AMU Emergency Management Health & Fitness Opinion Public Safety Resource

Using Lenses to Tighten Emergency Management Plans

The social sciences attempt to explain through research and discussion just how complex society is at any given time in documented history. Social scientists make recommendations for change, and also work to explain how individuals interact – among many other areas that social scientists touch in their overall research process.

These research studies are particularly important to emergency management, as it helps emergency managers to understand where to concentrate their efforts in a society in order to maintain preparedness and to also manage a crisis once it has occurred.

Community violence has seen an increase in recent years–both through riots and active shooter scenarios. Different areas of academic scholarship contemplate how this issue affects society through their discipline’s lens. While community violence is a public health issue and, of course, a sociological phenomenon, it is becoming increasingly important for emergency managers to contemplate what is specifically happening in society to better prepare for these types of emergencies when they happen in a large-scale context.

Those in EDM must look at how different aspects of academic disciplines view an issue to tighten their disaster management plans. Emergency managers should also use the social sciences to figure out where they need to concentrate their efforts to effectively manage emergencies.

Community Violence as a Public Health Issue

Community violence affects healthcare, especially when there are multiple patients associated with community violence–for example, when riots arise. Darla Thompson recently wrote a [link url=”https://www.nap.edu/catalog/23668/community-violence-as-a-population-health-issue-proceedings-of-a” title=”briefing”] from a conference highlighting specifically how community violence traumatizes communities. She also discussed [link url=”https://amuedge.com/community-resiliency-urban-development/” title=”community resiliency”] concepts, which are issues that also directly affect emergency management efforts, too.

Community Violence as a Law Enforcement Issue

[link url=”http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/gang%20violence%20-%20the%20police%20role%20in%20developing%20community-wide%20solutions.pdf” title=”Community violence”] is, of course, a law enforcement issue, as well. Police departments must be vigilant in keeping outbreaks of community violence minimal, and also about getting those off the street who are committing these offenses.

The use of force has become a tremendous issue, and is one that the United States Department of Justice strongly [link url=”https://www.justice.gov/archive/crs/pubs/principlesofgoodpolicingfinal092003.pdf” title=”recommends”] revisiting for each community – especially with the increase in violence. How these concerns are handled becomes an important piece to understanding specifically just how community violence may continue to erupt.

Using the Social Sciences and Other Lenses for Emergency Management

Much like how the public health and law enforcement communities contemplate how community violence will impact these areas within society, the emergency management community must also contemplate how community violence will impact it.

This goes beyond the disaster management plans that many emergency managers develop. Instead, emergency managers need to utilize the social sciences to contemplate how and why issues like this will affect the overall community. In doing so, emergency managers will be preparing for what might be coming down the pipe in terms of potential crises on the horizon. Additionally, they should review how other disciplines look at a given issue as it may help them to tighten their plans.

Allison G.S. Knox

Allison G. S. Knox teaches in the fire science and emergency management departments at the University. Focusing on emergency management and emergency medical services policy, she often writes and advocates about these issues. Allison works as an Intermittent Emergency Management Specialist in the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. She also serves as the At-Large Director of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, Chancellor of the Southeast Region on the Board of Trustees with Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society in Social Sciences, chair of Pi Gamma Mu’s Leadership Development Program and Assistant Editor for the International Journal of Paramedicine. Prior to teaching, Allison worked for a member of Congress in Washington, D.C. and in a Level One trauma center emergency department. She is an emergency medical technician and holds five master’s degrees.

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