Emergency Management and its Effects on Police and Fire Personnel
Emergency management refers to measures established to manage risks in the community. The government, private and volunteer agencies engage in wholesale and coordinated plans. They also engage in structures and needs in order to deal with emergency needs when disasters occur. The police and firefighters are some of the staff who contributes to maintaining safety in the community through responding to emergency events before, during or after it occurs. Emergency response is dependent on implementation of well-designed emergency systems (Brunacini, 2002). Minor disasters such as storage incidents and fires occur regularly in states around America. The police, medical unit and fire fighters respond to these occurrences systematically through planned series of actions. Their day to day capacities involves rescuing the injured, suppressing fires, securing an accident sector among others. Emergency management is ongoing.
When disasters such as floods or earthquakes occur, the people to respond are the local authorities such as police and fire fighters who respond to disasters after they occur. When crisis management anticipates future disaster, it takes preventive measures to build disaster resistant communities as has been the case since 9/11 terrorist attack (Perry and Lindel, 2003). Major disasters require mobilization of resources beyond what is available to local authorities. America has the most advanced disaster management system, which responds to high disaster strikes and initiates the recovery process. Emergency management has no direct power like the police and fire fighters \, and it resides with the agency executives only serving as an advisor.
Emergency management is performance based and involves disaster plans. Emergency management contributes to the expertise of specialized responders such as the police and fire fighters. Police and fire fighters progress through education and training regarding disaster management. Planning decision guidelines specify actions that should be undertaken in a disaster. Lengthy plans created try to anticipate every possible disaster and its correction. With correct disasters anticipation, the police and firefighters get enough training and their actions have practical guidance (Borodzicz and Haperen, 2002:139). Exercises in crisis management permit disaster responders to establish a working relationship, communication and trust with each another. Effective connection is essential for ensuring successful operation for the police and fire fighters.
Disaster management exercises empower the public on ways of identifying various threats. Mechanism of destruction is not clear to the public and can cause negative consequences (Lindell and Perry, 2003). Publicized exercises and identification of emergency managers make the public comply with emergency measures in time of disaster. Surveillance and information improves police capacity of identifying and stopping criminals. Emergency management system provides internal operation support that helps in reducing security risks to the police and fire fighters in the event of serious disasters contributing positively to their performance. Improvements made in the provision of protective equipment, exposure, and related standards and technologies increase the responder’s capabilities. Emergency management coordinates all stakeholders for a common purpose.
Emergency management promotes safe and less vulnerable communities through reduction of vulnerability to hazards and response to disasters. Emergency management is a profession but people differ on the scope of its profession (Oyola-Yemaiel and Wilson, 2005). Police and fire fighters association in exercises increases their knowledge of other departments and increases their level of confidence in handling their respective departments.
References
Brunacini, A.V. (2002) Fire Command: The Essentials if IMS, National Fire Protection
Association, Quincy, Massachusetts.
Borodzicz, E., and Van Haperen, K. (2002). Individual and Group Learning in Crisis
Simulations. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 10 (3), 139-148.
Oyola-Yemaiel, A. (2005). Three essential Strategies for Emergency Management
Professionalization in the U.S. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and
Disasters, 23, 77-84.
Perry, R. W. and Lindell, M. K (2003). Understanding Citizen Response to Disasters with
Implications for Terrorism. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management,
11, 49-60.
