For many years, the field of emergency management has encountered many risk and challenges as seen from the disasters occurring in the United States and even globally. The process of emergency management requires a country to have fully prepared for any risks by responding to an emergency in a fast manner. Planning, training, mitigation, response, and recovery are among the features found in the process of a successful emergency management (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2017). An effective emergency management requires the plans and integration of the government, non-government and the community.
Phases of the Emergency Management
Mitigation
Mitigation is a process that refers to the measures and strategies used to reduce higher chances of emergencies from happening. The method also ensures that it minimizes the damaging effects caused by the catastrophes achieved through the establishment of levels that can be used to reconstruct the impact of the damages. The process helps create a safer environment by reducing the loss of property damage and life (Chacko et al., 2016). Examples of mitigation activities comprise of acquiring of flood and fire insurance, which takes place before and after any disaster occurrence.
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Preparedness
Preparedness comprises of activities and responds that take place in an occurrence of any disaster. It includes planning, training, organizing, exercising and evaluation that ensure effective action during the emergencies (Schwab, Sandler & Brower, 2016). Some of the preparedness activities involve stocking of food and medical supplies in response to the crises. Other than stocking of food, construction of shelters and installation of devices are also among activities that are involved in preparedness. Unlike mitigation, preparedness takes place before any disaster occurrence. In some cases, people prefer keeping disaster supplies kits that may include items such as medicine, food, candles, and money.
Response
A response action is carried out immediately after or during any emergencies. The action is aimed at saving lives and reducing any property damage and economic losses. In other words, response involves putting the preparedness activities into use (Wex, Schryen, Feuerriegel & Neumann, 2014). The first responders and mobilization of emergency services are part of the response phase. The first responders may include people such as firefighters, police and the ambulance team. The response actions are short-term because they address the effects of the emergencies and occur during or after the disaster occurrence. Examples of response activities include taking shelter during a tornado, using the information to reduce consequences of a disaster and reinstating of any life-threatening infrastructure.
Recovery
The recovery action is the last phase of the emergency management. The action involves restoration of an environment by bringing it back to normal after a disaster. The restoration process may include repairing of services and damages that took place during the emergencies. Simple recovery actions comprise of cleaning up of the streets, financial assistance from organizations and reconstruction of roads and buildings. The recovery phase is usually aimed at restoring the community back to normal (LeBlanc, Kosmos & Avchen, 2017). The action takes place after any emergency since some recovery activities might be required to help as responses. Recovery actions are considered as long-term as they focus on restoring the affected areas to their normal state. The process of recovery might take an extended period to restore the facilities and activities of the community. Creation of housing facilities, financial help and addressing the situation are among the recovery activities involved in the emergency management.
The Evolution of Emergency Management
The modern approaches have profoundly helped in the evolution of the emergency management. The strategies have helped in reducing the hazards and risks involved in the impact of the emergencies. Just like any other profession, the field of emergency management has highly evolved over the past few years. Traditionally, the males who act as the first responders to any emergencies have always dominated the field. However, things have changed since women are also considered to have dominated the sector of emergency management. Studies have highlighted that 32% of women work in the emergency management industry (Paton, D., & Johnston, 2017). This factor states that majority of women are beginning to work in the industry, but still the changes are happening at a slow rate.
In this case, the field of emergency management has also offered many chances of undefined career paths to individuals. Most people assert that they were led by their passion to work in the field of emergency management. Individuals working in this industry are compassionate and helpful. Therefore, most women are believed to look for roles in the emergency management sector because they have the same values of compassion. They tend to have characteristics that are focused on helping other people who are in need. The field of emergency management has opened new doors for many individuals who were career seekers.
Systems and Resources available to Support the Evolution of Emergency Management
Federal system and resources are considered to be among the factors that have helped in the evolution of the emergency management. The national government provides the needed support and resources to the lower levels of government regarding food items, shelter, clothing, and medical facilities (Sylves, 2014). The emergency management has highly evolved through the introduction of resources that help people affected by the disasters. The federal systems have also introduced policies that govern the people and property affected by the impact of the emergencies. For example, the plans have ensured that after an occurrence of any disaster, individuals are compensated for their property loss or damage.
The technological trends are also features that have contributed to the evolution of the emergency management. With the changing demographics, new technological trends have helped identify areas that are vulnerable to natural calamities such as hurricanes and floods (Kapucu & Garayev, 2013). With the help of new technology, people have been able to be informed on what measures to take before the occurrence of emergencies. In other words, the emergency managers can advise people on what areas to vacate in case of any disaster.
Improvements Done in the Future of Emergency Management
For future developments, most countries should have a strategy on the disaster preparedness. The disaster preparedness requires countries to have sufficient resources be used during any emergencies (Robinson et al., 2013). The resources may comprise of police, engineers, medical providers and housing team who will offer help during disasters. For example, hospitals should have disaster preparedness where they have medical equipment and facilities set aside for any emergencies. However, creating disaster preparedness for hospitals can be complicated. Therefore, hospitals should prepare for different disaster events and what help they should offer to the affected individuals.
Conclusion
The emergency management has highly evolved to help curb the risks associated with the impact of the disasters. The four phases of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery should be present in an efficient emergency management. The stages comprise of features that help reduce the risks that take place after or during the emergencies. Modern approaches such as technological trends have contributed to the evolution of the emergency management. Domination of women in the industry can also be acknowledged as an evolution in the Emergency management sector. Another development that has helped the field of emergency management grow is the help of resources from the federal government of different countries.
References
Chacko, J. et al., (2016). Decision support for long-range, community-based planning to mitigate against and recover from potential multiple disasters. Decision Support Systems, 87, 13-25.
Haddow, G., Bullock, J., & Coppola, D. P. (2017). Introduction to emergency management . New York, NY: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Kapucu, N., & Garayev, V. (2013). Designing, managing, and sustaining functionally collaborative emergency management networks. The American Review of Public Administration , 43 (3), 312-330.
LeBlanc, T. T., Kosmos, C., & Avchen, R. N. (2017). Evolution of public health emergency management from preparedness to response and recovery: introduction and contents of the Volume. American Journal of Public Health, 107 (S2):S118-S119.
Paton, D., & Johnston, D. (2017). Disaster resilience: an integrated approach . New York, NY: Charles C Thomas Publisher.
Robinson, S. E., Eller, W. S., Gall, M., & Gerber, B. J. (2013). The core and periphery of emergency management networks. Public Management Review , 15 (3), 344-362.
Schwab, A. K., Sandler, D., & Brower, D. J. (2016). Hazard Mitigation and Preparedness: An Introductory Text for Emergency Management and Planning Professionals . New York, NY: CRC Press.
Sylves, R. (2014). Disaster policy and politics: Emergency management and homeland security . New York, NY: CQ Press.
Wex, F., Schryen, G., Feuerriegel, S., & Neumann, D. (2014). Emergency response in natural disaster management: Allocation and scheduling of rescue units. European Journal of Operational Research , 235 (3), 697-708.
