Safeguarding public health is the main mandate of the public health profession. As part of their execution of this mandate, public health professionals need to respond to new threats to public health and wellbeing. The field of emergency management is particularly involved in identifying and responding to new threats (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2013). In response to the new threats, emergency management is witnessing a number of emerging trends. These trends promise to define the future and direction of emergency management. The three main trends that are being witnessed in emergency management are the adoption of social media, risk-based planning and resilient communities.
Top trends in the emergency management industry
As noted above, the emergency management industry is undergoing changes that have resulted in a number of significant trends. Social media is a key trend that is shaping the operations of personnel in emergency management (DHS, 2013). Today, the emergency management industry relies on such tools as Twitter to engage with the public. Thanks to social media, emergency management practitioners are able to perform such roles as conveying warnings to the public. As a result of the integration of social media into emergency management, public awareness regarding risks has been enhanced. The UK government is among the parties that have adopted social media as part of their emergency management initiatives. This government uses twitter to warn the public about such emergencies as snowstorms ( Panagiotopoulo s et al., 2016). For instance, in 2010, councils across the UK used Twitter to issue warnings about heavy snow. The councils also used this social media platform to warn against riots that occurred in 2011 ( Panagiotopoulo s et al., 2016). The example of the UK government is clear evidence that social media has practical uses and that it enhances the operations of personnel in the emergency management industry.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In addition to the adoption of social media, the emergency management industry is witnessing the emergence of resilient communities (Farazmand, 2014). In previous years, emergency management focused on rebuilding communities. When disaster struck, the effort that had been committed to rebuilding the communities was wasted. To ensure that communities would be able to withstand disasters, emergency management has shifted its focus to resilience instead of repairing the damage resulting from disasters (Farazmand, 2014). Governments have led the efforts to create resilient communities. For instance, instead of issuing food and other forms of humanitarian aid, governments are investing in more sustainable options such as encouraging communities to embrace agriculture. Essentially, resilience involves building the capacities of communities so that they are able to stand on their own and survive disasters.
Risk-based planning is the third trend that is reshaping emergency management. Basically, this planning method involves evaluating hazards and their impact on communities (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2013). Today, emergency management personnel compute the probabilities of risk and put in place measures to insulate communities against the risks. Risk-based planning replaces the old reactive perspective that emergency personnel had adopted. In previous years, emergency management responded to disasters after they had occurred. As a result of the adoption of risk-based planning, emergency management now seeks to prevent hazards before they occur (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2013). Apart from shielding communities against hazards, risk-based planning is a cost-effective approach to emergency management. It allows communities to predict disasters and implement strategies that minimize the impact of these disasters.
Most significant trend
It is true that all the three trends discussed above have had significant impacts on emergency management. However, the integration of social media into emergency management has had the most profound impact. In the discussion below, the crucial role that social media plays in facilitating emergency management is explored in greater detail.
The role that social media plays in human life cannot be overstated. Social media is particularly important for emergency management. One of the vital functions that it serves is that it enables the public to request help from emergency services. The Red Cross Society conducted a study which highlights the importance of social media. According to the results of the survey, as many as 69% of respondents expect emergency services to respond to requests for assistance that are made via social media (Rene, 2016). This finding is important as it sheds light on the trust that the public has placed in social media. It is evident that the public recognizes social media as a powerful tool for communicating with emergency services.
The role of social media in emergency management extends beyond enabling the public to request help from emergency services. Another key function that social media serves is that is can be used to convey messages to the public. In an earlier discussion, the example of council governments in the UK was provided. These councils use Twitter to warn the public about impending disasters. The UK councils are not isolated in their use of social media. Across the globe, emergency management institutions have adopted social media as a key communication tool. For instance, the authorities in New Orleans used social media to communicate to the public regarding the danger that Hurricane Isaac posed in 2012 (DHS, 2013). Port-au-Prince, Victoria, Christchurch and Colorado are among the cities whose authorities have used social media to issue warnings and educate the public.
The discussion above has revealed that social media allows members of the public to request assistance and emergency personnel to issue warnings. Another role that social media plays is enabling emergency personnel to gather information from the public (DHS, 2013). There are many disaster situations where emergency personnel lack direct access to the situation on the ground. In such cases, the personnel rely on the public to share vital insights. Social media enables the public to shed light on such issues as the scale of a disaster. The insights that the public share allow emergency personnel to enhance their preparedness to address the disaster. Furthermore, thanks to social media, emergency personnel can join forces with the public to tackle disasters. For instance, using social media, emergency personnel may work with community leaders to coordinate relief and rescue efforts. Another key function that social media serves concerns managing expectations (DHS, 2013). Thanks to social media, emergency departments are able to set realistic expectations within the public. The departments would be overwhelmed when the public expects them to deliver beyond their capacity. Overall, social media is a crucial tool that facilitates the operations of emergency personnel and department. Apart from allowing for smoother communication between the personnel and the public, social media enables the personnel to gain a better perspective on the situation on the ground while coordinating relief and rescue efforts.
Conclusion
Emergency personnel perform important functions. They engage in emergency preparedness initiatives whose primary purpose is to ensure that communities are ready to tackle disasters. There are various trends that are defining how emergency management is carried out. The adoption of social media, the emergence of risk-based planning and the creation of resilient communities are some of the key trends. Each of these trends is placing emergency personnel in a position from where they can effectively manage disasters. Of the three trends, the integration of social media is the most significant. The numerous benefits that social media presents to emergency personnel are the main reason that makes social media the most significant trend. Since it delivers many benefits, there is need for emergency departments to embrace social media.
References
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Innovative Uses of Social Media in Emergency Management. Retrieved 28th January 2018 from https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Social-Media-EM_0913-508_0.pdf
Farazmand, A. (2014). Crisis and Emergency Management: Theory and Practice. Second Edition. CRC Press.
Haddow, G., Bullock, J. & Coppola, D. P. (2013). Introduction to Emergency Management. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Panagiotopoulo s, P., Barnett, J., Bigdeli, A. Z. & Sams, S. (2016). Social Media in Emergency Management: Twitter as a Tool for Communicating Risks to the
Public. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 111, 86-96. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.06.010
Rene, P. L. (2016). The Influence of Social Media on Emergency Management. Retrieved 28th January 2018 from https://patimes.org/influence-social-media-emergency-management/
