Organisation of Essential Services in Mauritius

Organisation of Essential Services in Mauritius 3.0 Introduction The level of activities at the MFRS is very high and includes a cocktail of hazards and risks to the HS of its employees. In any essential service organization, where there is poor HS management system, the fire fighter’s safety is compelled to be affected and impaired. Therefore, the provision of adequate HS measures become necessary as it greatly contributes to enhance fire fighter’s safety and health. 3.1 An overview of the Fire Service Department in Mauritius Port Louis Coromandel Quatre Bornes Curepipe St Aubin Mahebourg Flacq Piton Triolet 3.1.1. History and Foundation Founded in the year 1906 the first fire station was erected in the centre of Port-Louis and named Port Louis Municipal Fire Station. At this date Mauritius had 11 stations including 4 Municipals, 4 districts, 1 Mauritius Marine Limited (MMA), 1 Airport Mauritius Limited (AML) and 1 Port-Mathurin, Rodrigues. But, nowadays with the exception of the AML, MMA and Port- Mathurin Fire Station, the other fire station has merged into the Government Fire Services under the Ministry of Local Government with addition of two more fire stations. However, with rapid development and complexity of incidents the fire services has added more tasks in their duties and hence has added rescue operation where fire fighters provide paramedic services as well. This is why it is now called the Fire and Rescue Services Department. (Fire Services Act, 1947, Mauritius). Henceforth, MFRS is responsible for ensuring the people of the republic of Mauritius are supported by and benefit from, an effective disaster and emergency management system and essential emergency response services. The MFRS provides fire mitigation and management services, emergency rescue and disaster management services. It currently operates 9 Fire Stations manned by about 800 fire fighters working on 4 shifts to provide fire and emergency cover for the whole country with a population of about 1.2 million. This gives us a fire fighter-to-population ratio of 1 fire fighter on duty for every 7000 in population to respond to an annual average of 5000 to 6000 fires, about 2000 non-fire incidents with a fleet of about 40 fire fighting vehicles. 3.1.3 Organigram of the Fire and Rescue Services. (Appendix) 3.1.4. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS. 1. Fire Prevention Issuing of fire certificate, fire clearance and certificate of registration. Inspection of places where the above certificates can be issued like high rise buildings, shops, industries and so on. Carrying out fire awareness campaigns at workplaces and schools. Performing fire drills for fire alertness. 2. Operation. Indulging in fire fighting. Carry out rescue operation, for example; road accidents, rescue of animals. Render other special services, for example; floods, cyclones and tsunami. Carryout safety talks at community level. Carrying out fire drills at station level. 3. Control Room Unit Hazards emergency calls ( Dial the hotline 115) Mobilize suitable operational (at station level) resources. Notify other agencies relevant to incident. Produce relevant support in dealing with emergency. Record and maintain data relating to emergency. 4. Hydrant Maintenance of fire hydrant. Installation of new hydrant. Seek location for water sources. 5. Training unit Carrying the training for new recruit’s fire fighters. Performing refreshers training to fire fighters in relation to their duties. Giving lectures in connection with fire awareness campaigns. 3.1.5. Division of Labour. Fire services in Mauritius comprises of about 700 staffs which include the following: Table 3.1: Division of labour CFO- Head of department. DCFO-Assist the CFO in his daily routine work. ACFO-Assist the DCFO in his work. DO- Responsible for controlling a number of sections or stations. SSO-Responsible for the management of only one particular station. STNO-Responsible for controlling a particular team (watch) in a station. SO-Assist the STNO in his daily station routine work. FF-Carry out all operations work like firefighting rescue and other cognate duties. 3.2. Vision of the MFRS. To have a Republic of Mauritius free from the dangers of fire and other emergency threats and safe to live, work and visit anytime and anywhere. 3.3. Mission of the MFRS The mission of the Fire Services Department is to: Save life Effect rescue in Road Traffic Accident, flooding, cyclone, tsunami and other natural calamities. Protect properties endangered by fire and the environment. Effect special services. Render humanitarian services and give advice on fire prevention and protection measures. 3.4. The strategic goals of the MFRS are dedicated to build a safe Mauritius society by: Reduce the number of fires, road accidents and other emergency incidents. Reduce the severity of injuries in fire, road traffic accidents and other emergency vehicles. Reduce commercial, economic and social impact of fires and other emergency incidents. Create a safe working environment for our fire fighters. Safe guard the environment and heritage (both built and natural). Provide a sustainable service that demonstrate quality and best value service provision. Building public confidence in the fire services. Continually develop the resources available to meet changing needs. Working effectively with all their partners and stakeholders. 3.5. Health and Safety at MFRS. With the promulgation of the OSHA in the year 2007, the minister proclaimed that this act shall bind the state as per Section 3 of OSHA 2005. 3.5.1. Health and Safety Officer. At the MFRS, there is no such appointed officer. However, there are safety officers from the Ministry who come on regular OSH audit to identify risks to SH. They recommend in writing all recommendations and measures that have to be implemented by the employers. The role of Health and safety Officer (HSO) is to implement appropriate training program to meet the requirements of OSHA 2005, but it can be argued that this requirement is not met. It should be noted that practically all the hazards and risk pertaining to the job of firefighters are found on incident ground. So, HSO from the ministry caters for only 5% of HS of fire-fighters. 3.5.2. Role of Incident Commander as HSO. The incident commander has the duty to supervise and monitor the safety and health of fire fighters on incident ground. He must carry a dynamic risk assessment with the continuous changing environment because new hazards, emerged with increased risks. Unfortunately, those commanders have not been given SH training and carryout their job without caring for the SH of fire-fighters. 3.5.3. Medical Check up. According to section 77 of OSHA, a medical check up is carried out periodically at the public hospitals as recommended by the Occupational physician. Unluckily some firefighters do not attend medical appointment. 3.5.4. First Aid According to section 45 of OSHA 2005 and First Aid Regulation, first aid boxes with appropriate items are to be placed at conspicuous place. At fire stations, there are first aid boxes but there are missing first aid items or else they are out of date. 3.5.5. Health and Safety Training Section 5 of OSHA 2005 stipulates the duties of employer where training is an important element for the health and safety of personnel. Despite the fact that there are qualified firefighters with Bsc honors working in private companies as HSO, the MFRS have never used the competency of these firefighters to undergo any SH training. Consequently, they lack information and instructions on proper use of PPE’s, tools, equipment and how to carryout their jobs in a safe and healthy manner. 3.6 Summary This chapter has provided an overview at MFRS, stressing on the mission, vision, strategic, goals and task organization. The role of incident Commander as HSO, general SH in the MFRS, SH training.

Anthropology - Lucy in Hadar :: Anthropology

Anthropology - Lucy in Hadar In a search to find our ancestors, several anthropologists have found evidence to support their conclusions. In the films about Don Johanson's discovery of Lucy in Hadar, one may be very intrigued by the first film but very disturbed by the second film. I was very intrigued by the findings of the Australopithecines. The idea that Lucy, the skeleton found in Hadar, Africa, was closely related to the human species was amazing. Lucy was bipedal and her brain was smaller than that of modern humans. Lucy resembled an ape and was able to make tools to find food and weapons. Hadar, Africa was believed to be a heavily vegetated area but had evolved into a dry and desolate desert. After Lucy died, it was difficult to find her remains due to erosion and sediment in the body of water in which she died. Johanson and his team worked were able to use the advancement of technology to calculate about how old Lucy's remains were. The second film by Johanson seemed to disturb me because it discussed how some believe that all primates are killers and it portrayed this idea in film and in television. I disagree with the idea that all primates are predators and are always hunting harmless animals and destroying things. I understand that some primates must rely on hunting as a source of survival but I believe the portrayal of primates as barbaric in the film was unnecessary. In the second film, the primates were shown destroying piles of bones and throwing large objects. Johanson's film disturbed me in others parts. For example, when Lucy was killed by a lion and dragged into a tree. It seemed almost as if Lucy's hearing was not keen enough and therefore she was unable to escape the lion. It is a very crucial portion of the circle of life but the idea of Lucy being killed and dragged into a tree to become dinner for a hungry lion bothers me because of the direct link of Lucy to humans. I believe that Lucy is one of the first Australopithecines closely related to the human species for several reasons. Although she had a small brain, Lucy could make tools, use a fire for heat, and use sticks to gather termites for food.

The Circulatory System Essay -- essays research papers

The Circulatory System   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The circulatory system in anatomy and physiology is the course taken by the blood through the arteries, capillaries, and veins and back to the heart. In humans and the higher vertebrates, the heart is made up of four chambers the right and left auricles, or atria, and the right and left ventricles. The right side of the heart pumps oxygen-poor blood from the cells of the body back to the lungs for new oxygen; the left side of the heart receives blood rich in oxygen from the lungs and pumps it through the arteries to the various parts of the body. Circulation begins early in fetal life. It is estimated that a given portion of the blood completes its course of circulation in approximately 30 seconds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pulmonary circulation is where the blood from the entire body is transported to the right auricle through two large veins. The superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava. When the right auricle contracts, it forces the blood through an opening into the right ventricle. Contraction of this ventricle drives the blood to the lungs. Blood is prevented from returning into the auricle by the tricuspid valve, which completely closes during contraction of the ventricle. In its passage through the lungs, the blood is oxygenated, that is, then it is brought back to the heart by the four pulmonary veins, which enter the left auricle. When this chamber contracts, blood is forced into the left ventricle and then by ventricular contraction into the aorta. The bicuspid, or mitral, valve prevents the blood from flowing back into the auricle, and the semilunar valves at the beginning of the aorta stop it from flowing back into the ventricle. Similar valves are present in the pulmonary artery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The aorta divides into a number of main branches, which in turn divide into smaller ones until the entire body is supplied by an elaborately branching series of blood vessels. The smallest arteries divide into a fine network of still more minute vessels, the capillaries, which have extremely thin walls; thus, the blood is enabled to come into close relation with the fluids and tissues of the body. In the capillaries, the blood performs three functions then it releases its oxygen to the tissues, it furnishes to the body cells the nutrients and other essential substances that... ...itiating the heartbeat. The contraction then spreads over the auricles in the septum between the auricles, it excites another node called the auriculoventricular node. The auriculoventricular bundle conducts the impulse from this node to the muscles of the ventricles, and in this way contraction and relaxation of the heart are coordinated. Each phase of the cardiac cycle is associated with the production of an electrical potential that can be recorded by electrical instruments to produce a reading known as an electrocardiogram.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Circulation of the blood in superficial capillaries can be observed under the microscope. The red blood cells can be seen moving along rapidly in the middle of the blood current, while the white cells advance more slowly along the walls of the capillaries. The capillaries present a far larger surface with which the blood comes in contact than do other blood vessels end because they consequently offer the greatest resistance to the progress of the blood, they have a great influence on the circulation. Capillaries expand when temperature rises and help to cool the blood then they contract in cold and help preserve internal heat.

Abortion :: essays research papers

Abortion. Is there any other word that creates such hatred and charged emotion? The word abortion means â€Å"the loss or removal of an embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the mother’s body† (Day 7). The meaning of abortion, however, is completely different. To people who are pro-life, abortion is a vicious and murderous word dripping in blood and disgust. To people who are pro-choice the word is just as emotional. It represents women being able to control their own thoughts, feelings, bodies, and futures. The question facing Americans today is, "Should abortions be illegal for women to obtain?" The government cannot have control over a woman’s body. It is her body and her rights. The freedom to make choices and decisions for ourselves is part of the foundation of our nation. To deny the basic freedom rights that our forefathers fought to obtain for America is a step backward, not forwards. Once the government can control the individual lives of people, where would it stop? Ending abortions is not the answer; abortions should remain a legal choice in the United States. Many pro-life advocates feel that abortion is murder. While they may have arguments to support this fact, the truth is, a fetus is not a living person. It cannot feel pain or live outside of the mother’s body. Pain in a human starts as an electrical signal in the body’s pain receptors. In a fetus, the pain receptors develop around seven weeks after conception, long after an abortion would occur. Many pro-life advocates claim the fetus can feel pain while these systems are partly formed and forming. Pro-choice advocates feel that it is necessary for the synaptic connections within the fetus’ brain to develop in order to feel pain (Planned Parenthood). The issue is so heavily biased by a pro-life/pro-choice stance that even the debaters are incapable of making objective observations. A panel of experts appointed by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists addressed the issue of fetal pain. The panel consisted of experts in fetal development, law an d bioethics. They obtained experts with both views on abortion so as to eliminate the bias that had occurred with the issue thus far. The group determined that a fetus could only feel pain after the nerve connections become established between two parts of the brain: the cortex and the thalamus. This happens about twenty-six weeks after conception.

Sexism in Football Assessment

Sexism In Football Since time began, feminists worldwide have demanded equal rights and yes, they’ve probably said just about everything there is to say about sexism. We all dream of the day when women and men are treated with the same amount of respect, attention and understanding. But will this day ever come? Sexism should be non-existent and football is no exception. Sexism can begin in the simplest of places; a primary school for example. Picture this, a group of boys are playing a football match in the school playground, one of the girls in the class decides to join the game.The boys are aware of her presence, but decide to ignore this fact and continue the match around her. She approaches the boys at the end of the match and asks: â€Å"Why didn’t you pass the ball to me? † In reply, one of the young Ronaldo-wannabes says: â€Å"Because you’re a girl. Girls can’t play football. † What they don’t know is that, in many years to com e, she will become England’s best female footballer, representing both Arsenal Ladies and the England National Team. Professional football clearly has a huge effect on society. Even as a fan of football, a woman can still be a target of sexism.The misconception that females watch the game solely for the ‘hot guys’, is present in the minds of most men. Although this isn’t necessarily true for all women, the generalization is that all women think like this and it is both offensive and inconsiderate. It is clear to all football fans that it is pointless to support a club because of a good-looking or specifically skilful player; you have to love and believe in the whole team. It’s obvious that a woman can love a team as much as any man can, she’s capable of cheering and spurring her team on with the same amount of passion that any man could.Football is a game that is meant to unite. Bring people together, no matter of their background or way of l ife. The beautiful game. So surely women should be respected and be as much of a part of the game as anyone else. Sexism at this level is fairly controllable. But it’s when it begins to affect people’s lives that it is unacceptable. Take for example, the ridiculous incident involving Sian Massey, the professional, fully qualified referee. The day when she assisted at the Liverpool vs Wolverhampton match.After making a correct offside call, she was wrongly criticised by commentators Andy Gray and Richard Keys; who mentioned that she didn’t know the offside rule, due to the fact that she’s a woman. Yet the male referee in the Germany vs England match last year didn’t know what constitutes a goal? I don’t think anyone based it on the fact that he was a man. Atrocious. But conflict also occurs off the pitch, with supporting roles, such as physiotherapists under attack. Sexism extends right to the top of the profession, as Sir Alex Ferguson prove d in 1994, when a female physiotherapist applied for a job at Manchester United.She received a ‘hurtful and insulting’ letter in reply that was completely and utterly out of touch with modern day thinking. He even had the audacity to say that his players didn’t like the thought of women being involved in football. Surely, if a woman has the same training and experience as a man, she should have equal opportunity? 17 years on we’d all like to think that this was a one-off incident and that women do have a role on and off the pitch, but for this to happen the whole ‘laddish’ football culture needs to change. Money is a constantly debated subject in the world of football; from player’s wages to transfer fees.But the difference in the wages of male and female footballers is ridiculous. To give you a rough idea of the extent, Lionel Messi, the best male player in the world, earns roughly ? 35million a year, whereas Marta Vieria da Silva, the best female player in the world, earns roughly ? 255,000 a year. Both these people play the same game, both represent their country and they were both recently voted as the best players in the world; the only difference is their sex. So why does Messi get paid 100 times more than Marta? There are many campaigns running all over the country to promote women’s football.Recently, 2011 X Factor finalists, Belle Amie, visited a local girl’s football match in Birmingham. They were happy to express their feelings about the matter with us: â€Å"We think it’s really important to support women in the football industry. As a predominantly male game it’s important to remind people that women can play the sport at a high level too. † This sort of promotion will help to develop everyone’s understanding that women have a key part to play in the beautiful game and that there is no reason why football should still be a male-dominated game.

Killing Custer Book Review Essay

From time to time, a book of true historical significance is written on a subject that has been written on almost endlessly. The Battle of the Little Big Horn is one of the most written about, speculated on, celebrated, talked about, and glorified events in American History. Popularly known as â€Å"Custer’s Last Stand†, it has been the subject of many films, documentaries, novels, and was even re-enacted at every Wild West Show put on by Buffalo Bill Cody. In the work Killing Custer: The Battle of Little Bighorn and the Fate of the Plains Indians, Welch and Stekler do an excellent job in the subject matter at hand, and come to the correct conclusion that this battle, which was a huge military disaster for the United States, directly resulted in an even greater disaster for the Indian victors who won it: that is, total defeat and total subjugation. The first chapter sets up the massacre of the Blackfeet on the Marias River, James Welch and Paul Stekler have done a magnificent job in researching and putting forth, a new book on this subject that has been so written about. Citing much of the new discoveries, that is archeology, and the Indian accounts, Welch was originally contacted by Stekler to do a script for a documentary for PBS’s â€Å"American Experience: Last Stand at Little Bighorn†. They worked on it together, and that particular one hour documentary was excellent. Feeling that he hadn’t exhausted the subject, Welch delved more deeply into it, and wished to write a book on the subject. â€Å"Killing Custer† was the result, and it is quite excellent indeed. It is a stunning and thrilling read from cover to cover. The information is not wholly new, but Welch and Stekler combine all of the newest discoveries into one stirring volume, and they stress the narratives, which in the past were largely discarded and disclaimed, of the Indian accounts of the battle, after all, they were the ones who survived it! The authors rightly put the battle into its historical perspective, pointing out that this huge defeat of the United States Military led directly to the total subjugation and defeat of the Plains Indians, putting them on reservations once and for all, with the final defeat and insult at Wounded Knee, the massacre that was so unnecessary and so tragic.

Novel “Unwind” Essay

In the novel, Unwind, three teenagers embark on a journey full of mischief, excitement and tragedy. The three main characters have their own agenda in the novel. Risa is orphan who is being unwound due to cutbacks in budget. Lev is an thirteen year old tithe who’s main purpose in life was to be unwound once he turned thirteen. Lastly, Connor is fifteen year old trouble maker who is being unwound due to the fact that his parents have grown sick and tired of his negative behavior. They all show that in the end that life is sometimes a fight for survival. In the beginning Connor runs away from home because he doesn’t want to be unwound. While Connor is running away from the police on the interstate, he pulls Lev out of a car and takes him hostage in order to slow down police. As this happens, Risa’s bus crashes due to Connor’s antics and she escapes the grasp from the people trying to unwind her. When the three finally get away, Lev is hell bent on getting revenge Connor for kidnapping him. When the three teens hide in a local high school, Lev sneaks away from the pack and tells the local authorities about the runaway unwinds. When the police enter the school and the fire alarm is pulled, Risa & Connor have to make a last second escape from the cops. With the help of a teacher, they find help in a local antique’s shop owner named Sonia. Sonia helps Risa and Connor, by letting them stay in her store basement where they meet Roland, Mai, and Hayden (other runaway unwinds). Sonia tells them that their stay is only temporary and when their time is up they are shipped different safe houses. Connor & Risa hate Roland, for he is a power hungry bully with nothing to lose. After Christmas, all of the kids who are stationed in the safe houses, are put in airplane crates and shipped to â€Å"The Graveyard†. In the graveyard they meet The Admiral who protects unwinds until they turn eighteen, then he lets them go. When things get out of hand, the thousands of kids being stationed in â€Å"The Graveyard†, make an attempt to kill The Admiral. All of the teenagers believe that he wants to sell them for their parts. When The Admiral almost dies, Roland, Risa, and Connor fly him to a local hospital where Roland turns them all into the authorities. At the Harvest Camp, Connor is recognized among the many teenagers as the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Akron AWOL†. This is the name given to him for his actions on the interstate in Akron, Ohio. While in the Harvest Camp, Connor sees Lev, and is surprisingly overjoyed. Though Connor does not know that Lev is there for his own hidden agenda. When Connor’s day comes to be unwound, it’s a mournful day at the Harvest Camp. Once Connor enters the doors of the Unwind Medical Bay, bombs go off. Suicidal bombers known as clappers blow up the medical bay and Connor comes limping out without an eye and badly wounded. Risa, who was playing in the band on top of the medical bay. To everyone’s surprise, Lev is one of the bombers, but he refused to make himself go off. Instead he runs into the medical bay and helps pull the other’s out including Risa. When Connor wakes up with only vision in one of his eyes, he figures out that someone has given him a new name. He also notices that the new replacement arm is Roland’s. Risa is paralyzed from the waste down, but is happy to be alive. Lev is in a Juvenile detention center for having traces of nitroglycerin in his blood (relating him to the suicide bombers). In the end, Connor and Risa both go back to â€Å"The Graveyard†, where they help other numerous unwinds escape from their death. Due to Lev’s antics at the Harvest Camp, the government changes the unwind ages from 13 through 18, to 13 through 17.