New Technologies of Crisis Management in Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The Islamic Republic of Iran Red Crescent Society, which is one of the elements of the country’s crisis management organization, is always present at the scene from the earliest moments in the critical situations such as floods, earthquakes, fires, etc. and deals with the crisis and facilitates the situation. Given the increasing role of technology in all aspects of human life, the present study is carried out aiming to investigate the role of new technologies in crisis management in the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS). METHODS: This study was applied in terms of objective and qualitative in terms of data collection. The statistical population of the study consisted of the IRCS experts 9 of whom were selected by the purposeful snowball sampling method. The data collection tool was in-depth interviews. The content analysis method was used to analyze the findings of the interview using the categorization method. FINDINGS: New technologies help prevent crises by creating motivation, enhancing interaction, and informing. In addition, using technology in the crisis prevention phase leads to the increased learning, decreased costs, reduced losses, and increased awareness. The application of new technologies in the crisis prevention stage also faces challenges, including infrastructure, human resources, education and research, culture, and access challenges. CONCLUSION: New technologies have led to the creation of social networks, interaction with the international community, and providing information at any time and place, which has a vital and remarkable role in crisis prevention.