SIK505 Contingency Management and Fire Prevention

Contents and structure

Prevention of accidents and emergencies is the primary task of all safety work. The Norwegian Fire and Explosion Prevention Act allocates to the Fire Service considerable responsibilities in fire prevention. At the same time the Fire Service is the main task force for fire incidents and other accidents, as decided based on the Municipalities´ Risk and Vulnerability Analysis. This dual responsibility is reflected in the way the Fire Departments are organized and in their everyday practices. The deliverables in the course will help the student understand the everyday life of a Norwegian Fire Department, both with respect to Fire Preventive work and as Task force. This will be achieved by using the Norwegian Regulation on Fire Prevention FOR-2015-12-17-1710, and the Norwegian Fire and Rescue Service Regulation, FOR-2021-09-15-2755 in case studies and deliverables. Aspects of health issues due to exposure to smoke contaminants are addressed, as well as ways to reduce primary and secondary exposure to those contaminants.

Since the Norwegian Emergency Response system is a collaboration between public, private and organized volunteer actors, cooperation among relevant actors must be established and trained on a regular basis. Knowledge about the other emergency management actors in Norway is therefore included in the course.

Though using the view-point of the Fire Service as a focal point, the course covers broader issues in emergency management. The course will give the student an overview of the contingency discipline both from a practical and a research-based point of view. A major accident can have both natural and technological causes, and efficient management under time pressure by a group of collaborating actors requires good established plans and collaborative relations.

Effective contingency management is based on systematic preparatory work. In recent literature preventive work and contingency management form a continuum, where contingency management already starts when some of the preventive barriers have failed. Understanding the connection between contingency planning and incident management is a key feature.

Comment: The terms "Contingency" and "Emergency" are used as synonymous in the course. In European literature the term "Contingency" is often used , while "Emergency" is most common in the US literature.

Learning Outcome

After completing the course, the student has the following learning outcome:

Knowledge

The student

• has knowledge about the relevant laws and authorities for emergency preparedness
• has knowledge about the structure of the Norwegian emergency response system, the main actors and their respective roles
• have a thorough understanding of how results of risk and vulnerability analysis as well as results of evaluation after exercises and/or real responses can be used to dimension, plan and improve emergency preparedness
• has in-depth knowledge about the principles of proactive emergency management
• has thorough knowledge of possible mental traps which may compromise situational awareness during responses
• has thorough knowledge of the different levels of emergency management in organisations, and their respective duties during incidents

Skills

The student

• can undertake a fire preventive supervision and allocate the findings to the appropriate paragraphs in the Fire preventive regulation, FOR-2015-12-17-1710
• can verify how a Fire Service comply with the requirements in the Fire and Rescue Service regulation, FOR-2021-09-15-2755.
• can develop a contingency plan for a company, to plan the internal protection organization, and comply with the Industrial Safety Regulation, FOR-2019-05-22-672.
• can use proactive emergency management at the tactical, operational and strategic levels
• can use professional fire safety skills and knowledge about emergency management to help in the planning of safe and effective responses
• can apply relevant national and international regulations and standards
• can advocate for the importance of evaluating and learning from exercises and real events, so that the identified learning points are followed up
• can identify weaknesses and limitations in emergency preparedness and suggest cost-efficient improvements

General competence

The student

• can collaborate with peers on advanced topics
• can present advanced knowledge through a written presentation
• can update their knowledge through literature
• can use standards and regulations in their profession

Entry requirements

Successfully completed all course requirements (compulsory activities) for SIK503 Research Methology and for either SIK501 Introduction to Fire Safety or SIK502 Introduction to Fire Prevention.

Teaching methods

The course will be taught through asynchronous video-lectures as the main teaching resource, combined with research literature and some policy documents. One of the portfolio assignments is a group task, enhancing groupwork skills. Digital meetings with each of the group and the whole class will be regularly held. Both portfolio assignments involve two feedbacks on drafts, thus combining self-study and groupwork with guidance.

Compulsory learning activities

A draft of the portfolio must be approved in order to submit the exam (final portfolio version).

Assessment

Part 1: Oral digital individual exam, 20 min per candidate, counts for 40% of the final grade. Can be held in English or Norwegian.

Aids: None

Part 2: Portfolio, counts for 60% of the final grade. Can be written in English or Norwegian.

Aids: All aids available, except AI production

Both parts must be passed.

Examination support material

Portfolio: Access to all aids

Oral exam: No aids

More about examination support material