Journal of Emergency Management最新文献

With an increase and intensification of tropical storm events in the future, it becomes paramount for individual communities and homeowners to understand their potential risks of impacts from these events. This study describes an empirical modeling methodology using the City of Norfolk in southeastern Virginia to indicate areas of higher risk based on built infrastructure, property exposure, and temporal records of previous losses. Under this new empirical modeling methodology, a risk score is defined as the properties that may be at higher risk from future flooding events based on elevation differences, the number of flood insurance payouts a property has received, and whether a property has an active flood insurance policy. Results make evident how the methodology can be used to characterize a community's risk and highlight higher-risk hot spots that can in turn be used for future resilience planning and hazard mitigation. Future work to further refine the model can reduce the overall uncertainty levels as data become more publicly accessible.

This paper addresses the pathways for future training and education for emergency managers in the United States (US) to engage with climate literacy, drawing from the study Enhancing Capacity in Adult Climate Literacy: Investigating Sustainability Mindsets in the US Emergency Management Profession. Findings will be presented based on a collective case study that was conducted to understand how climate change education can meet the learning needs of emergency management professionals who must prepare for, and adapt to, the impacts of climate change on communities throughout the US. In this paper, the definition of "climate change" centers on anthropogenic climate change and, more specifically, the impact of human activities on the atmosphere's chemical composition. The exploratory collective case study involved six (N = 6) certified emergency management professionals currently practicing in the US as the study's key informants (KIs). In addition to the information collected from the six KIs, a survey was distributed to a larger sample (N = 56) to collect broader information from additional emergency managers to amplify and contrast the data collected from the KI interviews.

Masks occupy a unique and dual role in society, functioning as both critical tools for public health protection and enablers of anonymity, which can be exploited for deviant or criminal purposes. Historically, masks have evolved from their origins in plague prevention to modern applications in medical, public health, and societal contexts. While essential during health crises such as the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, their use also reveals unintended consequences, including fostering riskier behavior through the Peltzman Effect and enabling anonymity-driven disassociation described by Deindividuation Theory. This article explores the complexities of mask usage at the intersection of public health and safety. It examines how masks, while mitigating disease transmission, can embolden individuals to take greater risks or evade accountability in public disturbances and criminal activities. Through historical and contemporary case studies-including the 1918 influenza pandemic, the Ku Klux Klan's use of masks, and modern legislation like New York's 2024 Mask Transparency Act-the article underscores the need for nuanced policies that balance public health objectives with security concerns. Integrating behavioral theories with legal and emergency management strategies, it advocates for a multifaceted approach to mask policy that addresses both their protective role and potential for misuse, ultimately fostering a safer and more resilient society.

Access to timely, reliable, and motivating information during crises and natural disasters is of utmost importance for those at risk. Yet, little is known about specific channel preferences in the times leading up to natural disasters. Building upon past research investigating news source reliability, the current study examined information preferences and their subsequent impact on risk perception and trust in public health agencies among 1,030 Florida residents who were directly impacted by 2022's Hurricane Ian. The results suggest that historically marginalized communities may have very specific informational needs, and that traditional media brands are strongly relied upon across almost all demographic strata. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for emergency managers and future research into building resilience for at-risk communities.

This study investigates the dual role of citizen interpreters in addressing emergency language gaps during crises, combining social capital theory and crisis ethics. Through comparative case studies of coronavirus disease 2019 responses in Montreal's multilingual communities and Hurricane Ida relief efforts within Louisiana's Haitian-Cajun networks, this research identifies three core tensions: the paradox of relational proximity, trade-offs between immediacy and accuracy in terminology translation, and challenges in scaling informal volunteer networks. The study introduces a hybrid quality control model integrating three components: (1) rapid crisis terminology training to bridge institutional-lay knowledge gaps, (2) peer review circles for contextual meaning-making, eg, negotiating "heat exhaustion" in Punjabi dialects, and (3) institutional mentorship to resolve ethical dilemmas, eg, disclosing shelter capacities without triggering trauma. By operationalizing Putnam's bridging/bonding capital and Bourdieu's cultural capital, the model reconciles grassroots agility with professional accountability, demonstrating that citizen interpreters' cultural embeddedness-when systematically supported-can transform emergency language services into participatory practices of language justice. Findings highlight the need for crisis communication frameworks that prioritize both interpretive accuracy and community trust, offering theoretical insights into the sociology of translation and practical guidelines for disaster preparedness.

Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) are crucial to disaster response, yet their organizational structure and operational dynamics remain understudied. Through qualitative analysis of federal and state emergency management documents, including Federal Emergency Management Agency guidance and the Oklahoma State Emergency Operations Plan, this research examines mechanistic and organic organizational elements. Using organizational theory as an analytical framework, we identify three key findings: (1) EOCs operate along a continuum between mechanistic and organic structures; (2) informal organic design elements significantly influence EOC operations during disasters but remain largely undocumented; and (3) predisaster networking among EOC participants is essential for effective disaster operations. Drawing on crisis management and resilience frameworks, this research extends previous work while offering researchers and EOC participants practical recommendations for improving EOC design, training, and operations. Our findings suggest that EOC effectiveness depends on explicitly recognizing and supporting both mechanistic and organic structures.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) stands at a critical juncture in the United States. Despite its indispensable role in the healthcare continuum-providing vital acute care and transportation during -emergencies-EMS is confronted with significant challenges. Underfunding, personnel shortages, and an outdated financing model collectively undermine the sustainability and efficacy of EMS agencies nationwide. Urgent action is required to address these issues and prevent the collapse of EMS. In this article, we present recommendations from frontline EMS workers to revitalize the current EMS system. These recommendations include restructuring the financial framework to improve workforce compensation and retention; fostering professional development pathways within the EMS sector; and implementing community paramedicine initiatives while fully utilizing advanced Emergency Medical Technicians to enhance service value.

This editorial discusses the need for expansion in the United States (US) of the concept of professional emergency management (EM), rejecting the proposal of US national licensure for individuals, and to include oversight and compliance for those organizations that utilize and provide EM staff, protocols, doctrine, etc. Without this last component, the EM field cannot be considered by its own practitioners as professional, as in other fields such as healthcare and financial services. In fact, those industries and others are staffing their own roles for EM as the operational aspects of risk management. EM is not for government only. While in agreement with the basic foundational concepts of both Dr. Jennifer Carlson and Dr. Carol Cwiak in their academic advocacy regarding the need for an elevation in the public's acceptance and recognition of professionalism in our field, there is no concurrence as to the specific pathways and doctrine needed to execute this. Questions of national licensure, requirements for accredited higher educational degrees, new oversight entities, and more need to be further discussed and debated, especially in the context of expanding capacity for locally driven practitioners of professional EM in the US.

Terrorist attacks on healthcare facilities disrupt healthcare delivery with increasing frequency. This study aims to assess the association between the number of casualties in terrorist attacks against healthcare facilities and economic classification of a country. Utilizing data from 1970 to 2018 compiled in the Global Terrorism Database, 901 attacks against healthcare settings were identified in 74 countries. Based on the World Bank economic classification, these 74 countries were categorized into low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income groups. We further grouped these into "developed" (high-income countries) and "developing" economies (low, lower-middle, and upper-middle economies). A Poisson regression was developed to assess the association between country economic classifications and the number of casualties in attacks on healthcare facilities. A total of 901 incidents of terrorist attacks against healthcare facilities satisfied the database query, with 239 attacks listing at least one casualty. This demonstrated that, in this database set, 30 people in economically developing countries were killed per healthcare facility attack for every one person killed in an attack in a country with a developed economy. Terrorist attacks against healthcare facilities in countries with lower economic status resulted in greater casualties than similar attacks against healthcare facilities in high-income or economically developed countries. This knowledge can help shape ongoing research into terrorism prevention, mitigation, and resource allocation to protect vulnerable healthcare facilities.

Background: Police officers and firefighters often face high-stress situations that might impact their well-being. In these contexts, leadership plays a key role in both operational success and safeguarding their well-being.

Objectives: This systematic review examines the relationship between leadership, well-being, and well-being predictors and outcomes in police and firefighting personnel.

Methods: A systematic review, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, was conducted using the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria.

Results: Relationship-oriented leadership is positively correlated with better well-being outcomes, eg, job satisfaction and engagement, and negatively correlated with poor well-being outcomes, eg, burnout and stress, among police officers and firefighters. It is also associated with individual-eg, emotional regulation and self-esteem-and contextual-eg, organizational support and shared values-predictors and negatively correlated with negative well-being consequences, eg, physical complaints and turnover intentions.

Conclusions: Relationship-oriented leadership appears to be associated with reduced stress and improved well-being. More studies focus on police officers than on firefighters, suggesting that further research is needed for firefighters. The findings emphasize the need for targeted firefighting and policing leadership programs focused on relationship-oriented skills for both professions.