How do you create inclusive emergency management frameworks?

Such a sad thread. Since I entered professional military and police service in the early 1980s there was never a thought given to being sure emergency management was “inclusive”. We relied on coworkers who were of every race, religion, and socioeconomic background and we served a community which was just as diverse. There was never a discussion about who may be left out because we were all members of the human race and deserved the same attention regardless of ethnicity , religion, or any other factors. This thread is a sad reminder of how far society has devolved and how out of touch so called professionals are with reality.

There must be consideration of the specific potentialities that might affect all persons, without becoming myopic by focusing on but a small or just one facet of the general population.

To my mind having an inclusive emergency management framework is the same as saying you have an effective emergency management framework. Without an understanding of how disasters and emergencies effect people in different ways, it is impossible to build a framework that works for the people it needs to work for namely those that need the help.

The concept of “inclusive emergency management” has been evolving in the United States and today is still a work in progress. It ranges in the way it is applied from region to region, state to state, and even at many different local levels. Much of the variance, it seems, is a result of the level of awareness by the lead governing authority, and even where in the organizational structure, the Office of Emergency Management sits within a jurisdiction. Ultimately there have emerged several factors that need to exist to enable the maximum benefit of the inclusive approach.

Each entity having a stake of any kind and the potential for meaningful contribution needs to be afforded the opportunity to participate. There need to be specific, agreed upon meeting guidelines to preclude the possibility of anyone disrupting any proceedings, or monopolizing any discussions, or hijacking the initiative, or pursuing an alternative agenda.

Effective emergency management works best when done WITH those countries and communities that need help not TO them. Therefore collaboration is the key and collaboration can only work when there is mutual respect and understanding not only of the problem but also those experiencing it and recognising the contribution they themselves can make to a successful outcome.

There are a tremendous number of studies, proposals, and guides already in existence that can be sources of valuable emergency management information, such as those having been put together regarding school shootings. The participants need to be insightful, confident, and willing to share ideas without attempting to dominate the discussions.

Keeping your framework up to date and relevant is critical to it being effective when it matters. Benchmarking against things like the Sendai framework or Humanitarian standards are a great way to do it. Similarly find out who is doing it well and ask them to peer review your policies, procedures and practices. Sharing best practice ensures everyone benefits.

1. Access & Participation Do they feel free to speak to anyone within the organization, irrespective of their rank in the hierarchy? Ask whether your employees feel encouraged and unhesitant to share their perspectives during discussions. An organization with freedom of expression and access to leadership and management has a progressive work environment. In such companies, talent and ideas are not limited to ranks. 2. Recognition Do your employees feel acknowledged for their inputs whether or not these are related to their job function? From organizing a get-together to pitching in relevant insights in strategic meetings, recognizing each contribution makes your employees feel relevant, valued, and empowered.

During OAW stakeholders especially men, couldnt get a grasp of what the disenfranchized population needed. All the canned topics listed were built into metrics and KPIs but did little until the female engagement team was established and began conducting welfare checks and witnessed and captured lived experiences. I think we need to go deeper than fluff words and get out of our comfort zones and engage the needs of the people suffering in an emergency. Sometimes the simplest thing makes the largest impact, GENADS ARE KEY.

Integration by segregation and separation is not the most productive way of mitigating this issue. We must remember the importance of honest intentionality without malice when considering integration. One of the most critical considerations is cultural integration, where there are more unconscious biases by omission and lack of awareness. Intentionally inviting those not present in the conversation when decisions are made that affect them is crucial. Sometimes we're trying, well-intentionally, to do something for "them", might be a second or third priority or not even be allowed in their culture.

Extensive research into who might be stakeholders, who might be participants, who might have experience, and who might need to be involved would be my first objective. While consideration needs to be given to all aspects, I don't personally believe virtually everything done today should revolve only around concepts such as gender and diversity analysis, preferential treatment, or some specific ideology or narrative.

I agree that bringing all the stakeholders to the table that represent the jurisdiction demographic will have the best success. It is important to factor in not only all the socioeconomic determinants that go into a community and region but also the population breakdown between ethnicity, gender, disability, etc.

The best way to build inclusivity into anything is to ensure you have a diverse group of people designing it in the first place. It is much harder to change something that has already been developed by a non-diverse group, as there is a tendency for defensiveness, than it is to start with inclusivity as a main aim.

Training, development and regular accessible communications are all important, however the best way to "implement" inclusivity into your emergency management framework is to have had it designed and implemented by a diverse group of people. At the very least if this is not the case recognise that and be aware that your framework may not be as inclusive as you think it is.

Open, timely, frequent, and comprehensive communications are necessary to keep everyone apprised of the status, where the initiative is with regard to agreed upon specific goals and objectives, and to provide ample time for the participants to ruminate and respond. Unfortunately, to many people, the mention of 'training' is a turnoff, unless it can be made interesting and potentially entertaining.

Honest and intentional integration requires continuous effort. We need to develop relationships with those communities with authentic and purposeful intent to get to know and understand each other without trying to impose one culture over others. Trust requires authentic intention. Integration requires understanding the value of each similarity AND difference. But just like any other human interaction, it must be naturally authentic, without any sense of performance or obligation. If it feels forced, it will not work.

Employee experience surveys go a long way, but anonymity isn't always assured nor is it expected by employees. This is a great way to establish a baseline at the very least.

There needs to be overall agreement among the cadre on the 'best (suggested final) practices' and those practices listed in priority order as agreed upon by the participants. Next would be the practical application and implementation to ensure the functionality, viability, and utility of the practices.

When researching and identifying groups that are intended to be integrated, do not overlook the other agencies, entities, and associations that already work with these groups. Initiate outreach to these entities to inform them what you are trying to do, asking for their assistance by sharing your critical information to their clients; effectively creating partnerships in both identifying, informing, and assisting this populations should an emergency occur. This duplicity of helping hands could be critical in the aftermath of a major event.

That I would like these things to work without error messages, like this "Sorry, something went wrong while adding your contribution. Try refreshing the page." for the last two items that confuse the issue, waste my time, and irritate me.