Emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time, and many people wonder, “What is the future of emergency management?” Emergency preparedness and planning experts have a range of answers to this important question. Understanding what is in store for emergency management could help a person decide whether or not this is the type of career that they want to go into for their job path.
Related resource: TOP 10 DOCTORATE DEGREES IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ONLINE
More Risk-based Planning
Future emergency management activities will make use of risk-based planning that focuses on the community as a whole. For example, a flood in an area could be impacted by aging roads and bridges. This could affect response time and recovery efforts. The goal of risk-based planning is to realize that no single place or single agency has all of the necessary resources to handle a disaster, so the entire community, as well as different organizations, will need to work together in order to complete the recovery process.
Increase in Social Media Communications
Disaster relief and emergency preparedness plans will continue to rely on social media for communications. This has been a recent development, and it will increase in prevalence in the upcoming years. Agencies may issue callbacks when a flood warning, tornado or other disaster is affecting an area. People in need of rescue may also turn to social media in order to contact authorities and emergency response teams. This took place during the Hurricane Maria rescue and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico in 2017, and it will continue to be important.
Uptick in Public and Private Partnerships
According to Northeastern University, there will be an uptick in the number and scope of partnerships between public and private entities. These partnerships will help ensure that vulnerable populations get the services they need during and after an emergency. For example, the vision-impaired community may have a difficult time evacuating in advance of a hurricane. Private organizations may be able to fill in the gaps where public agencies cannot help. Boarding of animals is an example of this. A private organization may be able to set up a temporary kennel for pets that is close to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shelter for people.
More Practice Sessions
Local, state and federal agencies are doing more with practice sessions for emergencies. This allows the government to identify where there is a lack of resources or which processes or procedures do not work well. It also keeps professionals ready and at the top of their skill level. These practice sessions are increasingly digital, using apps and computer simulation in order to mimic what could happen in a disaster. Computer algorithms allow the practice session to continue going, and they add an element of surprise to the situation. For example, the computers could add a train derailment with hazardous chemicals to a flood evacuation exercise.
Understanding what the future holds for emergency management is important to individuals considering this career as well as people who will work or already work in related fields, such as healthcare, public administration and public safety. There will be changes in emergency management at the local, state and federal levels. Knowing the answer to, “What is the future of emergency management?” could help a person anticipate changes and decide if this is the right career for them.