Discussion 1

• Language Barriers

Competencies Addressed in This Discussion

• Competency 1: Apply emergency planning procedures to critical incidents.
• Competency 4: Correlate appropriate emergency management response to hazards and threats.

Introduction

An imminent disaster can create panic. Emergency planners must ensure that messages concerning disasters are delivered and understood. Panic can negatively impact how well people receive such messages, and language barriers must be overcome.

The number of people who speak a language other than English has tripled over the last three decades. The top two groups of non-English speakers are Spanish and Chinese speakers. The numbers of people who speak Vietnamese, Russian, Persian, Armenian, Korean, and Tagalog have doubled. Many disaster announcements are made in English and Spanish, but what about those citizens who do not understand English or Spanish?

With the diverse communities that require emergency services, there is always the potential for language barriers and message distortion.

Instructions

Review the media piece Emergency Response. In that simulation there has been a train derailment and a chemical spill. You visit three scenarios, but for purposes of this discussion choose one of the following two scenarios, the Accident Site or Eastman Stadium. Choose one of those scenarios, and in the role of an emergency manager complete the following in your main post:

1. Describe what steps you could take to overcome language barriers at the time of a disaster. For example, the soccer fans may speak many different languages or the neighborhood surrounding the accident site may have many people who do not speak English as their first language.
2. Explain how message distortion reduction techniques would be used in the derailment disaster.

Discussion Objectives

The competencies addressed in this discussion are supported by discussion objectives, as follows:

• Competency 1: Apply emergency planning procedures to critical incidents.
  • Explain how message distortion reduction techniques would be used during disasters.
• Competency 4: Correlate appropriate emergency management response to hazards and threats.
  • Describe steps to overcome language barriers at the time of a disaster.

Response Guidelines

Respond to two peers. Comment on their ideas for overcoming language barriers. Do you think they will be effective? Why or why not? How do their suggestions for reducing message distortion compare to your own? Do you think the techniques shared by others would be effective? Would you incorporate any of your peer's ideas? Why or why not?

Resources

• CJ Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.
• Emergency Response Mission | Transcript.
• Criminal Justice Undergraduate Research Guide.
• Community of Excellence.
• G.R.E.A.T. Discussion Guidelines.

Discussion 2

Hazard Adjustment Strategies

Competencies Addressed in This Discussion

• Competency 1: Apply emergency planning procedures to critical incidents.
• Competency 2: Explain the role of emergency planning within the emergency management field.
• Competency 4: Correlate appropriate emergency management response to hazards and threats.

Introduction

Perry and Lindell (2007) stated at the beginning of the text that, "to formulate hazard policies, local officials must believe that there are effective ways for coping with the hazards. …These range from controlling the hazard agent to adjusting the typical patterns of human activity that are likely to be affected by the hazard" (p. 13).

Later in reference to preparedness, Perry and Lindell point out how important it is to have the ability to adjust quickly or at a high level to hazards by households and organizations.

The preparedness phase, the mitigation phase, and the response phase of emergency planning must take into account processes that will generate adjustment strategies at a time of need. As you saw in the Response Planning assignment, although most discussion around response involves communication of warnings, this phase also focuses on knowing when previously planned reactions to hazards may need to be adjusted during a critical incident. Planning for unknown circumstances ahead of time requires a wide scope of adjustment strategies. The strategies, however, can be put in three categories, sanctions and incentives, technology, and risk communication.

Reference

Perry, R. W., & Lindell, M. K. (2007). Emergency planning. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Instructions

In your previous assignments, you developed strategies specifically for the planning, mitigation, and response phases. Looking at the strategies you included for those phases, in your main post:

1. Create an adjustment for each strategy that you could include in a revised emergency plan.
2. Explain your rationale for the adjustment (revision) you are making for each strategy.

Discussion Objectives

The competencies addressed in this discussion are supported by discussion objectives, as follows:

• Competency 1: Apply emergency planning procedures to critical incidents.
  • Create adjustments for specific strategies that can be included in emergency planning.
• Competency 2: Explain the role of emergency planning within the emergency management field.
  • Explain the rationale for the adjustment of specific strategies in either preparedness or mitigation phases of emergency planning.
• Competency 4: Correlate appropriate emergency management response to hazards and threats.
  • Classify an emergency planning strategy that falls into each of three categories (sanctions and incentives, technology, and risk communication.

Response Guidelines

Respond to at least two of your peers. Do you agree with the categories they ascribed to their strategies? What is your rationale? What do you think of the hazard adjustments they suggested? Would you revise your emergency plan to incorporate new ideas? Why or why not?

Resources

• CJ Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.
• Criminal Justice Undergraduate Research Guide.
• Community of Excellence.
• G.R.E.A.T. Discussion Guidelines.