Preparedness Drill Research Articles

Building more resilient communities with a wildfire preparedness drill in the U.S.: Individual and community influences and communication practices

AbstractWhen a wildfire strikes, it impacts entire communities. Yet it can be challenging to get communities to take the lead in becoming more prepared, and thus build lasting resilience. Guided by theoretical preparedness models, and using a case study design, this study examines the planning, execution, and subsequent sensemaking around one of the first community‐led wildfire evacuation drills in the United States. Findings illustrate the interplay between individual preparedness, communication, and community involvement as the neighbourhood studied conducted their drill in partnership with multiple emergency response organizations. Our model explains 39% of the variance in individuals' preparedness, finding that people with higher self‐efficacy, more involved with the community, and who felt strong social norms around preparedness had more items prepared for a wildfire. The community's desire to share the preparedness organizing process with external audiences is a unique and important contribution in understanding how communication can be used to sustain community resilience.

Public Health Emergency Risk Communication and Social Media Reactions to an Errant Warning of a Ballistic Missile Threat - Hawaii, January 2018.

On January 13, 2018, at 8:07 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time, an errant emergency alert was sent to persons in Hawaii. An employee at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (EMA) sent the errant alert via the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) during a ballistic missile preparedness drill, advising persons to seek shelter from an incoming ballistic missile. WEA delivers location-based warnings to wireless carrier systems, and EAS sends alerts via television and radio (1). After 38 minutes, at 8:45 a.m., Hawaii EMA retracted the alert via WEA and EAS (2). To understand the impact of the alert, social media responses to the errant message were analyzed. Data were extracted from Twitter* using a Boolean search for tweets (Twitter postings) posted on January 13 regarding the false alert. Tweets were analyzed during two 38-minute periods: 1) early (8:07-8:45 a.m.), the elapsed time the errant alert circulated until the correction was issued and 2) late (8:46-9:24 a.m.), the same amount of elapsed time after issuance of the correction. A total of 5,880 tweets during the early period and 8,650 tweets during the late period met the search criteria. Four themes emerged during the early period: information processing, information sharing, authentication, and emotional reaction. During the late period, information sharing and emotional reaction themes persisted; denunciation, insufficient knowledge to act, and mistrust of authority also emerged as themes. Understanding public interpretation, sharing, and reaction to social media messages related to emergencies can inform development and dissemination of accurate public health messages to save lives during a crisis.

Economic value added and ecology value added as a measure for disaster preparedness linked to corporate social responsibility: Japan as a test-bed bridging Asia and North America

Japan's disaster preparedness drill at the Hokkaido Electric Power Plant at Tomari to be resilient to possible 3.4 meters tsunami test-beds the inter-linkage of disaster preparedness and corporate social responsibility. Vibrant Asia and re-focused North America (new leadership in the USA) prepares for shared value-based global supply chains, amidst the threat of disaster disruptions and environmental sustainability challenges. This paper posits Economic Value Added (EconVA) and Ecology Value Added (EcoVA) to objectively structure disaster preparedness. Research gap exists in the disaster preparedness domain as a sustainability measure for corporate social responsibility. This paper draws on recent literature including the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 and Sendai Framework for Disaster Rick Reduction 2015-2030 to configure the following research propositions: a) can the linkage of EVA and Eco-VA be embedded into organisation's CSR agenda to create competitiveness through savings through disaster preparedness with focus on Japan?; b) could the disaster preparedness linked CSR measure be unified for Asia and North America through a comprehensible visual metric (dash-board) evolved with Japan? Ordinal regression analysis were performed with EcoVA parameters: i) water; ii) waste; iii) energy and EconVA attributes: a) cost of capital; b) return on assets; c) operating assets, with dependent variables of CSR and disaster preparedness. Significance of 0.012 justifies the research propositions.

Who Participates in the Great ShakeOut? Why Audience Segmentation Is the Future of Disaster Preparedness Campaigns.

Background: In 2008, the Southern California Earthquake Center in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program launched the first annual Great ShakeOut, the largest earthquake preparedness drill in the history of the United States. Materials and Methods: We collected online survey data from 2052 campaign registrants to assess how people participated, whether audience segments shared behavioral patterns, and whether these segments were associated with five social cognitive factors targeted by the ShakeOut campaign. Results: Participants clustered into four behavioral patterns. The Minimal cluster had low participation in all activities (range: 0–39% participation). The Basic Drill cluster only participated in the drop, cover and hold drill (100% participation). The Community-Oriented cluster, involved in the drill (100%) and other interpersonal activities including attending disaster planning meetings (74%), was positively associated with interpersonal communication (β = 0.169), self-efficacy (β = 0.118), outcome efficacy (β = 0.110), and knowledge about disaster preparedness (β = 0.151). The Interactive and Games cluster, which participated in the drill (79%) and two online earthquake preparedness games (53% and 75%), was positively associated with all five social cognitive factors studied. Conclusions: Our results support audience segmentation approaches to engaging the public, which address the strengths and weaknesses of different segments. Offering games may help “gamers” gain competencies required to prepare for disasters. Targeting the highly active Community-Oriented cluster for leadership roles could help build community resilience by encouraging others to become more involved in disaster planning. We propose that the days of single, national education campaigns without local variation should end.

Using Medicare data to identify individuals who are electricity dependent to improve disaster preparedness and response.

During a disaster or prolonged power outage, individuals who use electricity-dependent medical equipment are often unable to operate it and seek care in acute care settings or local shelters. Public health officials often report that they do not have proactive and systematic ways to rapidly identify and assist these individuals. In June 2013, we piloted a first-in-the-nation emergency preparedness drill in which we used Medicare claims data to identify individuals with electricity-dependent durable medical equipment during a disaster and securely disclosed it to a local health department. We found that Medicare claims data were 93% accurate in identifying individuals using a home oxygen concentrator or ventilator. The drill findings suggest that claims data can be useful in improving preparedness and response for electricity-dependent populations.

Practice on an Education and Training Program to Development of Response Literacy to Earthquake Disaster in a Central Business District in Japan

This paper discusses an experiential training and education program designed to improve the response literacy in the event of a large-scale earthquake in the Shinjuku station area in Tokyo, which is a central business district representative of Japan. The features of the Shinjuku station area are described, and the activities of the Shinjuku Station Area Disaster Response Measure Committee, made up of businesses and other concerns located in the vicinity of Shinjuku station, as well as the education and training program implemented by the committee to train personnel are introduced. An overview is given of the seminars and workshops given as part of the education and training program in fiscal 2013, targeted at employees of businesses in charge of disaster response. The report then describes the Comprehensive Disaster Preparedness Drill, which was conducted for the purpose of enabling the participants of the seminars and workshops to practice the skills and techniques for disaster response they had acquired, and conducting a comprehensive exercise on disaster response activities within businesses or the area. Finally, the results of a questionnaire survey conducted on the drill participants are discussed.

Community Engagement and Pediatric Disaster Readiness in a Large Urban Disaster Resource Hospital Network: The Case of “The Great California ShakeOut”

We examined the response of 11 Los Angeles County (LAC) hospitals designated as Disaster Resource Centers (DRCs) to a statewide, earthquake preparedness drill, LAC's most comprehensive earthquake disaster drill to date. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the coordinators of 11 of the 14 LAC DRCs within 3 weeks of the drill. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was supported by analytical software (Atlas.ti). Except for one pediatric specialty DRC, most DRCs did little to fully test their institutions' capacity to manage pediatric patients. Few DRCs included children as mock victims. Little or no attention was focused on pediatric triage and other pediatric clinical, psychosocial, and resource issues. Respondents maintained that community readiness is hampered by compartmentalizing the preparedness planning, training, and drilling. Without a mandate to coordinate with other agencies, few DRCs reported coordination with other community entities. Those that did were in smaller submunicipalities within LAC. Community coordination is critical to effective response to disasters, yet disaster preparedness planning and drills are most often uncoordinated and compartmentalized. Drills and training need to be transdisciplinary and coordinated with other community entities likely to play a role in pediatric disaster management.

Utilizing Technology Based Learning for Disaster Preparedness

Preparing for disasters can be a grueling, although necessary, exercise for those involved in emergency response. The large scale nature of disaster response poses many obstacles to executing an effective disaster preparedness drill that incorporates hospitals, fire and rescue personnel, and police. Cooperation and effective communication during these incidents is imperative. Simulation technology is a realistic alternative to a large, multi-disciplinary, one- time effort. Each discipline may be able to practice and reinforce their roles in a disaster with the aid of various emerging technologies. This paper examines some of the technologies already being implemented in the area of disaster preparedness. Technology based learning (TBL) strategies are analyzed for consistency with accepted principles of adult education.

Packaging and Shipping Capabilities of New York State Hospital Laboratories: A 3-year Drill Assessment

In a previous publication, we discussed the results of the 2006-2007 New York State (NYS) Hospital Laboratory Drill Series which emphasized the need for ongoing testing and evaluation of laboratory preparedness capabilities, particularly those required to support hospital functions during a public health emergency. In this paper, we will discuss how a followup drill series in 2007-2008 was implemented in an effort to re-assess the ability of NYS acute care hospital facilities to recognize and respond to a suspected bioterrorism, chemical terrorism or pandemic flu emergency specimen submission event. We will explain how the results of the follow-up drill series, when compared to those of the original exercise, warranted a statewide hospital laboratory preparedness drill held in 2009, focused solely on addressing the overarching deficiency of chemical terrorism (CT) specimen submission capabilities. Although drill results conclude that NYS acute care hospital facilities are much better prepared than 3 years ago to support hospital functions during a CT public health emergency event, they also highlight the continued need to improve competency.

Use of a Pandemic Preparedness Drill to Increase Rates of Influenza Vaccination Among Healthcare Workers

To determine the effect of a pandemic influenza preparedness drill on the rate of influenza vaccination among healthcare workers (HCWs). Before-after intervention trial. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), a large, academic medical center, during 2005. Staff members at UIHC. UIHC conducted a pandemic influenza preparedness drill that included a goal of vaccinating a large number of HCWs in 6 days without disrupting patient care. Peer vaccination and mobile vaccination teams were used to vaccinate HCWs, educational tools were distributed to encourage HCWs to be vaccinated, and resources were allocated on the basis of daily vaccination reports. Logit models were used to compare vaccination rates achieved during the 2005 vaccination drill with the vaccination rates achieved during the 2003 vaccination campaign. UIHC vaccinated 54% of HCWs (2,934 of 5,467) who provided direct patient care in 6 days. In 2 additional weeks, this rate increased to 66% (3,625 of 5,467). Overall, 66% of resident physicians (311 of 470) and 63% of nursing staff (1,429 of 2,255) were vaccinated. Vaccination rates in 2005 were significantly higher than the hospitalwide rate of 41% (5,741 of 14,086) in 2003. UIHC dramatically increased the influenza vaccination rate among HCWs by conducting a pandemic influenza preparedness drill. Additionally, the drill allowed us to conduct a bioemergency drill in a realistic scenario, use innovative methods for vaccine delivery, and secure administrative support for future influenza vaccination campaigns. Our study demonstrates how a drill can be used to improve vaccination rates significantly.

Economical citywide tabletop disaster preparedness drill

Economical citywide tabletop disaster preparedness drill

Educational Preparedness versus Compulsory Military Drill

Educational Preparedness versus Compulsory Military Drill