Comprehensive Emergency Management Research Articles

Social resilient networks for improving animal evacuation in emergencies: rural/isolated community perspectives

Effective animal evacuation strategies are imperative for comprehensive emergency management in rural and isolated communities. Community resilience significantly influences the success of these strategies. This research examined the critical role of social resilience networks to improve evacuation of livestock and community resilience in rural and isolated communities. The study took a qualitative approach to studied community members and animal emergency management stakeholders during 3 focus group discussions and workshops. These workshops were conducted in Moorland, Whittingham and the MidCoast Council area of the Hunter Region in New South Wales. The research confirmed that communities with existing strong and cohesive networks and relationships often create a safe and supportive environment when emergencies arise and evacuation is required. The themes from community-led initiatives encompass social connections, communication management, preparedness, sensitisation and situational awareness. Establishing networks for mutual aid, involving the community in planning, promoting animal welfare and improving preparedness through education are recommended. These recommendations facilitate smooth animal evacuation and safeguard animals and the community. Creating an inclusive, participatory evacuation plan that takes into consideration community networks enhances emergency preparedness and evacuation.

Inter-organizational collaboration after institutional reform in China: A perspective based on the revision of the emergency plan

In an era marked by increasingly complex risks and extreme disasters, nations are progressively leaning towards inter-organizational collaboration as a means to adapt and respond effectively. Guided by the principles of holistic governance and comprehensive emergency management, the establishment of comprehensive coordination institutions has emerged as a vital strategy for enhancing a country’s emergency response capabilities. Nevertheless, the transformation of inter-organizational cooperation networks following institutional reform remains shrouded in ambiguity. This research, employing a blend of quantitative and qualitative analyses within a network theory framework, delves into the shifts within inter-organizational cooperation networks subsequent to institutional reform. By scrutinizing the evolution of emergency plan networks at provincial, municipal, and county levels before and after China’s institutional reform and drawing insights from emergency plan revision personnel, this study unveils a noteworthy trend. Specifically, the inter-organizational collaboration network in China’s emergency management sector has gravitated towards a unified command model, fostering heightened cross-functional cooperation and optimizing network structure. The findings of this study not only shed light on the post-reform dynamics of inter-organizational cooperation networks in China but also offer valuable insights for other countries and regions seeking to develop effective emergency management systems. As the global landscape continues to evolve, understanding and adapting to these changes in network dynamics becomes imperative for bolstering disaster response capabilities worldwide.

The Need for Emergency Management Models

Emergency agencies can use emergency management models to enable them to better prepare for and respond to emergencies. This qualitative study aims to undertake a critical examination of emergency management models by thematic analysis to determine their significance to emergency management. A review and analysis of the existing literature were used in the study. The models were studied to explore their role in emergency management and to identify any significant constraints or challenges which could limit the ability of the emergency management model to carry out appropriate actions. The study found that such models are indispensable because they simplify and improve emergency management. Additionally, they may support planners, managers, and practitioners in reaching proper decisions, making them a valuable and necessary decision-making support tool. The study also showed that each model has an advantage that distinguishes it from the other models. Consequently, a comprehensive emergency management model should be designed to suit all cases and circumstances. The findings also confirmed the doubts raised about the limitations and concerns associated with the models. Concerns included future events’ unpredictability, the models’ prescriptive nature, the event’s cultural context, and the impact on businesses. The findings also indicated that certain planners, managers, and practitioners had a limited understanding of the use of models in emergency management. As such, they appear to have overlooked the use of models while dealing with emergencies. Hence, the study recommends that the models should be employed in all emergency management activities. The study also recommends that the findings are utilized as a basis for further research into the potential use of emergency management models.

Comprehensive emergency management of obstetric and newborn care program implementation at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021: an evaluation study

BackgroundMaternal healthcare service is the care given for the woman during her gestation, delivery and postpartum period. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was remains high and a public health problem in Ethiopia. Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries account two-thirds of the global total maternal deaths. To curb such high burden related with child births, comprehensive emergency obstetric care is designed as one of the strategies for maternal healthcare services. However, its implementation status was not well investigated. This study aims to evaluate the implementation of comprehensive emergency obstetric and new born care program in terms of Availability, compliance and acceptability dimensions at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA single case study design was employed from 01 to 30 April 2021. A total of 265 mothers who gave birth at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (UoGCSH) during the data collection period for acceptability, 13 key informant interviews (KIIs), 49 non-participatory observations (25 observations during C/S performance and 24 assisted spontaneous vaginal deliver) and 320 retrospective document review were conducted. Availability, compliance and acceptability dimensions were evaluated using 32 indicators. Binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with acceptability of the services. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-value < 0.05 were also used to identify associated variables with acceptability. The qualitative data were recorded using tape recorder, transcribed in Amharic and translated to English language. Thematic analysis was done to supplement the quantitative findings.ResultsThe overall implementation of comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) was 81.6%. Moreover, acceptability, availability and care provider’s compliance with the guideline accounted 81, 88.9 and 74.8%, respectively. There were stocked-out of some essential drugs, such as methyldopa, nifidipine, gentamycin and vitamin K injection. CEmONC training gaps, inadequate number of autoclaves, shortage of water supply and long-distance delivery ward to laboratory unit were also the barriers for the CEmONC service. Short waiting time of clients (AOR = 2.40; 95%CI: 1.16, 4.90) and maternal educational level (AOR = 5.50, 95%CI: 1.95, 15.60) were positively associated with acceptability of CEmONC services.ConclusionThe implementation status of CEmONC program was good as per our judgment parameter. Compliance of healthcare providers with the guideline was fair and needed improvement. Essential emergency drugs, equipment and supplies were stocked-out. The University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital was therefore had better to give great emphasis to expand maternity rooms/ units. The hospital had better to avail the resources and provide continuous capacity building for healthcare providers to enhance the program implementation.

Using a Tabletop Game to Teach Emergency Department Nurses Comprehensive Emergency Management and Hazard Vulnerability Analysis: Influences and Possible Reasons

Introduction:Comprehensive emergency management (CEM) and hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA) are two vital concepts in hospital emergency management (EM). Teaching these two concepts by lectures may be less effective and interesting. Therefore, a tabletop game was used to teach CEM and HVA. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of teaching and possible reasons.Method:A tabletop game was created based on the concepts of CEM and HVA. Players of the game needed to manage hospitals against six kinds of emergencies. The impact of each emergency is different. Each hospital in the game has its vulnerability. The game players needed to use different strategies of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery to win the game.The player’s knowledge was tested by 15 yes-no questions (10 points for each question). The interest in further learning and willingness of hospital EM participation were evaluated by questionnaire. The test and questionnaire were conducted before and after the game. Possible reasons for learning by the game were surveyed after the game.Results:Fifteen emergency department (ED) nurses were taught by the game and completed both pre- and post-game tests and questionnaires. The post-game test average score (103) was significantly higher than the pre-game average score (84) (p=0.008). The participants’ interest and willingness also increased significantly after the game. The most frequently mentioned reasons for learning by the game were “the game is more interesting than lectures”, “the chance to discuss with other participants in the game”, “the chance to see many CEM methods in the game”, and “ability to compare with other players”.Conclusion:A well-designed tabletop game can be an effective tool to teach CEM and HVA. The game can increase knowledge, interest in learning, and willingness of CEM participation, and it should be promoted in the future.

Intelligent fire information system based on 3D GIS

BackgroundThis work aims to build a comprehensive and effective fire emergency management system based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and achieve an actual intelligent fire rescue. A smart fire protection information system was designed based on the IoT. A detailed analysis was conducted on the problem of rescue vehicle scheduling and the evacuation of trapped persons in the process of fire rescue. MethodsThe intelligent fire visualization platform based on the three-dimensional (3D) Geographic Information Science (GIS) covers project overview, equipment status, equipment classification, equipment alarm information, alarm classification, alarm statistics, equipment account information, and other modules. The live video accessed through the visual interface can clearly identify the stage of the fire, which facilitates the arrangement of rescue equipment and personnel. The vehicle scheduling model in the system primarily used two objective functions to solve the Pareto Non-Dominated Solution Set Optimization: emergency rescue time and the number of vehicles. In addition, an evacuation path optimization method based on the Improved Ant Colony (IAC) algorithm was designed to realize the dynamic optimization of building fire evacuation paths. ResultsThe experimental results indicate that all the values of detection signals were significantly larger in the smoldering fire scene at t=17s than the initial value. In addition, the probability of smoldering fire and the probability of open fire were relatively large according to the probability function of the corresponding fire situation, demonstrating that this model could detect fire. ConclusionsThe IAC algorithm reported here avoided the passages near the fire and spreading areas as much as possible and took the safety of the trapped persons as the premise when planning the evacuation route. Therefore, the IoT-based fire information system has important value for ensuring fire safety and carrying out emergency rescue and is worthy of popularization and application.

The Application of Emergency Management Principles to Violent Crime Response and Urban Resilience

Abstract Violent crime is on the rise in many American cities and the annual cost to police and the community increases proportionally. Violent crime scenes are similar to the calamity experienced with natural or human-made disasters. Understanding how it could have been prevented, what services were needed, and what remaining gaps still exist in services and resources is critical. The narrative can be shifted by treating violent crime like naturally occurring disasters and applying comprehensive emergency management strategies to prepare, mitigate, respond, and recover from this whole community hazard. This dynamic emergency management-based approach outlines coordination across key agencies and stakeholders, and has the potential to mitigate the impact of violent crime in major urban cities in the United States (US). Using the District of Columbia (DC) as a sample study area, this policy proposal is supported by a qualitative analyses of available data, including from the limited existing literature and from related DC agencies. Findings demonstrate how the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (DCHSEMA), can coordinate response and hold agencies accountable within its current capacity while supporting the interoperability of all related violent crime agencies involved. These findings have both national and international implications.

Systematic evaluation of emergency management capacity for rural public health emergencies

Rural areas' emergency response capacities are generally weaker when compared to tier one cities and this can have an adverse effect on residents' livelihood and health. Evaluation of rural emergency management is of great significance for improving the rural emergency management capacity. This paper innovatively constructs an evaluation system for the emergency management capabilities with the rural public health emergencies, which includes four dimensions: emergency subject, mechanism, resources and concept. A Projection Pursuit model for objectively processing high-dimensional is constructed, and data from 2010 to 2020 in the rural areas of Xiantao City are selected as samples for empirical research. The results show that: (1) Each dimension of emergency management of public health emergencies contributes more than 20% to the ability. Compared with the other three dimensions, contribution of the emergency concept accounted for the lowest proportion, which was 21.69%, and indicates that this dimension is the key factor restricting the improvement of the emergency management capabilities. (2) From 2010 to 2019, the average annual growth rate of comprehensive emergency management capacity in the rural areas of Xiantao City was 14.9%, and by 2020, the rural emergency management capacity, impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic, grew very rapidly with an annual growth rate of 33.8%. (3) The development of an effective rural emergency management capacity system is not sufficient and unbalanced, which leads to the “barrel effect.” This study can provide theoretical guidelines for the evaluation of rural emergency management capabilities, and provide methodological support for similar research in other regions.

Causes and Effects of the November 2021 Pacific Northwestern Floods in British Columbia

Global warming can result in high frequency in precipitation in some areas, and as a result of high precipitation, floods may occur more frequently and may cause more damage to urban areas. The Pacific Northwestern Flooding event that happened between November 14, 2021, to December 17, 2021, is a series of recent flooding events, and it can reasonably be the most expensive flooding event in British Columbia history. This study used QGIS tools to analyze the topographical characteristics of Vancouver in contribution to the severity of the floods. This study also organized reports on the infrastructure, population, and economic impacts of the floods in British Columbia, where Vancouver settled. Results show that Vancouver is generally low in altitude, with some areas in pot shape, making it easy for floods to invade. There was also an increase in rainfall frequency in Vancouver in the past 50 years, which aided the severity of floods. The flooding event in British Columbia has led to transportation damages, fatalities and injuries, and economic losses. Some suggestions for urban planning and administration in conscious of the presence of more severe flooding events are proposed such as comprehensive emergency management program.

Local emergency management and comprehensive emergency management (CEM): A discussion prompted by interviews with Chief Resilience Officers

Since the 1970s, emergency management agencies, associations, and standards have declared the emerging profession to be responsible for facilitating the framework within which preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery are undertaken for all hazards. Still, many claim local level emergency management personnel may not be involved in all of these areas, at least not much, and, certainly, not equally. Meanwhile, disasters continue to increase in number and negative consequences. Against this backdrop, a new position, Chief Resilience Officer, has emerged within local government in the United States. This manuscript presents data from Chief Resilience Officers regarding what they do and what they perceive local emergency management personnel to do. Most individuals in these roles facilitate the framework in which their communities address community disaster root causes, vulnerability, mitigation, and/or recovery as part of their role. And most perceive local emergency management personnel to be dedicated to preparedness and response alone. These findings are discussed in the context of what the field claims as its purview at the national level and opportunity for local level emergency management practice in the future.

Differential Impacts of COVID-19 on College Student Tourism Jobs: Insights from Vacationland-Maine, USA

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected all sectors including educational institutions transitioning from face-to-face to hybrid and virtual classes. Partial or full closure of tourism businesses has impacted college students’ jobs within the college and/or outside in the business sector. For a tourism dependent economy such as Maine’s, the impacts of COVID-19 have been severe, including lost job opportunities for students. Several studies have researched the impacts of COVID-19 on the physical, psychological, social, and mental health status of college students; however, few have addressed the impacts on college students’ jobs. Thus, the purpose of this study is to understand how students at the University of Southern Maine (USM) have been impacted in their jobs by COVID-19 and to consider what stakeholders can do to support and rebuild the workforce. A quantitative survey was distributed to all USM undergraduate students (completed by 160) between 26 April through 6 May 2021. The study found that pre-COVID, 44% of student employment was in non-tourism, 25% in tourism, and 16% in USM work study, while 15% were unemployed. At the time of the survey, those proportions had shifted to 42% in non-tourism, 22% in tourism, 14% in USM work study, and 22% not employed with a significant increase in the non-employed student category. The study found that, initially, COVID-19 had impacted student employment in terms of changed responsibilities, reduced hours, job layoffs/losses, increased hours, and voluntary job loss. Students’ current jobs (during the survey) were impacted in the form of changed responsibilities/jobs/locations and industries, including decreased hours. During the pandemic, students valued industry support such as enhanced cleaning/safety, flexible hours/time off, work from home, as well as academic support in terms of flexibility, emotional support, industry updates, and networking opportunities. The study recommends that stakeholders develop collaborative comprehensive emergency management plans (CEMPs) to mitigate disruptions such as COVID-19 and be prepared for future disasters of this nature.

The Role of Emergency Management Through the Eyes of Chief Resilience Officers: Spoiler, It's Not Comprehensive Emergency Management (Cem)

The Role of Emergency Management Through the Eyes of Chief Resilience Officers: Spoiler, It's Not Comprehensive Emergency Management (Cem)

The application framework of big data technology in the COVID-19 epidemic emergency management in local government\u2014a case study of Hainan Province, China

BackgroundAs COVID-19 continues to spread globally, traditional emergency management measures are facing many practical limitations. The application of big data analysis technology provides an opportunity for local governments to conduct the COVID-19 epidemic emergency management more scientifically. The present study, based on emergency management lifecycle theory, includes a comprehensive analysis of the application framework of China’s SARS epidemic emergency management lacked the support of big data technology in 2003. In contrast, this study first proposes a more agile and efficient application framework, supported by big data technology, for the COVID-19 epidemic emergency management and then analyses the differences between the two frameworks.MethodsThis study takes Hainan Province, China as its case study by using a file content analysis and semistructured interviews to systematically comprehend the strategy and mechanism of Hainan’s application of big data technology in its COVID-19 epidemic emergency management.ResultsHainan Province adopted big data technology during the four stages, i.e., migration, preparedness, response, and recovery, of its COVID-19 epidemic emergency management. Hainan Province developed advanced big data management mechanisms and technologies for practical epidemic emergency management, thereby verifying the feasibility and value of the big data technology application framework we propose.ConclusionsThis study provides empirical evidence for certain aspects of the theory, mechanism, and technology for local governments in different countries and regions to apply, in a precise, agile, and evidence-based manner, big data technology in their formulations of comprehensive COVID-19 epidemic emergency management strategies.

COVID-19 and Local Emergency Management Operations

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, local (county and municipal) emergency management departments in the United States were thrust to the forefront in addressing the needs of its citizenry. Doing so likely involved the use of Comprehensive Emergency Management (CEM) principles and planning efforts to address the pandemic. This paper outlines how respondents to a May/June 2020 survey of lead local emergency management department professionals nationwide used a variety of tools to address the evolving demands of the pandemic. The results suggest that a majority of local departments report having preparation and response means designed to address a pandemic in place prior to the outbreak of COVID- 19, but the use of specific efforts to confront the virus varied from place to place, as do attitudes regarding the impact of the pandemic on the daily operations of the local emergency management agency.

Understanding the challenges of e-learning during the global pandemic emergency: the students’ perspective

PurposeThis study aims to debate and highlight the challenges faced by university students regarding e-learning during the global pandemic emergency. Furthermore, it sketches the solutions of e-learning using a theoretical lens of emergency management theory (EMT). Finally, the study argues a case for improvement in existing e-learning systems to enable higher education systems, particularly in a developing country, to recover the losses and increase education quality.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research design and phenomenology research approach were applied to conduct the current study. A total of 10 in-depth online interviews were recorded from students studying in Pakistan and the UK. Verbatim transcriptions were analysed using the reflexive thematic analysis approach.FindingsThe current study results explained in detail the numerous challenges, including lack of preparedness (students and institutions), low quality of interaction, lack of motivation, lack of class activities and forceful adoption of e-learning. Alternatively, few opportunities also emerged through a set of suggestions such as a comprehensive emergency management plan, introduction of strong student counselling programmes and a strategic plan for quality of online learning content.Originality/valueThis study’s contribution stands out in crucial times of the global pandemic. EMT is applied to understand the different dimensions of preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery from a students’ perspective. Furthermore, considering students as important members of higher education institutions and understanding students’ opinions regarding quality assurance during the global pandemic was imperative.

Expert Consensus on Disaster Medical Rescue Services

Disasters and disaster rescue are accompanied by the development of human history. But disaster medicine has been a discipline only for several decades recently. The establishment of the disaster rescue system in China began with the outbreak of SARS in 2003. As the incident exposed a series of problems in response to emerging infectious diseases, China began to consider how to systematically respond to various disasters and commence establishing a comprehensive emergency management system. The “Emergency Response Law of the People’s Republic of China” implemented in 2007 marks the preliminary establishment of China’s modern disaster rescue system. In December 2011, the Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association was established in Shanghai, marking a new stage of the development of disaster medicine in China. Here, disaster medicine and medical rescue services were summarized to guide the implementation of related work.

Disaster management: from a one-sided approach to an inclusive system

Disaster management principles include incident command system, comprehensive emergency management, integration of operations, and redundancy. The article aims to study how these principles have been used by many nations for the ultimate goal of disaster management. The methodology employed is qualitative content analysis. A one-sided approach to disasters means that application or execution of certain principles is not effectively done, whereas all-inclusive system includes successful application and execution of all principles. The key tenet of the article is that a one-sided approach should be changed into an inclusive paradigm. This means involving all principles and stakeholders and evaluating the factors of risks, politics, resources, and time in disaster management. In this regard, developing nations can learn from their experiences and also from developed nations, and in the process, they can achieve this transformation.

Emergency Management for the Outpatient Health Care Environment.

Utilization of ambulatory and outpatient services for primary, specialty, and surgical care has risen in the United States over the last decade, in parallel with the evolution of health care emergency management. Regulatory and accreditation authorities; legislature and policies; and real-life events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires throughout the country have caused health care systems to take a more all-hazards approach for emergency management. While health care emergency management has grown tremendously in significance, outpatient settings have yet to see the same growth. However, concepts of comprehensive emergency management and the incident command system are important and valuable across all health care system settings, including outpatient facilities. The purpose of this article is to summarize regulatory requirements for outpatient health care emergency management, describe nuances of outpatient settings, and provide recommendations for how to successfully incorporate outpatient and ambulatory locations into the "Enterprise" model for comprehensive health care emergency management.

Roles revealed: An examination of the adopted roles of emergency managers in hazard mitigation planning and strategy implementation

Studies investigating hazard mitigation planning and strategy implementation have traditionally been examined from the perspective of individual planners and their agencies. Emergency management practitioners are generally engaged in comprehensive emergency management yet when compared to other phases of the disaster cycle, their role in hazard mitigation planning and strategy implementation is less well understood. Thirty emergency management coordinators from the North Central Texas region were interviewed to examine how they define their roles in hazard mitigation planning. Grounded theory analysis generated six themes regarding the broad roles they practice. While each role is essential to disaster risk reduction, the roles of administrator, collaborator, and coordinator were expressed by a greater number of study participants and suggest them to be of central importance to local hazard mitigation planning. Their proficiency at collaboration and coordination suggests emergency managers to be the ideal stakeholder to lead hazard mitigation planning, an activity that warrants the involvement and cooperation of multiple stakeholders.

Emergency awareness for animals: a Korean experience

ABSTRACT Despite the significant number of animals or the high frequency of animal-related emergencies, Korea remains in the middle of emergency unawareness when it comes to handling the animals. The goal of this article is to examine how emergency unawareness for animals in Korea can be improved for the ultimate goal of emergency management. This article used qualitative content analysis as the major methodology. A careful comparison between emergency unawareness and emergency awareness for animals was done by cross-examining various animals and major stakeholders. One major finding is that Korea needs to recognize and strengthen the need for emergency awareness toward animals that are affected by emergencies (e.g. rescuing of pets during natural disasters like typhoons with flooding) as well as toward animals that caused and at the same time that are affected by emergencies (e.g. bird flu). Neighbouring nations may learn the significance of comprehensive emergency management for their animal emergency issues. This research is valuable because it used a more comprehensive perspective on animal issues compared with similar studies.