System

Approach in Fire Safety

Management
Ismail Bahari, PhD (Colorado State U), CMIOSH (UK), RPA
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY MANGEMENT PROGRAM
UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA

FIRE

Found: Controlled FIRE is ubiquitous. Most re are human-caused

Informa=on: with regards to nature of re, preven=on and impact is
both world and domain knowledge

Risk: Probability of occurrence and consequence of its eect is to be

reckoned with. Owners of premises accord re the highest aHen=on
compared to other hazards.

E
ect: Eect to mankind is a pendulum that could ensure both their
survival and ex=nc=on.

FIRE is such a world knowledge that it is synonymous to safety at work.

Many =mes it is treated as safety at work

Why Accidents Happen?

Lord Robens Report (1972)

Robens commiHee found that

vthe main reason why accidents happen was because of
apathy
vSafety and health at work were primarily about workers
responding to regula=ons per se
vOSH was about inspectors enforcing regula=ons
vExis=ng laws did not stress on a8tude, ability and
performance of individual and the eciency of system
they worked in

ATITUDES ON FIRE SAFETY

1st Brother

2nd Brother

3rd Brother

ADMIT NO FIRE!

CAUSES VS PRACTICES:
SPECIFIC FIRE SCENARIO (MALAYSIA)
2007 Fire Data from JBPM (extracted from JBPM
web site as of 09 Nov 2010)
Building Fire:
Total :
Electrical :
CigareHes :
Incendiary :
Chemicals :

3452 cases
1248 cases (36.2%)
228 cases (6.6%)
128 cases (3.7%)
12 cases (0.3%)

Are our fire safety planning and preparedness emphasis in

accordance with the potential causes of fire at our place??

16% elektrik; 7% niat jahat (38%); 8% rokok

CAUSAL FACTORS OF FIRE & LOSSES FROM FIRE

FIRE

ELEMENTS
MULTI
CAUSAL!

INTERACTIONS

SEQUENCE

CAUSES
interact and
interrelate!

Causes
occur in a
logical
sequence!

CONSEQUENCE

CAUSES OF FIRE
Failure in the SYSTEM of PREVENTING and/or
MANAGING Fire

Or
SYSTEM FAILURE

Fundamental QuesZons on Fire Safety

WHAT DO WE WANT?
Competency in FIGHTING re? FIRE FIGHTING
Or
Competency in MITIGATING the losses from re?
or
Competency in PREVENTING re? FIRE PREVENTION
Or
FIRE SAFETY
Competency in MANAGING re safety? MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM?

WHICH of the four is the

THRUST OBJECTIVE?

WHAT ARE WE DOING NOW?

We have PROCEDURES
Fire no=ca=on
Fire gh=ng
Evacua=ons
Fire risk assessment (may be!)
Fire risk communica=on (may be!)
Fire inves=ga=on (may be!)
Performance measurement (may be!)
Etc

PROCEDURAL APPROACH
Procedural approach is a specied way to
carry out an ac=vity
Procedural approach is systema=c but not
systemic.
SYSTEM = SystemaZc + Systemic

SYSTEM APPROACH
System approach = (systema=c + systemic) approaches
Fire loss may be seen as a "systemic" failure, not a result of a
single "cause".
The essen=al purpose of system approach has been not
merely to iden=fy func=ons but to create a "structure
System approach explains the HOW its to be done not so
much the WHAT is to be done.
The HOW is addressed by providing the systema=cs of
structures (organiza=on) and process (methods)

FIRE SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

(FISAMS)
Policy

Organiza=on
Preven=on,
Preparedness,
Response,
Recovery
Arrangements

Fire safety policy (ensure commitment and direc=on)

Workers par=cipa=on (ensure buy in)
Organizing (du=es and responsibili=es) (Mgt and re safety
expert group)
Planning and Implementa=on of re safety facility
(including re risk management, and re safety procedures)
Evalua=on (FiSaMs performance measurement)
Ac=on for improvement (monitoring of ac=on taken)
Con=nual Improvement (in FSMS)

Integrate of Fire Safety Management System (FSMS) with the

overall OSHMS and business ac=vi=es

INITIAL REVIEW AND PERIODIC REVIEW

Based upon:
Internal risk assessment
Accident (re) reports
Safety Audit recommenda=on
Fire hazards iden=ca=on, etc

External requirements
Legal (OSHA, Fire Service Act & Regula=ons)
standard requirement

Legal Requirements
Fire Services Act 1988 (Part V: Fire cer=cate)
Owners and managers of designated premises are
required to apply for a Fire Cer=cate which
cer=es that the premises complies with the life
safety, re prevenNon, re protecNon and re
ghNng requirements
A re cer=ed premise is subject to maintaining
the life safety facili=es.

IDENTIFY THRUST OBJECTIVES AS THE

COMPANYS
FIRE SAFETY POLICY

FIRE SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM POLICY

Possible statements of commitment:
Adop=ng the concept of Preven=on is beHer
than gh=ng re through reduc=on of risk from
re.
Implement and maintain re safety facility

ORGANIZATION:
System Approach Addresses the OrganizaZon
A structured and workable organiza=on to ensure set policy is
achieved.
X-factor of safety = COMPETENCY
KNOWLEDGE
SKILL
ATTITUDE

Required factors in employer and employee to ensure meaningful

par=cipa=on in managing re safety and subsequently eec=ve and
ecient management.
System approach has built in mechanism that will address attude of
indierence towards re safety and complacency in maintenance*.

ARRANGEMENTS

Preven=on of re
Preparedness in response
Accuracy in Response
Op=miza=on in Recovery
BY DESCRIBING THE HOW AND NOT THE WHAT system approach
provides the FLEXIBILITY for such system to be used in any size or ac=vity
of premises and the STRENGTH to have an ecient re safety
management.

Arrangements to Implement, Maintain

and Enhance Fire Safety Facility
Fire safety facility encompasses:
Life safety facility,
Fire preven=on facility,
Fire protec=on facility, and
Fire gh=ng facility.

CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT
AND SELF-REGULATION
Built-in mechanism to ensure:
con=nual improvement (e.g. performance
measurement of status and achievement based
on
Self-regula=on (organiza=on works toward
achieving objec=ves commiHed in the Policy;
policy by inuencing attudes and with crea=ng a
framework for beHer safety and health
organiza=on and ac=on by industry itself )

CONCLUSION

ABSTRACT OF PAPER
Knowledge on re and its consequence is world knowledge.
Consequently, re is one of the most common hazards that aHract
the biggest aHen=on rela=ve to other hazards. Unfortunately,
managing re safety is not world knowledge but domain
knowledge. Quite oyen, re safety has been addressed
independently in terms of preven=on and reac=ons based on
design, maintenance, and re gh=ng responses. Worst of all, re
safety management has largely and parochially associated with
procedural approach. Consequently, although systema=c such
approach may not be systemic. This paper presents and jus=es
system approach in re safety management. The exibility and
strength of system approach in re safety management is discussed
to highlight the importance of systema=c and systemic
management in ensuring ecient re safety management.