Storytelling—Plots of resilience, learning, and discovery in emergency management

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 363-371
Author(s):  
Bob Freitag, CFM ◽  
Thad Hicks, PhD, CEM, MEP ◽  
Alessandra Jerolleman, PhD, MPA, CFM ◽  
Wendy Walsh, MA
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Hazard Mitigation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Kurt Vonnegut ◽  
Pedagogical Tool ◽  
The Public ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
History Of

Almost everyone can relate to the experience of telling a story. This article explores how storytelling is being used to identify risks and create hazard mitigation strategies, as well as how it can promote learning within the field of emergency management. Storytelling is both a pedagogical tool and an invaluable resource for practicing emergency managers. This article illustrates the ways in which the process of telling a story enables participates to talk about stressful concerns, internalize complex concepts, and even have fun. The article explores how storytelling drove the public process leading to the adoption of hazard mitigation plans, and how eight types of stories, as defined by the American humorist Kurt Vonnegut, can strengthen emergency management education. This article also explores how research suggests that storytelling can provide an effective way for both the tellers of story and their listeners to find meaning in events, provide context to what is being taught, transmit emotion along with information, develop a professional identity, build empathy and compassion, and help with remembering events and lessons learned. The authors have a long history of utilizing storytelling and present this article in order to share and explore storytelling as applied to the discipline of emergency management.

Fear, history, stigma, and bias in the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 177-182
Author(s):  
Kevin Kupietz, PhD ◽  
Lesley Gray, MPH
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Social Effects ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Stigma And Discrimination ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

Introduction: The greatest enemy of a global pandemic is not the virus itself, but the fear, rumor, and stigma that envelopes people. This article explores the context and history of fear and stigma relating to pandemic, summarizing key actions to mitigate the harms during an active pandemic.Method: Our article draws from accounts in literature and journalist accounts documenting the relationship between infectious diseases and major disease outbreaks that have garnered fear and stigmatization. Results: Fear, stigma, and discrimination are not new concepts for pandemics. These social effects run the risk of diverting attention from the presenting disease and government responses. Reactions to fear, stigma, and discrimination risk sabotaging effective efforts to contain, manage, and eradicate the disease.Conclusion: Emergency managers have an important role in dispelling myths, disseminating appropriate and evidence-based information without exacerbating fears. Knowledge about the roots of fear and bias along with a good understanding of historical plagues and pandemics is vital to ensure those in the field of emergency management can effectively manage irrational fears.

Alternative Learning Contexts and the Goals of Democracy in Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (14) ◽  
pp. 383-410
Author(s):  
Deirdre M. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
Alternative Education ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Alternative Learning ◽  
The Public ◽  
Learning Contexts ◽  
Democracy In Education ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
History Of ◽  
Competing Ideas

This chapter delineates three models of democracy, noting the role that alternative education plays within each model. Then, from the perspective of the participatory democracy model, I examine various initiatives to foster democracy in alternative learning contexts, drawing relevant examples from the literature to highlight critical issues, tensions, and dilemmas, and lessons learned. … the history of the public alternative schools movement is more than an account of the development of preference in public education, it is a story about competing ideas on purposes and goals of schooling; it is a story about democratizing public education. (Neumann, 2003, p. 2)

The Brooklyn Listening Project: Using Oral History as a Pedagogical Tool

Collections ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-158
Author(s):  
Colleen Bradley-Sanders
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Brooklyn College ◽  
Pedagogical Tool ◽  
The Public ◽  
Music Journalism ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Oral History Interview

The Brooklyn College Listening Project is designed to engage students in active learning through the inclusion of an oral history interview assignment in a variety of humanities courses, including history, English, sociology, music, journalism, and more. The products of these interviews, oral history recordings, are creating an archive of student-generated material. The benefits to the students extend beyond the simple completion of an assignment for a grade. With the diversity of races and cultures at Brooklyn College, students make connections with classmates and interview subjects that might not otherwise occur. As one student commented, “There is more to learn and know about the world, than just the people that you look like.”1 Written by the college archivist, this article examines the history of the still-young program and the difficulty in archiving the recordings and making them available to the public.

Public service motivation of county-level emergency managers

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 387
Author(s):  
Matthew Malone, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
County Level ◽  
Electronic Survey ◽  
The Public ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Survey Results

This study seeks to understand the public service motivations (PSMs) of professional emergency managers. In order to do this, county-level emergency managers completed an electronic survey designed to measure their PSM using standard PSM measures developed by Perry in 1996 along with my own emergency management specific measures. The survey results strongly indicate that county-level emergency managers have high levels of PSM, and they have a strong desire to specifically be emergency managers.

scholarly journals Transparency and stakeholder engagement in nuclear or radiological emergency management

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. S243-S248 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Perko ◽  
M. Martell ◽  
C. Turcanu
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Radiological Emergency ◽  
The Public ◽  
Environmental Decision Making ◽  
Emergency Preparedness And Response

Stakeholder involvement and transparency are strongly interrelated. Stakeholder involvement is key to strengthening transparency, while transparency is necessary for effective stakeholder involvement. International and European legal requirements in environmental decision-making, radiation protection, nuclear safety and emergency preparedness and response call for increasing levels of transparency and stakeholder engagement. However, recent nuclear or radiological events demonstrate that transparency and engagement in practice are perceived differently by authorities, media and the public. Research conducted in this study by means of a questionnaire sent to authorities responsible for nuclear/radiological emergency management shows a range of challenges related to transparency during a nuclear or radiological emergency, e.g. fear of panic or timely and proper information. Few countries use the full potential of tools and methods for stakeholder engagement in emergency preparedness, although these may also contribute to improved transparency. Despite lessons learned to enhance transparency and stakeholder engagement in nuclear or radiological emergency management, there is room for improvement at a practical level and for finding a common understanding among stakeholders.

The Diverse Voices Conference

2017 ◽  
pp. 190-201
Author(s):  
Chaunda L. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Diversity Education ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Education Students ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
The Public ◽  
History Of ◽  
Education Courses

As diversity higher education courses and programs continue to increase on university campuses in the United States, research remains scant on the role that diversity education conferences can play in furthering higher education students' diversity learning beyond the classroom. The aim of this chapter is to introduce the Diverse Voices Conference as a successful higher education diversity initiative in Michigan that has for seventeen years provided a safe environment for students to learn more about and speak out in support of valuing all aspects of human diversity. This chapter will highlight 1) the history of the Diverse Voices Conference; 2) the components of the Diverse Voices Conference; 3) the lessons learned regarding sponsoring the Diverse Voices Conference on a university campus in Michigan that is free and open to the public; along with 4) future directions for expansing the conference and its visibility beyond its current state.

Conservation districts and emergency management: New partners for tight fiscal times

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Jason Weinerman, MPA
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Federal Budget ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
State Budgets ◽  
History Of ◽  
Emergency Management Planning

Declining state budgets and pressure on the federal budget are likely to leave local emergency management efforts in a precarious position. During these challenging times, all government agencies will need to reach out and establish new partnerships to accomplish their missions. Emergency management situations, such as blizzards, fire, floods, and drought, are likely to originate in rural areas, and finding a partner who has a good working relationship with rural landowners is critical. Conservation districts are special- purpose government units that have a long history of working with rural landowners and getting active management installed on the ground. In addition, conservation districts have existing partnerships with other state and federal agencies, which can bring additional financial resources into the emergency management arena in a multipurpose framework. Although conservation districts are unlikely to be able to work in preparation and response planning, they can provide valuable assistance in mitigation and recovery operations. By including these special-purpose units of government in the emergency management planning and implementation efforts, emergency managers can extend their reach while not having to add additional resources.

The future of emergency management

2004 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane A. Bullock ◽  
George D. Haddow
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Homeland Security ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Organizational Changes ◽  
Department Of Homeland Security ◽  
The Past ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Future ◽  
Us Federal Government

The discipline of emergency management (EM) is at a critical crossroads. Emergency managers around the world are faced with new threats, new responsibilities, and new opportunities. This paper examines the organizational changes made by the US federal government in shaping the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and presents three key lessons learned during the past decade that could guide emergency planners as they design and manage EM organizations of the future.

Systematically using agricultural and animal demographic data in animal health emergency management

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 203
Author(s):  
Heather A. Allen, PhD, MPA ◽  
Kiana Moore, MS
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Public And Private Sector ◽  
Made In

While the explicit connection has not yet been made in the literature, the systematic incorporation of agricultural and animal demographic data can help to prioritize and inform preparedness and response planning. This article reviews related fields that have used similar data, presents sources of these demographic data, offers examples of existing uses in preparedness and response planning, and details specific ways in which emergency managers can incorporate this data in their policies and plans whether at a local, state, or federal level, and in both the public and private sector. Through multidisciplinary partnerships, emergency management can be improved through the incorporation of demographic information, helping to mitigate the consequences of an animal health emergency, regardless of source, via the incorporation of empirical data.

scholarly journals Hospital Preparedness, Mitigation, and Response to Hurricane Harvey in Harris County, Texas

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Emmanuelle Hines ◽  
Colleen E. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Harris County ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Hospital Emergency ◽  
News Reports ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Advanced Planning ◽  
Flood Preparedness

Abstract Objective: This case study documents Harris County hospitals’ flood preparedness and mitigation efforts before Hurricane Harvey, their collective response experience during Hurricane Harvey, and their lessons learned in the storm’s aftermath. Methods: The case study was constructed using a survey of hospital emergency managers, semi-structured interviews with local agencies involved in public health, emergency management, and health care, and an analysis of news reports and other documents from a variety of government agencies, local organizations, and hospitals themselves. Results: Harris County hospitals learned their most valuable lessons through their direct and repeated experience with flooding over the years, leading to improved preparedness before Hurricane Harvey. Hospital emergency response successes included infrastructure improvements, staff resilience, advanced planning, and pre-established collaboration. However, hospitals still experienced challenges with staff burnout, roadway flooding, and patient evacuation. Conclusions: Although the current state of hospital flood preparedness and mitigation is rather advanced and mature, it is advisable that Harris County takes steps to strengthen emergency management efforts in hospitals with fewer financial and staffing resources and less direct flood experience.

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