The problematic decision made by the agency was the use of ineffective communication during the response to the emergency. During the search and rescue program, effective communication is required to ensure that the whole process proceeds on as planned. A breakdown in the communication between the agencies involved tends to threaten the success of the entire rescue process ( Horita & Albuquerque , 2013). It is a mistake in the emergency department to take the response and rescue team to the site of emergency without first having a well-planned method that will be used to enhance communication and coordination. Improper communication between the emergency team can affect the coordination of the whole rescue and response process. As a director, I would have established an effective means of communication and coordination that ensures that there is no interrupted communication between the officers at the disaster site and the head office. Ensuring that there is always a proper channel of communication is the most appropriate way to increase preparedness and response whenever there is an emergency. The communication procedure must first be tested and confirmed to be effective so that it does not lead to communication breakdown during the response ( Palttala et al., 2012 ). This would have been the best and most effective way to deal with the disaster. Leadership in disaster management requires that an individual possess good decision-making skills, outstanding communication skills, and emotional intelligence. Because disasters come unexpectedly, a leader must possess excellent decision-making skills to be able to make quick decisions ( Demiroz & Kapucu, 2012 ). Communication is also necessary for effective disaster management, and therefore a leader must have excellent communication skills. An example of a scenario where weak leadership could have been made is when a leader decided to use an ineffective response procedure to manage an emergency resulting in many pitfalls. A leader must first test and reaffirm the procedure for emergency response before it is implemented to ensure that it is effective for a given scenario ( Leadbeater, 2013 ). In the United States, FEMA through its effective leadership has been at the forefront of ensuring that there is proper coordination during disaster response. This takes place by putting appropriate communication strategies while also allocating the required resources necessary to respond to an emergency. An example of a disaster is the heat waves in the Eastern United States in 2012. Through FEMA, the disaster was well managed, and appropriate response was provided leading to a minimal loss. The two major professional competencies required of a disaster manager are critical thinking and decision-making and communication and cooperation. In a disaster, circumstances can sometimes change unexpectedly which requires the directors to remain flexible and skilled to make the right decisions ( Gallardo et al., 2015). In this position, you would need to possess strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities in order to make assessments and judgments needed in a time of stress and chaos. As a director, one is expected to communicate with the team members and groups regularly. Effective communication skills and cooperation is, therefore, necessary to ensure that there is understanding during the whole process. The necessary training areas for a disaster manager are on improving the technical skills of the leader, knowledge of team and personnel management, and coordination of the disaster response ( Ingrassia et al., 2014 ). A disaster management leader must have the technical skills that are required to manage and respond to a disaster. Also, knowledge of personnel and team management is required because disaster management directors work with groups and teams to effectively achieve the goal. The leader must also understand the coordination of the disaster response and the quality as well as availability of the disaster management tools.
References
Horita, F. E., & de Albuquerque, J. P. (2013, May). An approach to support decision-making in disaster management based on volunteer geographic information (VGI) and spatial decision support systems (SDSS). In ISCRAM .
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Palttala, P., Boano, C., Lund, R., & Vos, M. (2012). Communication gaps in disaster management: Perceptions by experts from governmental and non ‐ governmental organizations. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management , 20 (1), 2-12.
Demiroz, F., & Kapucu, N. (2012). The Role of Leadership in Managing Emergencies and Disasters. European Journal of Economic & Political Studies , 5 (1).
Leadbeater, A. (2013). Community leadership in disaster recovery: A case study. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, The , 28 (3), 41.
Gallardo, A. R., Djalali, A., Foletti, M., Ragazzoni, L., Della Corte, F., Lupescu, O., ...& Fisher, P. (2015). Core competencies in disaster management and humanitarian assistance: a systematic review. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness , 9 (4), 430-439.
Ingrassia, P. L., Foletti, M., Djalali, A., Scarone, P., Ragazzoni, L., Della Corte, F., ...& Friedl, T. (2014). Education and training initiatives for crisis management in the European Union: a web-based analysis of available programs. Prehospital and disaster medicine , 29 (2), 115-126.
