Fire and Emergency Services

La profession des pompiers du Québec demeure peu étudiée. Par une méthodologie inductive et mixte (qualitative et quantitative), inspirée des assises épistémologiques et méthodologiques de la MTE, nous avons réalisé un portrait de cette profession. Nous montrerons ici comment cette démarche inductive et mixte a été favorable à l’établissement de la relation de confiance et à l’appropriation de nos travaux par les pompiers québécois tout en étant bénéfique pour le développement et la saturation de nos catégories d’analyse. L’article sera divisé en trois parties. Premièrement, nous exposerons les modalités d’appropriation de l’induction et de l’itération dans une démarche de recherche mixte. Deuxièmement, nous montrerons comment les données qualitatives obtenues lors d’observations et d’entrevues ont contribué à l’élaboration d’un questionnaire de recherche. Troisièmement, nous verrons à l’aide d’exemples la pertinence d’une analyse mixte pour l’élaboration et la validation interne et externe de la théorisation.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to describe how the thirteen Emergency Service Districts (ESDs) in Travis County meet critical performance measures taken from national ISO, NFPA, CFAI and municipal benchmark standards. These recognized performance measures ensure effectiveness in protecting and preserving the life and property of citizens. Professional, scholarly and empirical literature was reviewed in order to determine “best practices” for the fire service. Fire service measures were divided into three descriptive categories: Fire (suppression) performance, staffing and training, and fire prevention. Thirteen ESDs in Travis County with varying budgets and sizes were evaluated. Methods: This study uses survey research, interviews and content analysis. A survey instrument was developed and distributed to all 13 ESDs in Travis County. A total of 10 surveys were completed followed by interviews with 15 ESD Chiefs, Commissioners, and various other emergency service administrators. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results of the survey. Findings:The majority of ESDs in Travis County are facing critical financial challenges and threats to their viability. The findings suggest that the fragmentation of ESDs in Travis County has played a significant role in the failure of the majority of ESDs to meet nationally recognized standards.

Emollients are readily available in prescription and over-the-counter products, and are commonly used in homes and healthcare facilities. These products are not harmful or flammable in isolation, but if they are combined with flames, such as the light of a cigarette, and fabric, they accelerate fires, resulting in burns and deaths. This article describes a prevent future death case report of a 74-year-old woman who succumbed to burns in the presence of paraffin based emollient creams and a lighted match. We highlight the fire risks of such products and the need for greater awareness among the public and healthcare professionals.

A segurança pública no Brasil é um tema constantemente em destaque devido às incessantes demandas que envolvem as instituições constitucionalmente responsáveis. Nela está inserida a aviação de segurança pública, baseada no Código Brasileiro de Aeronáutica, legislação instituída anteriormente à promulgação da Constituição Federal. Hoje, essa atividade é conduzida e desempenhada apensada à aviação geral, o que leva à condição de obrigatoriedade de registro das aeronaves na Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil – Anac, agência reguladora federal que normatiza e supervisiona a aviação civil no país, o que significa que, para toda e qualquer operação aérea de segurança pública, é necessária prévia autorização desta agência. Em 2018, com a publicação da lei do Sistema Único de Segurança Pública surgiram novas interpretações no que se refere à aviação de segurança pública, trazendo à tona, a carência de legislação afeta ao tema, em virtude das peculiaridades que apresenta. Nesse sentido, esse artigo teve como objetivo contextualizar a aviação de segurança pública face às adaptações constitucionais do Código Brasileiro de Aeronáutica de 1986 e ratificar a necessidade da inovação legal para amparar essa atividade tão importante, por meio de revisão teórica, com abordagem qualitativa, em busca de fundamentação para reforçar proposição de alteração legislativa. Portanto, como conclusão do estudo, reforçou-se a necessidade aperfeiçoamento da legislação de aviação no país, para aprimoramento da disciplina aplicável à aviação de segurança pública, sendo prioritário o acatamento das inovações introduzidas pelo Projeto de Lei do Senado nº 248, de 2016, que busca aprovação para a instituição de Novo Código Brasileiro de Aeronáutica.

This report puts forward a general way to evaluate Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in a region, such as a county, consisting of varying sub areas with varying population densities, etc. This particular study was motivated by observing that the changing numbers of volunteers and changing numbers of emergency calls were stressing an existing system in Tompkins County, New York.  The present example is specific to Tompkins County but the techniques presented could be applied to other areas undergoing changes in supply and demand of emergency medical services.

Fire is as destructive as it is useful. Without a proper pro-active approach to preventing fire
outbreaks, the results could be extremely disastrous when they occur. Thus, there is a need for a fast and
convenient way of reporting fire incidents. The growing usage of smartphones provides a way of equipping
the public with a means of reporting fire incidents to ensure prompt response and proper management of the
incidents. In this paper, we analyze the manual process of reporting fire outbreaks and design an automated
FEAP – a mobile application, to enable the public to quickly alert nearest fire emergency units of any
possible fire incidents. We developed FEAP with the aid of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
phases and Unified Modeling Language (UML) which was used as a model to visualize the design view of the
application. An Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) was used for database design and a simple Graphical
User Interface (GUI) prototype of the proposed application was designed. Our work highlights a practical
application of analysis and design concepts in developing a software to providing an efficient solution in
reporting fire outbreaks.