A MANAGER'S ROLE IN EMERGENCY PLANNING

A Manager's Role In Emergency Planning Of Its Business

A Manager's Role in Emergency Planning of Its Business

Introduction

The managers have a key role to play as far as emergency management is concerned. For any disaster or emergency the manager's role is of key importance for the fact that within the limited time and resources available a right decision is required to neutralize the situation.

Other than the prompt decision making planning itself is a great help for manager to make the right decisions. Especially in term of pre-planning or planning ahead of time has a positive impact over the outcome of any disaster.

Emergency planning is presently as serious for the workplace as it is for the home. In current years, the nation, mainly the federal government, has re-evaluated its approach to emergency preparedness and response. While important steps have been made, much work remains to be done. Research and sketchy proof indicate that such planning, preparedness; response and recovery efforts frequently overlook the needs and perceptions of people.

Various tragedies could have been prevented if only people would have planned ahead. One might not be able to control an emergency from happening, but one can frequently control the impact it has on oneself and others.

The reality that the demands meets when responding to a disaster go beyond individual capabilities is recognised within the IEM philosophy, which defines effective disaster management as involving the collective and co-ordinated activities of several agencies and professionals. Two issues emerge in this context.

During a disaster, emergency managers will operate in teams to manage hazard effects. The presence of a well trained, experienced team will obviously reduce the impact of stressors on the commander as tasks can be delegated, second opinions sought, and tactics discussed and agreed. Good team work is very dependent on a proper analysis of the required team roles, training in team skills and the existence of an open work climate.

A major military psychology project in the USA has been studying Tactical Decision Making Under Stress (TADMUS) in order to identify critical skills for teams performing under stress and to design decision support systems for their commanders (Brannick et al., 1997). A lot of of the conclusions from these military projects are equally applicable to disaster management. Similarly, adopting the principles of Crew Resource Management, used by most major airlines to identify problems in crew co-ordination, may prove beneficial as a means of mobilising the considerable resources of the other team members (particularly their brain power) in difficult stressful situations. The requirement for allocation, workload sharing as well as joint problem solving is greatly heightened under high stress circumstances, and this is likely to be as true of managing hazard effects as it is of flight decks. In addition to their having a responsibility for co-ordinating the roles and tasks of their team, emergency managers may also find themselves responsible for co-ordinating the activities of several agencies or professionals.

The diversity of the demands created by a disaster means ...