Critical Issues in Disaster Science and Management: A Dialogue Between Researchers and Practitioners

Abstract

The FEMA Higher Education Program has released a new book that combines the knowledge and experience of emergency management practitioners and researchers, the result of which is a dialogue between the two sectors about the top issues in emergency management.

Critical Issues in Disaster Science and Management: A Dialogue Between Researchers and Practitioners includes 12 sections written from the views of more than 20 emergency management practitioners and researchers. The 12 sections are dialogues on: Whole community — state, local and federal relationships; Volunteers and nonprofits in disaster; Public-private partnerships; Access and functional needs; Public health preparedness; Planning and improvisation; Reflections on the National Incident Management System; Long-term recovery; After-action reporting for exercises and incidents; Social media; Professionalization of emergency management; Unmet needs and persistent problems.

Co-editors, Joe Trainor and Tony Subbio, received from their queries 150 responses from emergency management practitioners and researchers about what the respondents thought were the most important topics. Trainor and Subbio spent a couple of full days narrowing down the topics to the dozen above and matched researchers/academicians with practitioners to author each section.