Emergency Management Communication-Nursing Paper Examples

Emergency management is a multifaceted process that influences people and the community in general. This concept has been applied in various situations, most notably during Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Hence, leading to deaths and left behind scores of injuries. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), emergency management initiatives should be promoted through collective efforts. Moreover, by community members, institutions, and the community in general (Hema et al., 2018)(Emergency Management Communication).

In the U.S., emergency agencies promote response to disasters by installing kits and plans in homes. Some disasters may exhibit insignificant effects on a community but can yield devastating effects on others during different times depending on geographical location. Therefore, through their managers, emergency institutions facilitate community education on emergency preparedness, stock emergency kits, and plan development.

While a community’s needs and well-being are critical aspects. Hence, examining the components of emergency management, multi-agency interoperability and communication. Consequently, infrastructure needs for multi-agency emergency preparedness is necessary to enhance security and prevent harm (Emergency Management Communication).

Interoperability

The increase in the number of disasters and emergencies has led to the debate on interoperability between emergency managers and responding agencies. Interoperability means that the parties involved know each other, respect and understand each other. Consequently, and are willing to relate with each other operationally (Son et al., 2020). There has to be a smooth relationship between agencies involved in managing and responding to crises in any manner. Disasters normally come about when the local capacities in place to deal with them are overwhelmed (Emergency Management Communication).

That will call for external help as they are not able to handle the situation alone. These disasters and emergencies have no borders and might call for the involvement of different agencies. The agencies in question must keep in touch with one another smoothly. For example, in fires, police officers, firefighters, and paramedics must understand each other. Moreover, for them to work together in harmony to achieve one common goal. These three agencies must reduce the damages to property and prevent further injuries if there are any. The above description defines multi-agency interoperability (Emergency Management Communication).

Interoperability is the capability of various devices, information systems, and applications to share, access, liaise, and interactively use information in a unified way, across and within regional, organizational, and national boundaries. From this perspective, emergency management multi-agency interoperability is the ability of multiple agencies, focused on dealing with emergency issues, to unite in managing critical situations through communication (Yaffee et al., 2020).

Due to differences in information and agency systems used in the various agencies, it is clear that there is a need to create a robust and reliable infrastructure to support communication between the agencies in a timely and efficient manner. The reason for this is that interoperability relies on efficiency, a factor that makes communication an essential factor in the process (Emergency Management Communication).

Considering the information above, this paper seeks to elaborate on the process by explaining the role of law enforcement, the communication aspect, and the infrastructure needed to support interoperability in emergency management. Before indulging in actual interoperability, it is vital to define the role of law enforcement in emergency management. This is because the division is a vital aspect of the process due to the activities undertaken by police officers in emergency management.

Law enforcement’s primary role revolves around the fact that the division is part of emergency response since individuals in the department are the first responders in emergencies. The factor explains the relationship between emergency response interoperability and the law enforcement division. The primary role of law enforcement in emergency operations is to act as an information repository, which means that individuals in the field have a role in documenting the events and incidents. Furthermore, law enforcement focuses on protecting people from harm and withholding regulations that define activities within their jurisdiction (Emergency Management Communication).

Communication

Agencies face challenges when implementing multi-agency communication systems, such as radio communications. In most cases, every agency has its tools which often are not compatible with other firms (Hema et al., 2018). This problem can escalate, especially when it transcends city, state, and federal agency levels. These agencies need to be able to use a universal system, the language of the agencies is better able to operate and speak to each other for future incidents (Emergency Management Communication).

Communications units should build on emergency plans to attain full utilization of available hardware and office resources. As much as the communication unit introduces and tests all interchanges hardware, it also regulates and works the occurrence correspondences focus, disseminates and recuperates interchanges gear appointed to episode faculty, and keeps up and repairs correspondences hardware on location. 

The communications sector is responsible for assembling radio frequencies; constructing the systems for summoning, air units, strategic, and backing; providing on-site cellphones, and establishing necessary event responses for correspondence joins. However, codes are not necessary because it is insignificant in radio correspondence (Avvenuti et al., 2018)(Emergency Management Communication).

A reasonably spoken message in light of basic wording refrains from misconception in confusing and unruly circumstances and lessens the odds of mistakes. The utilization of consistent wording permits crisis administration and reaction staff to talk over with each other, and successfully arrange exercises, regardless of the size, extension, area, or complex nature of the episode.

Conveying the ability of radio advancements, conventions, and frequencies among emergency administration and reaction staff will consider the effective and proficient coordination, transport, and arrangement of correspondence frameworks when vital. Movability incorporates the institutionalized task of radio channels crosswise over jurisdictions, allowing responders to take part in episodes outside their purview and still use familiar hardware. Adaptability varies from convenience in that versatility permits responders to build the number of clients on a framework, while compactness encourages the cooperation of ordinarily particular frameworks (Emergency Management Communication).

Relationship (Emergency Management Communication)

Relationships are significant in organizational settings as they determine relations between people and processes. Communication and interoperability define a profound relationship and ascertain the general crisis experienced by administrations and government structures toward a response to an emergency (U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” 2017) (Emergency Management Communication).

The establishment of communication and connected frameworks on a national configuration presents the required uniting of the two individual parts that are important for expedient, solid, and convenient execution of reaction to the emergency. Flexibility is the capacity of interchanging frameworks to endure and keep performing after destruction or damage to the command center.

This requires interchanging frameworks to go without depending entirely on an advanced yet defenseless system of ardently supportive networks. Sensible and versatile practices could incorporate solidified dispatch-focused and transmission frameworks that can withstand any known dangers (Emergency Management Communication).

Therefore, the role of emergency management is vested in communication systems that have to incorporate interoperability and relation-building. Communication units facilitate successful emergency response and management due to reliable and consistent information availed across organizations, agencies, and jurisdictions(Emergency Management Communication). 

References

Hema, D. D., Gayathri, R., & Parameswaran, A. (2018). Accident Tracking & Emergency Response Management using IoT. Int. Res. J. Eng. Technol., 1554-1559.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2017, September 25). National Incident Management System. Retrieved from FEMA.GOV:

Avvenuti, M., Cresci, S., Del Vigna, F., & Tesconi, M. (2018). On the need to open up crowdsourced emergency management systems. Ai & Society, 33(1), 55-60.

Son, C., Sasangohar, F., Neville, T., Peres, S. C., & Moon, J. (2020). Investigating resilience in emergency management: An integrative review of the literature. Applied Ergonomics, 87, 103114.

Yaffee, A. Q., Peacock, E., Seitz, R., Hughes, G., Haun, P., Ross, M., … & Wright, D. W. (2020). Preparedness, Adaptation, and Innovation: Approach to the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Decentralized, Quaternary Care Department of Emergency Medicine. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 21(6), 63.