service. This can be attained by putting pressure on government to pay more attention to them or proper management of funds overall.

In Belton a lot should be done to improve the overall quality of the fire department to ensure that they are highly efficient in their quest to save lives. More personnel should be added and this could be done by increasing the overall attractiveness of the job. A salary raise is in no question and the local government has plenty of options to where they can get these funds as this is an essential sector (Sanchez, 2018). The facilities they work in should also be improved make it friendly for them. Safety is an important aspect of an area and the fire department can help ensure that. The fire department in Belton should be given a lot of recognition and help to ensure safety.

Safety is important in any town, city or state. Just as in any other area, Belton relies on the fire department to improve its safety standards. There are a lot of hindrances to this such as health hazards, shortage in personnel and lack of proper equipment. However, there are various measures that can be taken to improve how they issue safety such as training the citizens and personnel and having the proper gear. The fire department is an important aspect of Belton. It’s needs should be attended to so that it can provide better services.

References

Belton Fire Department. (n.d.). Prevention and safety. http://www.beltonfire.net/p/prevention-safety.html

Belton Texas. (n.d.) https://www.beltontexas.gov/departments/fire_department/index.php

Cote, A. E. (1988). Organizing for fire and rescue services: A special edition of the Fire protection handbook. Quincy, Mass: National Fire Protection Association.

Darby, A. A. (2003). Belton. Chicago, Ill: Arcadia.

Dodson, D. W. (2015). Fire department incident safety officer.

Foley, S. N., & National Fire Protection Association. (2003). Resources for fire department occupational safety and health. Quincy, Mass: National Fire Protection Association.

Hamilton, B. (2019,March 13). Belton: Video shows possible source of problem that closed fire station.https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Belton-Video-shows-water-seeping-into-closed-fire-station-507125091.html

Sanchez, J. (2018, October 13).Belton firefighter shortages prompt review of salaries, benefits.http://www.tdtnews.com/news/article_18752238-cf36-11e8-9cd2-f3ed7db44e27.html