Latest AJEM edition features CRC research on post-disaster management

The newest issue of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management features Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC research on supporting emergency management in Australia.

Published by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, the October 2020 issue collates research papers and news items that explore various divisions of disaster management in order to better understand and mitigate risks, and collectively share resources in the aftermath of natural hazards.

CRC research is featured in three papers—Driving into floodwater: using data from emergency responders to inform workplace safety policy and practice; Economic analysis of natural hazard mitigation using the Quick Economic Analysis Tool, and Professionalism: certification for emergency management leaders.

Driving into floodwater: using data from emergency responders to inform workplace safety policy and practice is written by Dr Mel Taylor (Macquarie University), Dr Katharine Haynes (University of Wollongong) and Dr Matalena Tofa (Macquarie University) from the CRC Flood risk communication project, along with Tim Wiebusch (Victoria State Emergency Service), Dr Benjamin Beccari (Victoria State Emergency Service, Monash University) and Dr Mozumdar Arifa Ahmed (Macquarie University). The paper presents findings from a study that explored the risk attitudes, behaviours and practices of State Emergency Services (SES) personnel to identify the situations and the contexts in which they drive into floodwater in SES or private vehicles. Outcomes from this research will inform policy, practice and training to improve safety, keep staff and equipment safe, and model good practice in communities.

In Economic analysis of natural hazard mitigation using the Quick Economic Analysis Tool, Dr Veronique Florec and Dr Abbie Rogers from the University of Western Australia and researchers for the Economics of natural hazards project describe the Economic Analysis Tool, a spreadsheet-based model that allows an overview of the value for money natural hazard managers can expect from investing in various mitigation options. It can be used to understand the value for money that land managers can expect from investing in a single mitigation option, or to compare the relative benefits of a range of mitigation options, including the impacts on tangible (market) and intangible (non-market) values that can be affected by natural hazards. Using a case study of two prescribed burn annual rates compared with the results of an in-depth analysis of the application of different prescribed burn annual rates over the long-term, the study showed that the economic analysis tool would allow fire managers to timely identify options worthy of business cases and to capture the information needed to increase confidence in decisions.

Associate student Russell Dippy from Charles Sturt University draws from his CRC research project, What human capacity demands should inform the development and appointment of an emergency manager?, that examines the human-capacity lessons from past events that develop future emergency managers, to examine current options and arrangements that exist through national and international certification systems to recognise people’s leadership capacity in his paper, Professionalism: certification for emergency management leaders.

CRC research also featured in two News and Views articles:

• The unequal burden of disasters in Australia by Prof Mehmet Ulubasoglu (Deakin University) on CRC research that has shown the true costs of disasters are typically greater than what the direct damage estimates suggest
• Injecting primary care into disaster health management by Dr Penelope Burns (Australian National University, Western Sydney University), former CRC associate student Dr Kaitlyn Watson (University of Alberta) and Dr Elizabeth McCourt (Redland Hospital) on the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine Primary Care Special Interest Group bringing together researchers, educators, health practitioners and management personnel with interest and expertise in primary care during disasters.

The Australian Disaster Resilience Index, developed by the CRC and the University of New England, is the focus of this issue of AJEM’s EM Online. The Australian Disaster Resilience Index is an assessment of the capacity for disaster resilience in Australian communities, with three levels of insight:

• an index of disaster resilience, coping capacity and adaptive capacity
• factors that enhance or constrain disaster resilience
• profiles showing which places have similar strengths and barriers to disaster resilience.

Access the Index and find out more at https://adri.bnhcrc.com.au/

You can access the entire AJEM edition online for free. To receive printed copies of the journal, subscribe to future print issues through the AJEM website. Subscribe here to receive email alerts when the online editions are available.