Disaster management crew can be empowered by providing training, support, and resources. Lets understand the same here in details.
Before we understand How Can We Empower The Disaster Management Crew, it is essential to know what we mean by The Disaster Management Crew. The empowering part would come latter on after clear understanding of this term.
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How Can We Empower The Disaster Management Crew
A Disaster Management Crew (DMC is the abbreviation of Disaster Management Crew) is a team of people who are trained to help people and government during any disaster or even before it and after it. In another words, A Disaster Management Crew is a team of professionals (These people can be volunteers as well), who are generally responsible for planning, responding to, and recovering from disasters and helping the effected people.
Disaster :
It’s important to know type of disasters as understanding these disasters helps us in knowing on How Can We Empower The Disaster Management Crew for better preparation and better response.
Disasters can broadly be divided into two types –
- Natural Disasters (caused by nature)
- Human-Made Disasters (caused by human activities)
Let’s deep dive to explore these Disasters –
Natural Disasters :
(These Disasters are generally caused by nature)
🔹 Earthquake – When the ground shakes, because of the under ground activities of tectonic plates. This would result in collapse of buildings and there is a high probability of people getting trapped under these buildings.
🔹 Tsunami – Huge sea waves caused by underwater earthquakes. These sea waves can sweep the entire beach side areas and population
🔹 Flood – These are generally caused by excessive rain. Sometime dispatching of too much water can also result in Flood.
🔹 Drought – A Drought is a situation where there is no rain for a very long time, This would cause water shortage. The scarcity of water would accumulate to many issues including drinking water and crop irrigation.
🔹 Cyclone, Hurricane and Tornado – Different countries have must had faced these different Cyclone or Hurricane at different span of time. These would result in Strong storms with heavy rain and wild winds.
🔹 Wildfire – Wildfire is known as the situation where fire breaks out in jungle and couldn’t be controlled. This wildfire can be caused by human mistakes or some time even by natural calamities e.g. Thunder strike.
Human-Made Disasters :
These are generally caused by human actions or mistakes.
🔹 Industrial Accidents – Example of Industrial Accidents are Gas leaks, chemical spills etc (e.g., Bhopal Gas Tragedy).
🔹 Nuclear Accidents – Example of Nuclear Accidents are Radiation leaks from power plants (e.g., Chernobyl).
🔹 Transport Accidents – Example of Transport Accidents are Plane crashes, train derailments, and shipwrecks.
🔹 Pollution – Example of Pollution are Dirty air, water, and land caused by factories and waste.
🔹 Terrorist Attacks – Example of Terrorist attacks are Bombings, shootings, and cyberattacks.
🔹 Deforestation – Example of Deforestation Cutting down too many trees, causing environmental damage.
Hybrid (Complex) Disasters :
In the current scenarios, there is one more type of Disasters exists, which can be defined as a mix of natural and human causes, known as Hybrid (Complex) Disasters
🔹 Climate Change Disasters – Climate Change Disasters can be defined as Rising temperatures causing floods and droughts.
🔹 Pandemics– Diseases spreading due to lack of medical facilities e.g. Covid 19 pandemic.
Empowering the Disaster Management Crew
Now lets understand our main question that is How Can We Empower The Disaster Management Crew.
As we already know how effective and critical role a Disaster management crews can play during the natural and man-made disasters. It’s the duty of the government that they should be provided all the facilities that would ensure these Disaster Management Crew would function efficiently and effectively. This includes proper training on how to handle these situations, equipped them with modern technology to support them, also any kind of support that can be needed. This is explained here in a detailed view.
1. Training & Capacity Building –
Training & Capacity Building is one of the most basic technique to Enhancing Skills of The Disaster Management Crew for effective response of any disaster. This starts with rigorous training and skill development related to handling of the disaster.
Key Training Areas :
Following areas can be defined as the main key training area-
🔹 Training in Search & Rescue Operations – This includes how to Handle and perform Search & Rescue Operations during flood rescues, collapsed buildings, fire or any other similar situations.
🔹 Training for First Aid & Medical Response – The Disaster Management Crew to be provided training to provide First Aid & Medical Response to the effected public this includes Basic CPR, trauma care, and also in handling the mass casualties.
🔹 Fire Safety & Hazardous Material Handling Training – The Disaster Management Crew also to be trained to Respond to industrial accidents , chemical leaks or any other situation which may lead to mass casualties otherwise.
Strategies :
The effective training can be Implemented by the following ways-
🔹 Conducting regular mock drills & simulations so that the real-world scenarios can be handled more effectively.
🔹 We can Partner with bigger and more experienced relief organizations for example Red Cross. Their experience would surely hel in enhancing the skill of the current Disaster Management Crew by knowledge-sharing by the experienced organization.
🔹 We can also explore by Establishing the training academies with advanced facilities.
2. Advanced Technology & Equipment –
After training is done, the next important step on How Can We Empower The Disaster Management Crew, is by providing them access to best of the technology and equipment so that they would be able to handle the calamities during the disaster response in the best possible way. This is because we already know how technology can significantly enhance the ability of disaster response teams to predict, to monitor, and to respond in the most effect manner.
Example of Technologies & Tools :
Following can be the examples of the Advanced Technology & Equipment-
🔹 Drones & UAVs – To answer the question of How Can We Empower The Disaster Management Crew, We think Drones and UAVs are the best possible mean that can be Used for search operations, and also for the damage assessment, and also for the effective real-time surveillance.
🔹 AI & Machine Learning – AI & Machine Learning can Help in predicting disaster patterns and analyzing past data by running the various scenarios. This is still in the very early stage, but it would definitely be coming huge in coming time in the field of effective disaster management.
🔹Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – GIS is the backbone of everything, from Drone and UAVs to AI, everything would be run on good GIS data.
🔹 Emergency Communication Tools – The Disaster Management Crew to be provided with Satellite phones, radio networks like walkies – talkies, and also with the emergency alert systems. These would helping in ensuring the seamless communication during disasters.
3. Strong Infrastructure –
This is also one of the most important steps for the empowerment of The Disaster Management Crew by Building an Effective Response System. An Effective Disaster response requires seamless and real time coordination between multiple agencies to ensure a swift and organized effort towards saving the effected people.
Key Focus Areas :
Key focus areas for on How Can We Empower the Disaster Management Crew, pertaining to Infrastructure, are as follows:
🔹 Multi-Agency Collaboration – There should be multi agencies Collaboration protocol, that Involves police, medical teams, firefighters, military, or any other local authorities.
🔹 Supplies – the Disaster Management Crew should be provided with food, water, medical kits, and medical equipment for emergency and quick deployment.
🔹 Disaster Units – There should be infrastructure for the Deployment of mobile field hospitals, and emergency shelters so that effected can be treated and safety of those can be insured.
🔹 Fast Deployment Teams – Specialized rapid action teams (RATs) trained for immediate response.
4️. Community Engagement & Awareness –
Community Engagement & Awareness is also one of the most important aspects for the better working of the Disaster Management Crew, as this would explain to the Citizens on how to behave and respond to the Relief Efforts during any Disasters.
This is important because the Communities are the first responders during any disasters. Empowering them helps in reducing casualties and damages.
Key Focus Areas :
Main Strategies related to Community Engagement & Awareness can be as follows-
🔹 Public Awareness Campaigns – Regular Public Awareness Campaigns to educate the citizens on various disasters e.g earthquake, fire, and flood etc.
🔹 Training of the volunteers – There is a need to Train volunteers in basic first aid and emergency handling during disasters.
🔹 Early Warning Systems & Evacuation Planning – Training for the response of SMS alerts, sirens, and social media notifications to the communities.
5️. Mental & Emotional Support –
This will be Ensuring Well-Being of Disaster Responders as Disaster responders face high levels of stress and trauma, making mental health support essential. This could be done by running various trauma Counseling & Stress Management Programs, by
Regular Psychological Assessments and Recognition & financial incentives to keep the teams motivated.
You can learn more in How can we empower the disaster management Crew here also.
Conclusion on How Can We Empower the Disaster Management Crew –
The answer to the question about Empowering the Disaster Management Crew, lies in basically three major things that are by providing training, support, and resources to the Disaster Management Crew.
We can empower The Disaster Management Crew in the most effective manner by integrating advanced technology, by providing them with the training and coordination. Investing in these areas ensures a stronger, faster, and smarter disaster response system and hence the effective Disaster Management Crew who is responsible for protecting the communities.