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Improvement of collaboration among civil engineer and first responders during disaster in urban Areas
Abstract
As cities have expanded, they have become more vulnerable to disasters due to their reliance
on highly engineered environments and the interdependency among infrastructure systems
such as energy and transportation. In addition, it is expected that we will encounter disasters
more frequently and that they will be more severe. Nevertheless, the triad of first responders
including firefighters, police, and emergency medical service may bring about an
inappropriate response picture; i.e., independently assembled command centers and
resources; great difficulties in processing information, communication, and coordination; and
inadequate roles for civil engineers.
Part of the problem has been identified as associated with their need to have high
‘Situation Awareness’. In order to effectively meet work demand in distributed, dynamic,
and chaotic conditions, first responders need high situation awareness; however, this need is
unfulfilled in most cases due to their inability to access information, limitations of IT
technology, and organizational problems [McKinsey&Company, 2002].
In this study, we explore a response framework into which civil engineers and IT
components are integrated to help grasp the relation between situation awareness,
collaboration, and performance. Then, the framework is embodied in a casual loop diagram
to represent the disaster dynamics. As a result, it is expected that the situation awareness will
have a positive relation with communication and coordination between response
organizations and their performance. It is also expected that technical support of civil
engineers and employment of new IT components would make a critical contribution to
increasing situation awareness. These results will support the vision that in future disaster
response scenarios involving urban areas, civil engineers could and should play a role as a
fourth key disaster responder. In addition, it is expected that the support of civil engineers
and IT components can increase the performance of responders by facilitating collaboration
between responders through improvement of situation awareness.
... During disaster response operations, first responders are often confronted with unfamiliar and often hostile work environments such as huge and distributed areas, unpredictable and dynamic work demands and work under high time pressure and stressful conditions (Son et al., 2008). There is often failure to develop a depth of understanding of the situation that would allow the responders to make absolute decisions and respond in a correct manner (Son and Pena-Mora, 2006). ...
An effective disaster response is crucial to any organizations. When a disaster happens, the response must be fast, coordinated and appropriate so that it will minimize the human and economic cost of disaster. In Malaysia, several states of the Peninsular are frequently affected by flooding during the monsoon season. The military has played a crucial role in disaster management and relief. The Malaysian Army are well trained in terms of combat. However, little is known about their effectiveness in handling disaster operations. The objective of this research is to examine Malaysian Army Infantry Officers' morale, training, safety and commitment to disaster responses in the context of flood disasters in Malaysia. This research found that training, commitment, morale and safety are the critical factors that influence effective disaster responses in the Malaysian Army. This study's methodology is descriptive and exploratory, using qualitative methods. Data collection was carried out through conducting interviews and focus groups with Malaysian Army Infantry Officers located in the Central region, Northern region, Southern region and East Coast who have been involved in flood disaster operations for the past three years. Data collected were transcribed, categorized and grouped into themes. This research found that even without specific training in disaster relief, the Malaysian Army Infantry officers are inspired, positive and ever ready to take up the responsibilities given, and that they execute them wholehearted during disaster responses. In addition, in terms of safety, the Malaysian Army has safety guidelines and protocols to protect its soldiers during disaster missions.
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