KFSD E-Services
Kuwait Fire service Directorate

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
Prior to the current electronic integrated systems, the prevention sector of KFSD used manual systems to process service requests from the public and private business; prevention sector provides a verity of services in building safety, such as inspecting an existing building for safety violations, and architecture projects safety study. Due to exponential increase in population, the residential, commercial, and industrial areas geographical expanded and increased in numbers. These issues have result in new challenges for KFSD to provide its services especially in the prevention sector that suffered from large numbers of requests and clients’ inquiries, and new challenging level of architecture projects safety studies. Considering the manual system was followed to solve these problems, KFSD was to multiply its capacity several times; creating side problems of trained employees provisioning, work places rarity, paper documents storage. Other important side of the problem is information organization and management. As data is flooding in piles of paper documents and architectural drawings, it was clear that the manual system handling such huge amount data is near impossible; adding to that, information analysis and reporting was at its lowest level, resulting in minimum information exchange between KFSD’ prevention and firefighting sectors, and missing important data such as information about the disabled and people with special needs. Missing such data was greatly dropping the performance of rescue and firefighting teams.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
The initiative was to create integrated electronic systems working within one governing framework; this modular system designed to transform the way KFSD services are provided to a whole new level. In this initiative, KFSD’ prevention, firefighting, information technology sectors, and Kuwait Engineers Union (civil servant), all were involved and contributed their efforts to cover all the possible aspects and design a solution. The strategy was to achieve e-government level services by following the state level vision and standards of e-government. Furthermore, the strategy main objectives were to provide a high quality service and improve the delivery of service, improve and promote equity, increase service efficiency, promote partnership with public and private sectors. The initiative targeted the government sector, business sector, and the public including the disabled and people with special needs.

 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
The initiative was design and implemented with electronic documents circulation and the possibility to be modified through electronic services which saves time and effort of the client. Using modern communication techniques, clients now can receive information about the progress of their requests through email and SMS. The system now integrates the data of the disables and people with special needs with the firefighting and rescue systems, making it possible to take the necessary action and precautions to deal with their delicate situation. Moreover, electronic Kiosks are in use in public areas to make an easy access to the licensing system, clients now can print their license certificate directly from the e-Kiosk.

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
Main activities for the implementation plan Phase one: E-Services requirements gathering and analysis Phase two: E-Services Layout design Phase three: E-services functional Library development Phase four: E-services Security requirements and validations development Phase five: E-services Model Layer objects creation Phase six: E-services pages development Phase seven: activities Documentation Plan will be attached

 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
Many entities were involved in the designed and implemented of the initiative. The core system was designed by KFSD’ prevention and firefighting sectors, the core system considers and implements the sum of KFSD vision and the contribution of Kuwait Engineers Union (civil servant). KFSD have provided their enhanced standards and codes, workflow, and the future vision; Kuwait Engineers Union contributed their expertise in architecture safety design and also their future expectations of e-government level service that would contribute in the future development. KFSD’IT department role was the actual implementation of the integrated electronic systems; IT conducted the required analysis implementation all the way through to the final integrated systems; KFSD’IT department coop with CAIT (Central agency of information technology) to make the services electronically available for public over the internet. Form another side KFSD’ financial department have their contribution of how to transform and integrated the manual government financial transactions into an electronic service, and impose their auditing tools.
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
The initiative was developed totally by KFSD specialists, funds went only for equipment purchases; KFSD made its effort to surround the project with its best local resources. Specialists from KFSD with different disciples were recruited to engage in the implementation of the project, project manager, IT consultants, business and system analysts, system designers, web designers, database developers and administrators, implementers.

 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
The initiative successfully produced impressive outputs, first of, an electronic document database; this database contributes in many ways of use including search, archiving, and project study. Second, a database of the disabled and people with special needs, greatly beneficial for the firefighting and recue sector; this data gives the advantage to prepare for a special type operation. Third, the systems provide statistical and reporting tools to decision making. Last but not the least, the system framework gives the vision and the mechanism for to develop and transform the remaining manual services to electronic ones.

 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
As part of the implementation plan, KFSD have set the points where check cycles take place, in these cycles progress can be measured, and need for enhancement can be decided. This method of monitoring gave a vision of the overall rate of progress and throttle to control and guide the project.

 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
As expected with any type of project implementation, there were problems had to be solved in order to progress. Some problems were expected, some were just surprises; for this particular project we can define the main obstacles encountered and have been overcome. Communication was an obstacle, as the individual contributors to the initiative are scattered. As a solution, work groups formation was made to coordinate between team and stakeholders, that to ease the circulation of information and access to the desired quality. Moreover, paper forms of document metadata were prepared to ease document handling and management. Last in the solution, database was created to store contacts data and information in ways that connect different authorities related. User e-culture obstacle, new system usually faced fear and rejection by the end users due to their distant to technology at work; to close this gap, KFSD provided training plan that includes orientation and on job training, technical support through phone call and email is available, and printed user guide to e-services was provided. Lack of publicity, to increase the use and the utilization of the e-services, KFSD has steadily marketed it services through the media, public conferences, events, and through the official state web portal.

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
Implementing this initiative has its huge positive impact in several aspects. As the initiative directly related to public safety and business investments, increasing the speed and efficiency of related services provided by KFSD has a positive effect and contribution to the community. This positive effect was and still can be observed in many angels such as the decreasing numbers in visiting clients and the number of visits; the ease of electronic document handling has remarkably speed up requests transactions completion time and inquiries response, and paper storage space. From another side, firefighting and rescue operations greatly benefit from these e-services by being able to receive data that can identify any special cases they will face in the coming emergency call, taking care of the disabled and people with special needs. The reporting and statistical information tools provided by the system have been contributing in many critical decisions made by KFSD higher management. It was not hard to measure this impact, although, KFSD has been monitoring the outputs of this initiative through the increasing numbers of electronic requests and inquiries, the average time taken to completed a transactions, the number of completed transaction; the increasing number of registered disabled and people with special needs. The increasing efficiency in emergency response, which reflects the increasing awareness society needs.

 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
The initiative focuses on providing access to the community to contribute to their own safety through a safety agency (KFSD), by providing an easy to access and easy to use secure electronic systems. This circular mechanism actually feed and renews its self, thus sustained by the provider and the client. Moreover, it raises the level of safety awareness, and contributes to economy stabilization. On the other hand, the initiative per say speaks a common safety language, it applies international code and standards measures of safety for people and buildings, thus, it can be replicated nationally, regionally, or even internationally.

 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
Implementing this initiative has yielded some important lessons; the most important is when the community has been made aware, it will positively response and contribute to itself. Realizing the importance of partnership between different sectors; realizing the importance of identifying the root causes of the problem and working to solve it; the importance of planning and identify strategies and ways to communicate before embarking on the implementation of any initiative. The power of electronic services to facilitate the procedures and save time and effort for customers and to ease the communication with them; and realizing the importance of enriching the databases to ease the provision of information to deal with different situations and decision support.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Kuwait Fire service Directorate
Institution Type:   Government Department  
Contact Person:   MOhamed Al-Qahtani
Title:   IT Manager  
Telephone/ Fax:   22446806/22412067
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   alqahtani@kfsd.gov.kw  
Address:   Salhyia, shuhadaa St.
Postal Code:   13083
City:   Kuwait
State/Province:   Kuwait
Country:  

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