Virtual training environments for major incident response planning in UK gas infrastructure

Purpose This paper aims to evaluate a virtual training environment for testing UK gas pipeline emergency response plans. Design/methodology/approach Interviews, observations and desk research were used to identify current methods for testing plans. A virtual training environment was developed and evaluated with industry experts by using participatory design techniques. Key themes relating to both the current methods for testing plans and for a virtual training environment were identified using thematic analysis. Findings Improved training performance, remote participation and evidence of decision testing are benefits a virtual training environment can bring to current practice. It is suggested that a virtual training environment can enhance, rather than replace, the current process of testing emergency response plans. Research limitations/implications Analysis of the virtual training environment being used to test plans in a live context would give further ecological validity to the findings. A study of the prototype used to test plans for incidents involving sectors outside the gas industry would further validate the findings. Originality/value The application of a virtual training environment to facilitate testing plans and the decision-making processes for major incidents involving high-pressure gas pipelines and storage sites is yet to be documented. This paper contributes to the literature by documenting the decision-making process and evaluation of a virtual training environment for testing plans in this context.

Download Full-text

Maintaining (and Improving) Emergency Response Preparedness in an Incident-Free Environment

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1999-1-629 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 1999 (1) ◽

pp. 629-634

Author(s):

John F. Hughes ◽

Holly E. Osen ◽

Carl J. Fritzsche

Keyword(s):

Emergency Response ◽

Major Incident ◽

Mature Stage ◽

Management Support ◽

Management Tools ◽

Response Planning ◽

Starting Point ◽

Major Incidents ◽

Program Costs ◽

Free Environment

ABSTRACT In the OPA 90 era, companies have developed large and capable response organizations able to respond to major spills anywhere in the world. During the formative years of such organizations it was relatively easy to maintain focus on their important missions of response planning, resource acquisition and training. As these organizations reach a more mature stage it is increasingly difficult to maintain such a focus, especially in the absence of major incidents. Nearly 10 years after OPA 90, organizations are at or approaching this mature state and most have not had to respond to a major incident. This paper discusses the challenges presented in maintaining and improving emergency response preparedness during incident-free periods. The existing organizational structure and the organization's current environment are used as the starting point for developing solutions. A variety of creative solutions are discussed which involve using quality tools in ongoing programs, broadening the scope of the organization and using response resources in non-traditional roles. Techniques for maintaining management support for response programs, utilizing risk management tools and controlling program costs are also covered. Finally, the importance of maintaining focus on the mission of response, of program integrity and of leadership in response organizations is examined.

Download Full-text

Multi-response roles in emergency response personnel

International Journal of Emergency Services ◽

10.1108/ijes-05-2014-0005 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 162-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Greg Linsdell ◽

Colin Rogers

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Emergency Response ◽

Online Survey ◽

Emergency Services ◽

Social Preferences ◽

Fire Service ◽

Future Research ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Content Type ◽

Depth Analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the decision-making process of multi-role emergency response volunteers and their preferences for which agency they would choose to volunteer for in an emergency, utilizing the New South Wales Rural Fire Service as an example. Design/methodology/approach – Large-scale online survey data collection method, which enabled in depth analysis of responses. Findings – There are a large number of individuals who hold multiple volunteer roles and their decisions as to which service they would prefer to volunteer for is influenced by many complex factors. Research limitations/implications – Research in this topic is rare and future research should be undertaken on a wider scale involving both quantitative and qualitative methods. Practical implications – Findings will help policy makers and those responsible for providing emergency services with an understanding of the decision-making process of volunteers. Social implications – The results may help to promote understanding of a volunteers social preferences when engaged in work for emergency services. Originality/value – This is an area that has had little research undertaken in and is therefore quite an original piece of work that will have resonance for emergency services across the globe.

Download Full-text

Hospital incident command groups’ disaster medicine performance. A prospective study concerning decision-making and staff procedure skills during major incident simulations

10.21203/rs.3.rs-26395/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jason Patrick Murphy ◽

Lisa Kurland ◽

Monica Rådestad ◽

Anders Rüter

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Performance Indicators ◽

Disaster Medicine ◽

Major Incident ◽

Incident Command ◽

Group Methods ◽

Major Incidents ◽

And Performance ◽

A Prospective Study ◽

Hospital Response

Abstract Background Hospital incident command groups’ (HICG) performance may have a profound impact on hospital response to major incidents. Previous research has assessed hospital incident command group capacity as opposed to performance and factors associated to performance. The objective was to assess associations between decision-making and staff procedure skills of the hospital incident command group. Methods This was a prospective observational study using performance indicators to assess hospital incident command groups’ decision-making and performance. A total of six hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden, with their respective HICGs participated. Associations between decision-making skills and structural procedure skills during major incident simulations were assessed using measurable performance indicators as per the protocol of the Disaster Management Indicator tool. Results Decision-making skills are correlated to structural procedure skills and overall HICG performance. Proactive decision-making skills had significantly lower means than reactive decision-making skills and are significantly correlated to structural procedure skills. Conclusion There is a significant correlation between decision-making skills and structural procedural skills. Hospital incident command groups’ proactive decision-making abilities tended to be less developed than reactive decision-making abilities and may be a predictive factor for overall hospital incident command performance. A lack of proactive decision-making ability may hamper efforts to mitigate the effects of a major incident.

Download Full-text

Hospital Incident Command Groups' Performance During Major Incident Simulations: A Prospective Observational Study.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-26395/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jason Patrick Murphy ◽

Lisa Kurland ◽

Monica Rådestad ◽

Anders Rüter

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Observational Study ◽

Performance Indicators ◽

Prospective Observational Study ◽

Group Performance ◽

Major Incident ◽

Incident Command ◽

Major Incidents ◽

And Performance ◽

Hospital Response

Abstract Background Hospital incident command groups’ (HICG) performance may have a profound impact on hospital response to major incidents. Previous research has assessed hospital incident command group capacity as opposed to performance and factors associated to performance. The objective was to assess associations between decision-making and staff procedure skills of the hospital incident command group.Methods This was a prospective observational study using performance indicators to assess hospital incident command groups’ decision-making and performance. A total of six hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden, with their respective HICGs participated. Associations between decision-making skills and staff procedure skills during major incident simulations were assessed using measurable performance indicators Results Decision-making skills are correlated to staff procedure skills and overall HICG performance. Proactive decision-making skills had significantly lower means than reactive decision-making skills and are significantly correlated to staff procedure skills.Conclusion There is a significant correlation between decision-making skills and staff procedural skills. Hospital incident command groups’ proactive decision-making abilities tended to be less developed than reactive decision-making abilities. These proactive decision-making skills may be a predictive factor for overall hospital incident command group performance. A lack of proactive decision-making ability may hamper efforts to mitigate the effects of a major incident.

Download Full-text

Multi-agency gold incident command training for civil emergencies

Disaster Prevention and Management An International Journal ◽

10.1108/dpm-11-2013-0212 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 23 (5) ◽

pp. 632-648 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John P. Wilson ◽

Sarah Gosiewska

Keyword(s):

Lessons Learned ◽

Major Incident ◽

The European Union ◽

Content Type ◽

Incident Command ◽

Emergency Training ◽

Statutory Requirement ◽

Different Types ◽

Major Incidents

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it will trace, for the first time, the historical events which have progressively influenced emergency training. Second, it will evaluate the design considerations and delivery of strategic training to participants attending a multi-agency gold incident command programme. Finally, it will make recommendations about the suitability of training approaches for different aspects of emergency training. Design/methodology/approach – This research used a mixed methods study design involving a longitudinal literature review of disasters which influenced training; and a case study of multi-agency training. Findings – Guidance for major incidents developed in a relatively ad hoc manner until consolidated by the Civil Contingencies Act (2004). In addition, health and safety considerations prevent on-the-job training during major incidents. Furthermore, different forms of training would appear to be more suited to training for the different stages of a major incident. Research limitations/implications – The European Union delegates responsibility for emergency planning to individual nations. Although the findings relate to this UK case study the lessons learned would appear to be generic and may be applicable in other countries. Practical implications – Emergency training is a statutory requirement and therefore needs to be systematically organised. Different types of training are suited to different stages of a major incident. Social implications – Emergency training is a statutory requirement and therefore needs to be systematically organised. Different types of training are suited to different stages of a major incident. Originality/value – This is the first paper charting the historical development of emergency training. There is a limited base of literature for emergency training.

Download Full-text

Recruiters prefer expert recommendations over digital hiring algorithm: a choice-based conjoint study in a pre-employment screening scenario

Management Research Review ◽

10.1108/mrr-06-2020-0356 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Ursula Oberst ◽

Marc De Quintana ◽

Susana Del Cerro ◽

Andrés Chamarro

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ecological Validity ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Real Life ◽

Content Type ◽

Biological Sex ◽

Real Life Setting ◽

Employment Screening ◽

Additional Value ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to analyze aspects of decision-making in recruitment. Using a choice-based conjoint (CBC) experiment with typified screening scenarios, it was analyzed what aspects will be more important for recruiters: the recommendation provided by a hiring algorithm or the recommendation of a human co-worker; gender of the candidate and of the recruiter was taken into account. Design/methodology/approach A total of 135 recruitment professionals (67 female) completed a measure of sex roles and a set of 20 CBC trials on the hiring of a pharmacologist. Findings Participants were willing to accept a lower algorithm score if the level of the human recommendation was maximum, indicating a preference for the co-worker’s recommendation over that of the hiring algorithm. The biological sex of neither the candidate nor the participant influenced in the decision. Research limitations/implications Participants were presented with a fictitious scenario that did not involve real choices with real consequences. In a real-life setting, considerably more variables influence hiring decisions. Practical implications Results show that there are limits on the acceptance of technology based on artificial intelligence in the field of recruitment, which has relevance more broadly for the psychological correlates of the acceptance of the technology. Originality/value An additional value is the use of a methodological approach (CBC) with high ecological validity that may be useful in other psychological studies of decision-making in management.

Download Full-text

Improving emergency response operations in maritime accidents using social media with big data analytics: a case study of the MV Wakashio disaster

International Journal of Operations & Production Management ◽

10.1108/ijopm-12-2020-0900 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Carine Dominguez-Péry ◽

Rana Tassabehji ◽

Lakshmi Narasimha Raju Vuddaraju ◽

Vikhram Kofi Duffour

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Social Media ◽

Big Data ◽

Emergency Response ◽

Early Warning System ◽

Data Analytics ◽

Big Data Analytics ◽

Warning System ◽

Content Type

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how big data analytics (BDA) emerging technologies crossed with social media (SM). Twitter can be used to improve decision-making before and during maritime accidents. We propose a conceptual early warning system called community alert and communications system (ComACom) to prevent future accidents.Design/methodology/approachBased on secondary data, the authors developed a narrative case study of the MV Wakashio maritime disaster. The authors adopted a post-constructionist approach through the use of media richness and synchronicity theory, highlighting wider community voices drawn from social media (SM), particularly Twitter. The authors applied BDA techniques to a dataset of real-time tweets to evaluate the unfolding operational response to the maritime emergency.FindingsThe authors reconstituted a narrative of four escalating sub-events and illustrated how critical decisions taken in an organisational and institutional vacuum led to catastrophic consequences. We highlighted the specific roles of three main stakeholders (the ship's organisation, official institutions and the wider community). Our study shows that SM enhanced with BDA, embedded within our ComACom model, can better achieve collective sense-making of emergency accidents.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to Twitter data and one case. Our conceptual model needs to be operationalised.Practical implicationsComACom will improve decision-making to minimise human errors in maritime accidents.Social implicationsEmergency response will be improved by including the voices of the wider community.Originality/valueComACom conceptualises an early warning system using emerging BDA/AI technologies to improve safety in maritime transportation.

Download Full-text