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The New York City Fire Department

                A fire department, also known as a fire service, is effective towards enhancing the health and wellness of the people. Notably, the fire service acts as the most common local-level disaster management resource available across the globe. This paper discusses the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) to generate an understanding of its history and services in the US.

Overview and History of the Fire Service

                The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) is the biggest metropolitan local group of fire fighters in the United States, and the second biggest on the planet after the Tokyo Fire Department (FDNY, 2021). The FDNY utilizes roughly 10,951 formally dressed firefighting workers, 4,274 formally dressed Emergency Medical Service (EMS) representatives, and 2,096 regular citizen representatives (FDNY, 2021). Its guidelines are incorporated in title 3 of the New York City Rules (FDNY, 2021). The FDNY operates under the motto, “New York’s Bravest” for fire related issues, and “New York’s Best” for EMS. The fire department serves over 8.5 million inhabitants within a 302 square mile territory (FDNY, 2021). The FDNY has its origins to 1865 outlined with the establishment of the Metropolitan Fire Department (FDNY, 2021).

Services Offered

The FDNY offers services such as technical rescue missions, a fundamental response to the chemical, biological, emergency medical response missions, and radioactive hazards response to the five boroughs of the city of New York (FDNY, 2021). Other organizations such as the EMS offer support to the FDNY by providing ambulance assistance during the fire service’s rescue efforts. In addition, the public works and the utility department have also offered additional aid by ensuring ease of movement for the victims during the response from the FDNY service.

Current Trends and Required Training

                The FDNY has recorded a positive trend when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Notably, the fire service has offered additional opportunities through the institution of an improved FDNY cadet program to offer mentorship to its candidates (FDNY, 2017). Therefore, interacting with people from ethnic minority groups has been effective hence speeding up the rescue missions due to effective communication. Due to the increased competition for the fire service jobs, the personnel are required to have a college degree and an EMT-P or EMT certification (FDNY, 2017). This is also inclusive of an emergency response training which all personnel should accomplish before being hired.

FDNY Organizational Chart

                Similar to most fire departments, the FDNY’s organizational chart is organized in a paramilitary way. The structure includes the regional commands existing for different areas in New York, the operational commands for the units present for different functions, and the administrative office and units focused on achieving several administrative functions. Individual units come below this level whereby uniformed staff tasked with the duty of completing the missions and responsibilities of the fire service are located (FDNY, 2021). Chart 1 below outlines FDNY’s organizational chart.

Figure 1: FDNY’S organizational Chart

Source: (Fitzpatrick, 2018)

Cultural Behaviors

Safety culture is eminent within the fire service department. This has affected the fire service organization in that the personnel are required to abide by the set code of conduct to ensure an effective reduction in the potential for workplace injury experienced in the workplace. Notably, the fire service duty is associated with increased hazards to health and life. As a result, the management considers it imperative to ensure the promotion of the safety culture by guaranteeing that all the staff follows the required safety standards before being permitted to work in the field (FDNY, 2021).

Organizational Chart Positions

                The individual units such as the fire prevention authorities have the responsibilities of ensuring that fires are extinguished in the event of an emergency, property and life are protected and rescue operation carried out effectively in the cases of emergencies (Local Government Association, 2021). The personnel under this position are required to have essential training and knowledge in emergency service work to fit in this position.

Four Functional Areas

                Command, Operations, Planning, and Logistics are the four functional areas of the incidence management system within the fire service department. The command area personnel are responsible for defining the operational period objectives with a safety officer being one of the persons included in this position. The operations area includes the Incident Commander responsible for coordinating and executing tactics and strategies set to achieve response objectives. The planning area includes the front line officers responsible for offering support to the command when processing incident details. Under the logistic areas, the department advisors are present to offer administrative issue support to the command and to ensure that incident expenses are tracked and processed (Public health Emergency, 2021).

Wellness and Fitness Requirements

                Having in mind that the firefighters are exposed to dangerous environments, it is necessary that the firefighter candidates should have a good sight, effective physical fitness, desirable color distinction, and effective hearing to work within the fire service department (FDNY, 2021). I believe that the fire service has adequate requirements since these are the basic requirements focused on reducing the potential for injury within the fire service.