Search results for "Emergency management"
showing 10 items of 93 documents
Co-design of a Virtual Training Tool with Emergency Management Stakeholders for Extreme Weather Response
2018
Emergency services usually prepare for the most frequent or predictable types of disasters, such as fires. However, preparation for complex, unpredictable disaster scenarios is infrequent, probably because of high resource demand and difficulty of covering dynamic training needs of multiple stakeholders. The use of serious game techniques as the core of simulated or virtual training tools opens for new ways of training and learning in emergency and crisis scenarios. However, the number of virtual training tools customized to specific disaster or crisis scenario that address needs of diverse user groups is limited. Existing tools are often tailored with a particular geographical setting and …
Modeling the escalation/de-escalation of response operation levels in disaster response networks using hierarchical Colored Petri Nets (CPN) approach
2018
In emergency situations, the first responders need to act promptly to situations, while the disaster management authorities' response might not be at the same speed. Delays by disaster management authorities had a direct impact on response operations led response teams to the shift away from command and control structures to net-centric ones. This paper is part of a study to examine patterns of emerging organizational relations and coordination structures in disaster response operations. Understanding coordination patterns in disaster chaos can help to integrate those patterns in the planning and execution in the modern disaster management operations. We use dynamic modeling methods to anal…
Insights from a Computer Simulation Model of a Landslide Disaster
2015
Disasters do not follow scripts and the management of disasters requires that responders act as "emergent organizations". We argue that a computer simulation model of the management of a major landslide suggests a disequilibrium-experimenting-emergence process in terms of feedback loops (Performance adjustment, Cognitive load causes errors, Communication mismatch causes errors, and Learning). Arguably, improvement of the drivers of such feedback could help improve the management of disasters.
Quality Indicators for Crisis Communication to Support Emergency Management by Public Authorities
2011
The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for performance indicators to measure and improve crisis communication preparedness of public authorities. Such an instrument supporting organizational learning has not yet been developed for crisis communication. Literature is used to create a basis and the framework is derived from a process model with various phases integrating communication activities with crisis management. In the paper, the development of the instrument is explained and justified. Furthermore, an example of its use is provided in which the instrument is used for an auditor evaluation of a water contamination case. A next step for future research could be to analyze a…
Experimental Command and Control Center for Crisis and Disaster Management: A Living-Lab Approach
2021
The living-lab is a planned research infrastructure that includes user involvement and the co-design process. This article presents an overview of the innovative experimental control room for crisis management that adopts this living-lab approach in all research co-creation activities. The aims of this paper are threefold: (1) To study possible control room research methods, focus areas, and technologies that can be tailored to the living-lab approach; (2) To illustrate and share experience on the possibilities to tailor an experimental command and control center as a living-lab. (3) To explore the features to fulfill to maximize the benefit of the living-lab for all intended audiences. By …
Nordic Cooperation in the Nuclear Safety Sector: High, Low, or Differentiated Integration?
2020
Nordic cooperation has been depicted as eroding due to the increased importance of EU-related cooperation and integration. However, scholars propose that longstanding Nordic networks, grounded in professions and located in the state administration, may prove to be more robust toward external changes. This article discusses this proposal by looking at Nordic cooperation between the national radiation protection and nuclear safety authorities in Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The article maps behavioural perceptions of agency staff based on a dataset of 37 interviews to illustrate if the cooperation between the Nordic authorities is characterized by high integration, low integ…
Disaster management in hospitals
1998
A disaster situation for a hospital occurs when the need for medical treatment overwhelms the actual hospital treatment capacity. 1 This may be defined by numerical or situational means; the threshold must always be the result of an individual assessment of the given health care unit. A disaster situation may also be defined as the point of no return to normal standard operating procedures in a certain hospital. In case of a disaster, health care units are required to have and activate a disaster management plan (DMP). In the USA the requirements of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) are trend-setting; in European countries, regulations are normall…
Assessment of Social Services’ Disaster Risk Management: Case Finland
2017
Local actors are crucial in disaster risk management; thus, their capacities should be assessed periodically. In this study, local social services’ preparedness plans were assessed using Emergency Management Program Measurement and quantitative document analysis. The specific aim was to study how social service areas of various sizes were prepared for disasters in Finland. The results showed that disaster risk management capacity varied significantly between large and small service areas. Larger areas were better prepared for supporting management, and had better procedures to activate their response, modern public information and deeper cooperation with the private sector and the civil soc…
Supporting Inter-Agency Collaboration in Emergency Management: Recurring Challenges Relevant for CSCW
2023
Emergency management requires effective collaboration between different agencies. This work implies several challenges due to a heterogeneous mix of actors with different procedures, practices, and support tools. Despite being focused in various research streams, emergency responders still report challenges with sharing information and establishing shared situational awareness in responding to complex events. The paper presents results from a large-scale digital tabletop exercise that illustrate recurring challenges related to support for collaborative procedures, a communication network structure combining several media, use of geocollaborative tools, and configuration of collaborative env…
Understanding Situational Disabilities and Situational Awareness in Disasters
2019
In this paper, a scenario-based approach augmented with personas typically used in universal design and interactive design domains is used to illustrate the occurrence of situational disabilities in emergency situations, and to show how environmental factors can trigger these situational disabilities. With the help of personas representing selected archetypical characteristics and roles, the scenarios are further examined to show how these situational disabilities can affect the situational awareness of different stakeholders, not only in the command and control centers, but also first responders in the field as well as affected members of the public. This approach provides a better underst…