Session 25 1

Comparative Emergency Management

Session 25 Slide Deck

Session 25 2

Session Objectives

1. List and Describe the Different Components that Form Most Nations’ Emergency Management Systems

2. Describe the Different Governmental Organizational Structures Under Which Emergency Management Systems Operate

3. Explain how National Governments Provide Bilateral Disaster Management Assistance to Each Other

Session 25 3

Evolution of Governmental Capacity

• Response

• Preparedness

• Recovery

• Mitigation

Session 25 4

Governmental EM Components

• Institutional Sharing• Standardization of Practices, Protocols, and

Equipment• Driven by various factors, including:

– Wealth– Technical expertise– Government type– Risk profile

Session 25 5

Fire Departments

• Universal mission• Other names: Fire Brigade, Fire Service• Most common EM component• Scope of services has expanded • Organizations may differ from country to country

– Locally-Based

– Regionally-Focused

– National

Session 25 6

Fire Department Needs

• Personnel

• Training

• Equipment

• Communication

• Facilities

• Information

• Authority

Session 25 7

Law Enforcement

• Also called Police Departments, Sheriff’s Offices, and Constibularies

• Responsible for maintaining law and order

• Typically follows structure of the national government– National-level organization very common

Session 25 8

Emergency Management

• Also called Civil Protection

• Almost nonexistent prior to 1950’s

• Started by helping communities to prepare for nuclear war

• National-level emergency management tends to be supportive of the local and regional efforts

Session 25 9

Emergency Medical Services

• Also called the Ambulance Service• Specialized form of medical care that ‘goes beyond

the basics of first aid’• Differ according to:

– Training levels– Funding– Equipment– Culture– Mode of operation

• Typically private

Session 25 10

The Military

• Almost all countries use the Military in their emergency management operations

• Some countries hesitate to use the military except as a matter of last resort

• Military command structure can be at odds with the emergency management concept of command and control

Session 25 11

Other Resources

• National emergency management offices maintain small staffs

• EM agency dictates the actions of many other government functions

• Agencies participate as appropriate given their non-emergency function

Session 25 12

EM Structure

• Influenced most heavily by government structure• Dictate command and control• Other factors:

– Risk Profile– Social Structure– Risk Perception– Development Indicators– Wealth– Technical Expertise– More

Session 25 13

National Civil Protection Roots

• Building community shelters

• Providing public preparedness education

• Conducting air-raid exercises

• Creating squads of medical and other response crews

Session 25 14

Efforts to Promote Government EM in Developing Countries

• UN IDNDR

• Yokohama Strategy

• Many countries finding it hard to act on pledges

Session 25 15

Successful EM Capacity

The most successful emergency management systems are those in which local emergency management agencies maintain operational

control of all phases of emergency management, with regional and national

authorities only intervening in a supportive role and never assuming any leadership

control

Session 25 16

Locally-Based Structures

• Disasters inherently based at the local level• Communities best able to identify:

– Needs– Capacities– Risks

• First responders• Personally affected• Capacity proportional to complexity and need• Most effective if they address the full range of

functions

Session 25 17

Regionally-Based Structures

• Subdivisions into political and administrative designations

• Government type dictates the authority that rests regionally

• Federal systems decentralize power• Emergency services may be organized and funded

from this level in such systems, but not always• Back up local resources as needed

Session 25 18

Nationally-Based Structures

• Almost all countries have some structure, though capacity varies significantly

• Differences in:– Where it sits in government structure– What authority it has to assume command– What budget exists– Staff training– Assets

• Most effective when their role is supportive

Session 25 19

No Capacity / No Government

• Many reasons why this happens:– A special EM capacity has not yet been

developed by the affected government– Conflict– Disaster has destroyed all government capacity– Existing government unable or unwilling to

provide any assistance

Session 25 20

Options for Bilaterial Assistance

• Cash– Grants– Loans

• Equipment / Supplies

• Expertise and Technical Assistance

Session 25 21

Types of Government Agencies Involved in BiLat Assistance

• Diplomatic Missions

• International Development Agencies

• National Disaster Management Agencies

• Other Government Agencies

• Military Resources