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Managing
Risks How you manage the risks in a decision making strategy depends upon many factors including the problem, the alternative you've chosen, the possibilities of both positive and negative outcomes, the resources you have, the help from others you have, the level of risks you are willing and able to take, and control level you have in seeing your decision through to the positive outcome you are seeking. Risk management in an administrative decision making process differs somewhat from risk identification/management at an emergency incident scene in two ways: A. The level of risk changes slowly in administrative decisions and rapidly in an emergency scene incident, and B. The consequences are far greater and recovery response rate in an emergency scene situation are more critical (many times seconds) and you may have months instead of moments to adjust your decision making process in the administrative realm. Generally, in managing the risks you need to do the following: 1. Keep your focus in your pursuit of your desired outcome - This way as new factors emerge, including those opportunities to help facilitate your desired outcome, you can deal with them immediately. 2. Continuously reevaluate the level of risk - Is the risk you are taking low, moderate, or high for both positive and negative outcomes. Associate a probability with each of the identified risks. 3. Identify all potential hazards - As you are pursuing your strategy to achieve the desired outcome, and minimize the negative potential outcomes, remember that your situation is fluid and you need to adapt for changed conditions and facts, certainly for any factor that may delay or deny you from achieving your desired outcome. 4. Exercise foresight - Always try to look at the existing and potential factors that might interfere with you achieving your desired outcome. Equally try to look ahead and see what conditions or facts may potentially lead to a negative outcome. Watch out for the early warning signs that an identified risk factor is growing. 5. Beware of sabotage - Even if you and others are acting in the best interest of the fire department, there will be those with their own agendas, motivations, and ambitions, who will directly or indirectly try to sabotage the decision to get something they want, whether it is an ego boost, or to enhance their political position in the department. 6. Understand the effectiveness of the contingency plan and refine accordingly - Make an impact assessment if the identified risks were to happen Have a mitigation / contingency plan for each of the identify risks The above generally covers the basic areas of managing the risks in administrative decisions. In administrative risks, you have time to be deliberate, think ahead, plan and have a bit of a comfort zone for safety, because no bodily harm or death may result from the level of risk and the risk factors. In managing risks as a line officer, where risks are more abundant and the levels can change very quickly, the following apply: Risk management is a process of well-defined steps that, when taken in sequence, allow you to make informed decisions about how best to avoid or control the impact of risks. Risk management involves:
Risk management involves assessing the harm of those hazards. It is the process of:
EXERCISES: 1) Think of three (3) administrative decisions that your department needs to make, identify the risks of both good and bad outcomes, then identify how you will manage and plan to manage those risks. 2) Look at three (3) of your recent emergency calls. Identify the risks that existed in each, then plan how you will act to minimize the hazards and manage those risks in future incidents. Last modified: September 21, 2008
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