There’s a lot to consider when looking at disaster preparedness and incident command. But one of the most crucial areas to take into account is the human element of it – of the leaders and the team members who are working together to ensure that lives and property are protected utilizing all the resources available at the moment.
This session’s speaker is Dr. Jeff Fox. Dr. Fox worked for 27 years in the criminal justice field, 21 of which is with the Virginia State Police where he served as the Assistant Training Director. He also served as the Statewide Incident Management Program Manager for the Virginia Department of Transportation. He is currently teaching at various universities and is an educator and consultant for Fox Public Safety Training, Educating, and Consulting.
Specifics of his discussion include:
- The tendency to only focus on response when thinking about emergency management when the other stages – preparedness, prevention, mitigation, and recovery – are just as critical.
- The issues identified related to disaster and emergency management that focus on aspects of communication, culture, resource allocation, and incident command.
- The relationship between demands and resources that determine the stress process outcome.
- Incident command and unified command models, the different types of events first responder agencies typically work on, and the resources required for these events.
- The three primary goals of incident command and the barriers to these goals.
- The Five Cs of Incident Command.
- Communication: Factors that must be present in crisis management, and elements and guidelines for effective crisis communication.
- Cooperation: Its importance in crisis management, and the tasks, functions and critical systems that must be present to ensure cooperation among those involved.
- Coordination: Its tactical, operational, and strategic components and the value in remaining coordinated yet flexible in trying out solutions.
- Collaboration: The elements and characteristics required of the individuals and the unit for efficient collaboration in cross-functional teams.
- Command: The competencies necessary to be an effective leader during crises.
- The different types of leadership and how leadership becomes more challenging when working with multiple agencies, jurisdictions, and disciplines.
- The keys to effective leadership and the skills profile of good incident commanders.
- The value of trust between leaders and followers and the components to build trust.
- The dysfunctions in team dynamics, what these result in, and how to overcome these.
- The most common causes of team conflict and ways to effectively resolve conflicts.
- The importance of working on cooperation between stakeholders before any crisis or disaster comes along through relationship-building, meetings, cross-training, and assisting and supporting each other.
- The leader’s role when responding to the scene, factors that may impact decision-making, logistics planning for resources, and considerations when establishing a command post.
- Effectively managing conflicts between individuals and organizations amidst crises using Botterell’s Laws of Emergency Management and its corollaries.
- Problem-solving and decision-making considerations – the problem-solving models and formats to use and the constraints and biases that affect rational decision-making.
- Tools to employ to plan and prepare for disaster incident management.
Topics tackled in the Q&A are about:
- The difference between an MOU and MOA.
- Running disaster management agreements with the agency’s legal counsel.
- Frequency of training with partner agencies.
- Other agencies or businesses worth collaborating with for emergency management.
- Integrating dispatch into the planning and preparation.
- Common mistakes during critical incidents.
- Working with hard feelings and facilitating trust-building.
- Resources to learn more about crisis leadership.
Other Webinars with This Speaker:
- Dec 6, 2022: After Incident Analysis: Best Practices and Recommendations
- Jan 31, 2023: Understanding Police Professionalism
- April 18, 2023: Playing Nice in the Sandbox: The Human Elements of Disaster, Emergency Management and Incident Command (this webinar)
- Sept 19: The Performance Management Process: lessons for Criminal Justice Professionals
- Dec 12: Achieving Excellence in Criminal Justice Agencies
- Jan 25, 2024: In Defense of the Police
Resources and Handouts
- Resource Mentioned:
Audience Comments
- ” The Q&A session: When the speaker answers questions, because sometimes I myself have those same questions, and it helps me better understand the topic/ conversation that they are explaining.” — Alejandra
- “Thank you for another fantastic presentation!” — Barbara
- “Great information,” — Carrie
- “There was so much helpful information – it is very hard to pick just one thing that was the best!” — Cynthia
- “The concept of breaking down silos between organizations/teams.” — Scott
- “Great overview of the process.” — Sean
