Paper Example on Natural Disasters: Challenges in Risk Management Despite Technological Advancement

Introduction

Natural calamities are serious threats that cannot be controlled by human beings. Each year, they affect different parts of the globe in several ways and often result in loss of lives and hurt the economy. Various natural disasters that pose a significant risk to an ecosystem are wildfires, tornados, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, among others. Despite the current technological advancement, management of natural disasters faces immense challenges due to the lack of qualitative risk managing strategy. It is not possible to stop natural disasters from happening (Zhang, Cui, Zhang, Liu, & Tong, 2015). However, various preventative measures can be taken to reduce their impacts on the economy and lives. This paper will illustrate how to conduct a risk assessment in a fire disaster, data collection methods for analysis, and identification of the stakeholders using the NFPA 1600 standards.

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Risk assessment in fire disasters is conducted to ascertain whether the threats can lead to loss of properties in an entity. A comprehensive evaluation should pinpoint dangers, vulnerabilities, items at risk, and the magnitude of possible impacts (Zhang et al., 2015. This paper studies the NFPA 1600 because it has a comprehensive list of threats and hazards that are essential to consider when performing a risk assessment procedure. Moreover, the principles of NFPA 1600 adhere to the American national standards. Fire incidents are common hazards that affect us. Either they can be a natural or human error caused.

The national fire protection authority (NFPA) is an association in the United States of America that has the mandate in the creation and maintenance of codes and standards recommended for reducing the effects of fire. The NFPA 1600 disaster standards were first published in 1995, and are regularly updated. They are essential for prevention, risk assessment, mitigation, and response to fire disasters (Dungan, 2016). Additionally, fire accidents and tragedies occur frequently making it appropriate to conduct the study using the NFPA 1600 standards and codes that are necessary to adopt in intervention approaches and techniques concerning each incident. Moreover, the law protects NFPA 1600 standards documents. The results of a risk assessment should be a probability representation of possible outcomes ranging from an expected to the worst scenario. The quality of the procedure is determined by the availability of resources, personnel competency, stakeholders, research, analysis, and assumptions (Dungan, 2016). Various steps are essential in achieving a qualitative outcome of the risk assessment process.

Program Management

A qualified professional is essential for qualitative risk assessment results. Program management training and accreditation ensures that the personnel has appropriate threat control in disaster mitigation. The NFPA 1600 requires hiring a manager and an advisory board to have the responsibility of the oversight of all procedures in a fire risk and control organisation (Dungan, 2016). Additionally, the team conducts researches and continuously improve the risk assessment strategies since new threats and hazards may be encountered. More importantly, the project management team should ensure a qualitative analysis and a backup plan in addressing known risks to enhance preparedness.

Planning

Emergency management requires a comprehensive plan in the application of the NFPA 1600 standards in risk assessment. The fire assessing organisation should ensure quality standards are adhered to in the use of valuable approaches in the analysis of the risk. The NFPA 1600 has the crucial elements for planning and executing an emergency management strategy and response (Dungan, 2016). Additionally, the organisations should thoroughly review and record the necessary procedures to undertake in an emergency. The steps include assembly places and evacuation routes. Moreover, the organisation should prepare a contact list of its employees, suppliers, and customers. Finally, the essential steps that are required for the restoration of an entity after a fire disaster should be outlined by the organisation.

Risk Assessment

Prevention and mitigation standards recognise the necessity of ascertaining and assessing dangers, vulnerabilities, procedures and activities in determining the probabilities of their occurrence. The NFPA 1600 standards require focusing on the prevention and controlling the fire incidents that are a threat to human beings, properties and the environment in minimising their consequences (Dungan, 2016). Additionally, an organisation should assess the severity of incidents that cannot be practically prevented. The appropriate strategy applied should be based on program limitations, working experience, and reduced expenditure. The NFPA 1600 standards ascertain that threats and hazards are posed by the neighbouring properties, such as petroleum and chemical dispensing units.

Business Impact Analysis

The NFPA 1600 standards require the organisation to ascertain significant business actions such as backing up the data and analysing the effects of losing them. The business impact analysis should also assess the consequences of the hazards on the wellbeing and safety of humans. Moreover, it should also address the safety of properties and the environment (Dungan, 2016). Additionally, the NFPA 1600 standards specify methods to evaluate the damage on infrastructure and affected third parties.

Emergency Operations and Response

The NFPA 1600 standards require the fire organisation to ascertain emergency actions to safeguard people and calm the emergency. The response team should access the equipment needed for quick operation. The disaster management team must be guided by a specified plan or goals (Dungan, 2016). The organisation should be capable of responding to any event that is out of the prevention and mitigation plan. Additionally, NFPA 1600 standards require an organisation to conduct regular evacuation drills to promote efficiency in emergency responses.

Training

The NFPA 1600 standards recognise the importance of teaching and acquiring knowledge. The training must take place frequently to ensure current information and techniques are applied in disaster mitigation. The teaching procedure should be documented for evaluation to verify that essential competence is achieved (Dungan, 2016). The NFPA 1600 standards also specify that the team tasked with emergency responses is aware of results expected. Additionally, the disaster management team should pinpoint any resource improvements to enhance future planning in control and mitigation.

Exercises

The NFPA 1600 standards illustrate that organisations should regularly conduct, plan and document exercises to authenticate that program components meet the specified business objectives. The rules advice that all programs be tested frequently whether in parts or the whole program. The exercises are essential in the evaluation and plan of updates for future upgrades of training methods (Dungan, 2016). The organisation team should regularly rehearse emergency responses to enhance perfection during disaster management.

Documentation and Records

NFPA 1600 standards acknowledge the value of records arrangement and storage practices. The disaster management organisation should adopt specific procedures for documenting and maintaining all the processes and elements to ensure they are recognisable, and retrievable for use and evaluation (Dungan, 2016). Additionally, the records and documents should be regularly reviewed and updated if necessary. It will ensure that the organisation is equipped with current standards and make improvements in weak areas.

Stakeholders Identification in Risk Assessment

Stakeholders are essential in risk assessment and disaster management. They comprise of any association that is linked to the risk management subject. Participants of the procedure include the persons in the affected area, workers and their relatives, suppliers, and other groups with a stake in the business and continuity of its tasks (Rizzo, Pesce, Pizzol, Alexandrescu, Giubilato, Critto, & Bartke, 2015). The fire department stakeholders consist of both internal and external stakeholders. The interior is the nominated and elected officials from other emergency services organisations. The external stakeholders are the persons who live, work, and travel through the fire agency's response region.

The stakeholders in fire emergency risk assessment are crucial in planning and response in a crisis. They may include police, ambulances, medical personnel, and recovery agencies. For ultimate success in responding to a disaster, these group assists in rapid identification of victims to minimise casualties (Rizzo et al., 2015).

Shire engineers, elected representatives, and community officers will help the roads to emergencies accessible for fire department's equipment while responding to an emergency. Additionally, the group has the mandate to ensure accessibility of water in the fire hydrants and constant supply of resources that are required in responding to an emergency.

Shopping centres representatives, apartment's managers, and office blocks supervisors are essential in fire emergency response. The group helps the fire agency to assess losses incurred and tally individuals in a facility during an emergency to ascertain whether any victims is still in the disaster scene (Rizzo et al., 2015). Moreover, they can schedule meeting with fire agencies to discuss and plan future prevention strategies of fire emergencies.

Providers of telecommunications, electricity, gas, and petrochemical supply services are vital in minimising further damages in a fire emergency. The group is essential in ensuring supply chains are cut to contain the disaster effortlessly. Additionally, communications company heads offer emergency telephone numbers and ensure they are in an excellent working condition for the smooth flow of information when dealing with a crisis.

School staff, tourism, and venue operators are crucial stakeholders in fire risk assessment and emergencies. The group helps the agencies in tallying of the people in their respective working regions to ascertain whether any victim is still trapped in the emergency scene (Rizzo et al., 2015). Moreover, they are familiar with their venues, and they can assist the fire department workers in maneuvering the facilities when containing a disaster. It will help in reducing casualties and extensive property damage by enhancing a quick recovery process.

Special waste removers and recovery agencies are essential stakeholders in fire emergencies and risk management. The group helps in debris removal for easy access to victims and properties to reduce further damages. They offer qualitative cleanup services, which is vital in assessing the cause of the disaster for future preventative measures to be put in place (Rizzo et al., 2015). Additionally, dangerous debris such as lead and asbestos should be handled professionally. The materials can cause harm to the person handling them because they are poisonous.

The NFPA 1600 standards recognise the vital elements for the smooth operations of emergency responses and risks assessment. If they are appropriately utilised by the fire agencies in disaster mitigation, casualties and extensive property damage can be reduced. Moreover, the NFPA 1600 standards are considered to have the leading principles in containing emergencies. They define program essentials for disaster response based on previous assessments of hazards, risks and impact evaluation that comprises of the necessities for prevention. Additionally, NFPA 1600 standards are applied in disaste...