Case Study: Collaboration in Emergency Management Collaboration is a constant effort in the emergency management field. With events like Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 Attacks in recent memory, it is apparent that local, state, and federal government agencies can become overwhelmed in times of emergency. Several local community and private agencies have aided the government to prepare, respond, and help recover in natural and human disasters. With collaboration being a conscious decision as well as a necessity, it is important to analyze how it is accomplished, its development, obstacles, differences, and similarities. The evolution of collaborative efforts in the emergency response sector have risen out of necessity and the proactive drive
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Implementing these channels and procedures can be difficult for their civilian counterparts. Efforts to improve collaboration include the development of the Crisis Information Management Systems (CIMS) to increase the interoperability of these cooperative agencies (Markus et al., n.d.). However, difficulty in generational technology upgrades can be a disconnect, as oftentimes the government relies on older technology, whereas private agencies can upgrade at a much faster rate. Criticism of the ICS and NIMS procedures often cite the difficulty of multiple influxes of information and formats. During an emergency, the EOC can be a crowded, chaotic operation. With the added personnel from outside agencies, communication issues can arise due to more people, noise, and tension levels in the high stress environment. Issues such as longer response times, confusion, and identification of who is in charge can foster ineffectiveness (Noran, 2014). With different jurisdictions working together, it is important to ensure tasks are also delegated in order to prevent duplicate response and maximum coverage (Markus et al., n.d.). Lack of trust or sometimes competitiveness between organizations can also hinder the emergency response …show more content…
Local agencies have the ability to form coalitions more quickly with a loose structure as opposed to the rigid architecture of government. These agencies also have the advantage of integrating information from multiple sources and formats, which is difficult in the NIMS process (Markus et al., n.d.). They also have the freedom to communicate more with members outside of the chain of command, which may be advantageous or a weakness depending on the circumstances. Local groups also provide their own technology and resources, which in some cases, may be more advanced than that of the government, especially concerning mobile and computerized devices, and the use of media to communicate with
Implementing these channels and procedures can be difficult for their civilian counterparts. Efforts to improve collaboration include the development of the Crisis Information Management Systems (CIMS) to increase the interoperability of these cooperative agencies (Markus et al., n.d.). However, difficulty in generational technology upgrades can be a disconnect, as oftentimes the government relies on older technology, whereas private agencies can upgrade at a much faster rate. Criticism of the ICS and NIMS procedures often cite the difficulty of multiple influxes of information and formats. During an emergency, the EOC can be a crowded, chaotic operation. With the added personnel from outside agencies, communication issues can arise due to more people, noise, and tension levels in the high stress environment. Issues such as longer response times, confusion, and identification of who is in charge can foster ineffectiveness (Noran, 2014). With different jurisdictions working together, it is important to ensure tasks are also delegated in order to prevent duplicate response and maximum coverage (Markus et al., n.d.). Lack of trust or sometimes competitiveness between organizations can also hinder the emergency response …show more content…
Local agencies have the ability to form coalitions more quickly with a loose structure as opposed to the rigid architecture of government. These agencies also have the advantage of integrating information from multiple sources and formats, which is difficult in the NIMS process (Markus et al., n.d.). They also have the freedom to communicate more with members outside of the chain of command, which may be advantageous or a weakness depending on the circumstances. Local groups also provide their own technology and resources, which in some cases, may be more advanced than that of the government, especially concerning mobile and computerized devices, and the use of media to communicate with