Effective communication is an important aspect in emergency management to ensure the flow of information between key team members enables them to work together coherently to contain a hazardous event. The ability of each member to communicate effectively enables individuals to carry out their specific tasks and ensuring the effectiveness of the entire team. In addition, communication enhances the implementation of the individual tasks as well as group tasks (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2007). Commutation further enhances teamwork giving the incident controller easy time in handling the overall situation.
Fire outbreaks are a common disaster often experienced in different areas. In such an incident, effective communication is important to save lives and property. However, when communication is problematic between the team of responders, it becomes very difficult to manage the emergency and this can result in great losses. Inefficient communication led to lack of an awareness of the incident, which was caused by an electrical fault. This made the execution of individual tasks complicated as well as the teamwork track which rendered the efforts of the futile. Most lives were lost, property and some of the emergency responders were also hurt. The overall security of the victims and the emergency response team was inadequate due to ineffective communication making the operation very challenging. These communication challenges also hindered good task work and teamwork that lowering performance and leading time wastage.
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In a critical accident that involved a vehicle transporting highly flammable liquid effective communication played a major role to enhance recovery of the victims putting into consideration the safety of the responders and that of the victims. The emergency management team managed and resolved the hazardous situation effectively. Communication was key with verbal exchanges amongst the team members taking place. The exchange of commands, requests and call for action while providing the necessary information facilitated coordination of the activities. The responders communicated effectively ensuring safety and security of the victims as well as their own. The team of responders also conducted task-specific factors as well as situational factors to save people involved in the accident (Cuny, 1983)
According to Haddow, Bullock & Coppola (2007), emergency management requires the careful implementation of communication plans aimed at mitigating any hazardous situation by saving lives. Effective communication, therefore, plays a central role to ensure all the members involved in the incident get clear instructions and operate effectively in the specific tasks. Communication to the public, the media and the entire team of responders must be clear to enhance the operations in the emergency scene as well as ensure safety and security as well as recovery efforts of the response team. Effective communication further ensures resources required at the scene are gathered appropriately among other essentials like safety gear and recovery equipment.
In conclusion, communication in the management of an emergency involves distributed decision-making and can only be effective through proper timing in carrying out assigned tasks among the team members. The communication content is also very important as determines how the team members perceive it in order to make decisions. This will enable a team of responders to function at optimal levels in their response as well as recovery efforts. Emergency communication management must be strengthened at all levels to ensure emergency response providers are able to operate and act appropriately in an emergency scene. In addition, the dynamics of information exchange among members of an emergency management team helps save time and mitigate potential hazardous situations. Effective communication in emergency management cannot, therefore, be underestimated. It is the core of any successful emergency management efforts in any type of emergency.
