Obstacles and Benefits in implementation of Gold, Silver, and Bronze (GSB) Model in Emergency Response in the UAE

Abstract

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. Emergency response and incident command model have been implemented to help mitigate against these hazards in various part of the world. More recently, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze (GSB) model of incident command has been adopted in the UAE to integrate joint efforts, to control over emergency response and incident management at the local, regional and the national levels. The GSB model was originally established in the UK to organize efforts for quick control on incidents and has since been adopted by the UAE. In the UAE context, the GSB model provides commanders with clear responsibilities during emergencies and facilitates coordination between the commanders and partners towards achieving its desired benefits. The study deploys a case study research strategy, qualitative exploratory research design as a methodological choice to understand the current GSB obstacles and benefits in the context of the UAE’s Civil Defense General Command (CDGC). Thematic and content analysis is used to analyse the semi-structured interviews with senior commanders. Despite having applied the GSB model successfully, the qualitative findings demonstrate the CDGC has faced many obstacles related to it is efficiency in responding incidents. In contrast, the GSB model has defined the roles and responsibilities of commanders during incidents and thus organized the incident response procedures in a way that each commander achieves.