Book/Printed Material Evaluating the reliability of emergency response systems for large-scale incident operations

Title

• Evaluating the reliability of emergency response systems for large-scale incident operations

Summary

• The ability to measure emergency preparedness - to predict the likely performance of emergency response systems in future events - is critical for policy analysis in homeland security. Yet it remains difficult to know how prepared a response system is to deal with large-scale incidents, whether it be a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or industrial or transportation accident. This research draws on the fields of systems analysis and engineering to apply the concept of system reliability to the evaluation of emergency response systems. The authors describe a method for modeling an emergency response system; identifying how individual parts of the system might fail; and assessing the likelihood of each failure and the severity of its effects on the overall response effort. The authors walk the reader through two applications of this method: a simplified example in which responders must deliver medical treatment to a certain number of people in a specified time window, and a more complex scenario involving the release of chlorine gas. The authors also describe an exploratory analysis in which they parsed a set of after-action reports describing real-world incidents, to demonstrate how this method can be used to quantitatively analyze data on past response performance. The authors conclude with a discussion of how this method of measuring emergency response system reliability could inform policy discussion of emergency preparedness, how system reliability might be improved, and the costs of doing so. --From publisher description.

Names

• Jackson, Brian A., 1972-
• Faith, Kay Sullivan
• Willis, Henry H.
• United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Rand Corporation. National Security Research Division
• RAND Homeland Security and Defense Center
• Rand Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment (Organization)

Created / Published

• Santa Monica, CA : RAND, 2010.

Headings

• -  Assistance in emergencies--United States
• -  Emergency communication systems--United States
• -  Emergency management--United States--Evaluation
• -  Incident command systems--United States
• -  Preparedness--Evaluation

Notes

• -  "This research was sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and conducted under the auspices of the RAND Homeland Security and Defense Center, a joint center of the RAND National Security Research Division and RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment." -- T.p. verso.
• -  Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-199).
• -  Description based on print version record; resource not viewed.

Medium

• 1 electronic resource (xxiv, 199 pages, 1 folded flowchart )

Call Number/Physical Location

• HV551.3

Digital Id

• https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/gdcebookspublic.2021760764

Library of Congress Control Number

• 2021760764

Rights Advisory

• This is non-restricted, fully open content that may be accessed on and off of the Library of Congress campus, with no restrictions, by an unlimited number of users Indicated permissions on file

Access Advisory

• Unrestricted online access

Online Format

• image
• pdf

LCCN Permalink

• https://lccn.loc.gov/2021760764

Additional Metadata Formats

• MARCXML Record
• MODS Record
• Dublin Core Record