How can you demonstrate strategic thinking in Emergency Management?

In emergency management, demonstrating strategic thinking involves clearly identifying objectives and priorities, such as safeguarding lives, minimizing damage, and ensuring rapid response.

I really don’t need to add anything , as the first 2 comments say it all , which is correct . But I will say just one very important thing And that is Stay Calm .

Train all stakeholders to do this... Define the (contingencies associated with the) system… 1 Define the system needs 2 Define the system 3 Decompose the system 4 Perturb system 5 Develop and define risk criteria 6 Design adverse progressions 7 Define risks with minimal controls 8 Design controls to enable acceptable levels of risk 9 Rank risks and address high to low risks 10 Develop and design system monitoring: early detection, isolation, correction, contingency and recovery 11 Continually validate and verify risk controls 12 Monitor the system and revise analyses due to system dynamics....

Exhibiting strategic acumen entails the systematic gathering and comprehensive analysis of pertinent information. This encompasses a meticulous examination of factors such as meteorological forecasts, population density, and the assessment of available resources, thereby facilitating judicious and informed decision-making processes.

One of the most valuable insights gained in the realm of emergency management is the imperative to think innovatively. While numerous tools and resources provide a solid foundation, the ability to adapt our thinking and programs to suit unique circumstances is crucial.

In a disaster there are unknown unknowns. This requires responders to be creative and innovative. During preparedness activities is a good time to evaluate capability statements for gaps and determine creative ways to solve for those gaps. Everyone is impacted by limited resources, and at times creativity is needed to make do. During Covid my team started to attach specific employees to critical processes called out in the Business Impact Analysis. This allowed for specific reporting and leading indicators for a process being at risk coupled with an understanding if that service could be swung elsewhere in the world. Prior to that we functionally tested this with a 2day functional test to account for backlog and mitigate assumptions.

Effective communication and collaboration are aspects of thinking in emergency management. It is important to establish communication channels encourage collaboration, among stakeholders and ensure that everyone shares a common understanding of the goals. These elements play a role in coordinating an efficient response, to emergencies.

Communicating and collaborating with others is important to avoid tunnel vision, and to understand how the emergency management function may impact others operations upstream and downstream within an organization or with external partners. This effort also helps to build relationships, and create advocates for efforts or projects down the road that may require the support of those outside of your functional area.

Whether constantly evaluating the effectiveness of a response or implementing long-term resilience measures based on future conditions, emergency managers must be agile and adaptive. Long before an After Action Report is written, responders need to consider the effectiveness of their interventions and how shifting priorities, weather conditions, etc. will affect the overall outcome of the response mission. Likewise, resilience investments such as hazard mitigation measures require foresight because a particular measure (e.g., a floodwall) could be adequate today but fail to provide protection in the future due to changing conditions. Thus emergency managers must be prepared to adapt across all phases of emergency management.

Focus less on process and more on outcomes that are measurable, sustainable & have assigned accountability Pay attention, read & listen to information coming from outside EMHS focused materials and seek validated studies that tell us what people actually do in emergency situations and less on what EMHS 'expects' them to do Be prepared to always adapt, improvise and overcome Understand 'lessons learned' are rarely, if ever, actually 'learned' and even fewer are actually implemented in measurable 'system wide' actions taken and/or changes made

One crucial element of thought in emergency management involves continuously monitoring and adapting to changing situations. This means creating systems, for evaluating real time information staying aware of developing circumstances and promptly adjusting strategies and tactics to effectively tackle the evolving challenges as they arise.

Focus on problems that are “out there” - a little futuristic. What are the hazards of tomorrow? And what will you need to meet them?

It is clear from practice and written articles that many EMC have never been engaged in a strategic planning process, nor have they any concept of the difference between tactical and strategic planning. Strategic plans that I have developed for communities EM programs lean toward community outreach, volunteer management, board buy-in, big ticket expenditures, developing a REAL training and ex plan, etc. We can clearly see that the "squirrel" is an easy distraction for many. And when faced with distraction, we completely throw out the plans anyway... If one is unable to stick to an ops period plan or an EOP/COOP, how will one ever be able to stay aligned with a 3 or 5 strategic year plan?

The strategic thinking in Emergency Management is evidenced by the ability to predict future challenges and opportunities, develop holistic plans that address immediate needs and long-term recovery, and apply lessons learnt from previous incidents to inform the response strategies. It also implies building collaborations with other agencies and stakeholders to improve resource sharing and coordination. In this field, good strategic thinkers are those who use data and analytics to guide their decisions, prioritize actions according to risk assessments, and adjust their strategies as circumstances change.