Lawrence 1 Allison Lawrence Professor Alicia Bolton English 101 November 21, 2013 Emergency Responders to the Rescue,

or Not Emergency dispatchers and responders are an essential service provided to those in need during a crisis. From the initial emergency call, to the arrival of firefighters on the scene, there is much debate on what could be done to improve the response time of emergency officials in order to save lives. In Steven Caseys short story 911, More or Less, a family of four perished in a fire that broke out in their apartment on the evening of January 31st 1995, which took place in urban Los Angeles. The fire began due to a faulty electrical outlet, but there were multiple factors that lead to the death of four people that night. Although a call to 911 was received within the first minute of the fire, it was 14 minutes later that the fire trucks arrived on the scene. This has left a community with a lot of unanswered questions. For others, there is no doubt as to what needs to change in order to prevent these casualties from occurring in the future. Some organizations will argue that they have already taken the necessary steps to change the existing protocols by establishing better training methods and making their citizens more knowledgeable about how to be prepared for an emergency. As a family, friends, and a neighborhood mourn this preventable loss, we as a nation have a moral responsibility to establish and enforce federal and state protocols in order to minimize the loss of life. Proper disaster preparedness is much more than giving emergency officials the tools they need. To be truly effective at preventing and responding to a disaster, counties within each state need to create emergency protocols and share resources. Establishing a clear plan of how to react during a fire can start within our schools. This would allow children to become comfortable with emergency evacuation plans during a crisis and continue to benefit other generations within a single household.

Lawrence 2 Communities that are willing to take these precautionary steps are only going to benefit from being proactive. It will leave a community more confident and become second nature when and if these practices are needed. While there are improvements that need to be made within emergency dispatch and responder protocols, it is also the responsibility of a communitys citizens to be as knowledgeable and prepared for the possibility of a fire. There are some critics that claim they have improved the dispatch and emergency response time. International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, which is a school for emergency response training that excels because of their high standards and state of the art facilities. They have set the bar high in order to have successful graduates and become an asset to the emergency response community. They are constantly evolving their program by stating, To conduct an on-going review of the current standards of care and practice in EMD, Fire, Police, and other areas of public safety telecommunications and evaluate the tools and mechanisms used to meet or exceed those standards (Emergencydispatch.org). The changes are select and unfortunately, have not been set up as mandatory by the state or federal government. This proves that while advancements have been made, they are very isolated and not uniform. Scientist, Philip Benson, National Agency Activist---states a similar viewpoint: In Massachusetts, regionalization was credited with improved communication across jurisdictions and with regions serving as new platforms for conducting training, drills, and exercises (Benson 41). Benson has years of data on this proven method called regionalization. He clearly states that with making these processes mandatory, it provides states with additional resources. While Benson believes regionalization should be a practiced method, he does state, A challenge of regional exercises is creating scenarios and conducting exercises that involve regional, as opposed to single-county, collaboration among response partner (Benson 41). Because of regional climate changes and other variables from one city to the next, it is difficult to foresee certain challenges and make uniform decisions. It was suggested that while procedures should be standard, each city/state has to account for

Lawrence 3 the particular region in which they reside, in order to benefit their citizens. With many scientists, government officials, and specialists all partaking in changing the dispatch and emergency systems, they have been faced will challenges. Although improvements have been made to create a better emergency response system, it has yet to be adopted by all cities and states. With that being said, even before all of the technological advances that have been made with emergency response systems, ample old school procedures have been successful in other cities across the nation. An example is an elite group of firefighters that were based in New York City and covered the most densely populated area of the entire nation said, The average response time to a fire in New York is under 5 minutes. An impressive record in the city notorious for its traffic (Firefighters, Fire Department Response Time). This documentary was made in 1988, before regionalization was an option. The procedures that they had in place were very efficient, as proven by their record response times. It raises a question as to whether technological advances could really change the emergency dispatch and responder times, or if its a matter of proper training for dedicated individuals that could make the difference. These firefighters in New York love their job and it shows in their work. They receive over 1,000 calls a day, and consider what they do a calling. One firefighter states, Its just something weve all been drawn to, its just the thrill of the sirens and the bells and the fire itself, I guess (Firefighters, Fire Department Response Time). This type of dedication makes them heroes. While praise and admiration is deserved for the emergency dispatchers and firefighters in this documentary, very different protocols were used when a fire broke out in February of 1995, which resulted in tragedy. The initial call was placed within the 1st minute of the fire occurring, but was 14 minutes later before the first fire truck arrived on the scene. Upon the initial call, it should have been transferred directly to the fire department, but the dispatcher chose to relay the information. Why this was done is still unknown. Upon the initial dispatcher contacting the fire department, there was a miscommunication with the address of where the fire was taking place. This ultimately took more time

Lawrence 4 and had the call been transferred directly there would have been a more direct line of communication. By following set protocols, the outcome of that evening could have been very different. Other measures could have been taken to avoid the tragedy in the first place. A sparking outlet was noticed earlier the evening that the fire occurred, yet it is unclear that anything was done about it. This raises a question as to whether proper measures are being taken by homeowners and landlords to ensure the safety of their properties. Melvyn Green and Anne Watson, council members for International Codes, had the following to say: Losses of life and property in several fires led to widespread support for development and enforcement of building standards (Green and Watson 15). Green and Watson go into depth about the adoption of needing these government regulations because there was an influx of immigrants back in the early 1800s, which resulted in not enough housing units to accommodate the rise in population. Many people were poor and profit-minded landlords developed minimal housing standards due to the demand. After many years of sub-par standards, a system called Model Codes was developed to create a higher standard of living. Model Codes is a concept that has been practiced and proven to be successful by bringing in experts instead of legislation to predict what is safe, and will allow for better standards and leave out any legal ties. If Model Codes are adopted by a jurisdiction, it would become a law. This, in turn, stimulates building by removing legal complexities from the process (Green and Watson 15). Model Codes have proven to be successful, which were introduced back in the 1980s, and since then many European countries have been using this system. Unfortunately, the United States has yet to adopt Model Codes. By using conforming codes, there is a baseline that the law can uphold. One challenge addressed is, But the question of whether, how, and when existing buildings should be brought into conformance with the code is one without any answer (Green and Watson 19). Under the Model Codes system, any buildings that do not adhere to the codes would be required to be upgraded by remodeling. This would also apply retroactively to any homes and building built before the Model Code was established. These changes have proven to be costly and have

Lawrence 5 also been a reason for delaying the process. While there are some factors that have prolonged Model Codes from becoming the standard, it is a proven method that creates a uniform structure for all home and building owners to follow. While it is the responsibility of a homeowner or landlord to make sure that the residence is safe, part of the responsibility should fall on the occupant as well. There are many things we can do to prevent a fire from occurring by being aware of fire hazards. Dan Hannan wrote, Preventing Home Accidents: A Quick & Easy Guide, in order to give helpful tips on safeguarding your home or business. He believes that fires are 100% preventable by taking a few safety measures. He goes on to say, Fires change lives without warning, yet most fires are preventable (Hannan 71). He discusses simple ways of making sure that the average person can put out a fire, depending on the kind you have. In the section about fires, he explains how you can avoid an electrical fire, which gets to the initial cause of the tragedy in 911, More or Less. Had the family been aware of these helpful hints, then the fire may have been contained. Hannan also says, If you own a fire extinguisher, you will need to make sure it is the correct type and size and is easily accessible (Hannan 78). Fire extinguishers are rated and tell you what types of fires they are designed to put out. There are additional resources listed in his book as a guide to contacting the proper authorities in order to make sure that everything is up to code. Hannan provides details on how to obtain these goals, without breaking the bank and potentially saving someones life. Though safety procedures have improved, more uniform and higher standard protocols need to be established to protect communities from tragedies. The lives of children, families, and communities as a whole depend on it. This process starts with Legislation being held accountable for setting a high living standard for its citizens. By starting at the root of the problem, many lives can be saved. Residents within a community have a responsibility to themselves, family, and friends to make sure they are taking the necessary steps to ensure their own safety as well. By changing the thought process of just a few, it can make the difference between life and death. With both the government and its citizens

Lawrence 6 working together to provide a realistic and obtainable plan, the safety of citizens has the potential to be improved and leave communities feeling more secure.