Emergency Control Center - Case Study Example

Emergency Control Center An Emergency Control Center is a contingency station where people who are involved in planning of things are organized and planned for an organisation. This is so because the whenever a human project is formulated and initiated there are prospects that something may go wrong in the course of discharging of the plan. This is the reason as to why there must back-up center where the contingency plans and issues are initiated so as to caution the whole plan against any uncertainty to its logical conclusion (Balady et al 2291). It is important to note and mention that an Emergency Control Center ought to be in an easily accessible place within an organisation so that in case any unforeseen human danger or mishap arises it would be easy to access it. Emergency Control Centre on its part cold be designed and established based on the jurisdiction or the functional specialty related to the whole organisation. For instance, it could be organized in terms of regional or national emergency center or it could also be established under functions such as fire department or medical services. In principle, an Emergency Control Center is as good as the staff and the personnel who work in it. Thus, the designers of and establishers of the Emergency Control Center must ask critical questions regarding the staff and the personnel who will work in it (Stevenson and Sum 12). For instance, in rhetoric sense and aspect, it would be proper to consider the expertise of the work that would require to be discharged. If there is a fire emergency, it would be logical and fair that a person who is trained in handling fire machines and fire emergencies would be required to assist accordingly. Thus, depending on the type of the Emergency Control Center that would be established it would be prudent to consider expertise and professional qualifications of the people who would work in it. Secondly, it would be proper to intergrate training into the Emergency Control Center so as to increase the number of people who would be equipped with the knowledge and skills to act in case of an emergency. Some roles and duties are so critical and cut across all professions and it would be in good faith that they are taught to all people in the organisation. A practical case and instance is the basics of first aid, how to handle a fire outbreak, issues around sexual harassment, discrimination amongst other issues which relate to welfare of humanity. This could happen due to the fact in any organisation or work place, it may be impractical that all workers are trained in issues of emergency and contingency (Lee et al 319). However, there are some skills and expertise which are important to be left to the experts alone since some of these emergencies may be abrupt and accidental. In such cases of emergency it may be prudent to apply skills of the workers without waiting for the professionals. In the same line of thought and argument, an Emergency Control Center must have a delineated hierarchical structure with clear connotations of authority. During emergencies, times of anomie or instances or normalness, tension and confusion seems to reign in over the good judgment of the people. In such a situation, people may make decisions which may be rush or ill-informed thereby cost the rescue or recovery efforts. This is the reason as to why there must be clear command of authority where the top commander or chief would delegate duties and roles. This is proper for purposes of accountability so that if there is any failure or mishap of whichever sort, then the chief or the commander in charge would answer accordingly to those issues or questions. In brief, this point and line of reasoning requires that a hierarchical command of authority is established with clear mandate and powers for each level of the hegemony. Another issue that cannot escape attention while considering the notion of Emergency Control Center is the time frame of the staff and how they will operate. It is conventional knowledge and fact that an Emergency Control Center cannot and should never be unmanned at any time. In retrospect, it calls for the delineation and assignment of different people who would man and manage the Emergency Control Center at any given time. For instance, fire fighters and first aid care givers must never miss from the Emergency Control Center (McGee, Anne and Wickens 17). Accidents such as fire outbreaks, personal injury may occur at any time of the day or night, and there should be properly trained personnel in the organisation at that particular time to deal with the accrued emergency or issue accordingly. Subsequent, the notion and borderlines of the action plans that ought to be taken should be considered while establishing Emergency Control Center relative to staffing. This is to say that it is proper and wise for the Emergency Control Center to have action plans on what can be done in case of any emergency. Proper chronological steps of actions must be put in place so as to enable the emergency response team to deal with an issue and record impressive results. For instance, if there is a fire outbreak in an organisation or office, plans ought to be centered on firstly evacuating the people present in the building. Secondly, firefighters would attempt and endeavor to put out the fire while at the same time minimizing the effect of the spread of the fire to other places (Yang, Chen, and Alty 710). This example details the chronological or step by step approach that the Emergency Control Center ought to take while combating an emergency without mixing roles or attempting to perform several functions at a go. Considerations for Emergency Control Center Location In order that a society establishes an effective and proper Emergency Control Center, it must select a prime location which meets certain conditions and principles. To begin with, the Emergency Control Center must be in a very accessible place or area. Accessibility refers to the ease of people or staff to reach the Emergency Control Center and get help from that place with ease. The questions in rhetoric sense refers to how the staff of the Emergency Control Center can get to it within the shortest time possible with ease (Crofts et al 1536). Similarly, the same notion requires that suppliers and other support givers can reach the location with ease to assist accordingly. Location falls within the larger geographical and strategic frames such as the infrastructure of the surrounding physical environment. Similarly, it is critical to regard the safety of the Emergency Control Center. Safety is a broad aspect and notion which would require that the Emergency Control Center is cautioned and protected against hazards or natural occurrences. For instance, a good Emergency Control Center should have the ability to withstand minor tremors or earthquakes of lesser magnitude in the Richter scale. It would be improper for instance for the Emergency Control Center to be providing help to an earth-stricken place in the neighborhood and then itself be sank down by a tremor. In such an instance the rescue mission would be dealt a devastating blow thereby rendering the whole process and mission futile and void. In the current day and age, terrorism has emerged as one of the global threats and combative and precautionary measures and steps ought to be taken to address it. If the Emergency Control Center is situated near a prospective terrorism target then it means that the whole rescue and recovery missions would be pegged on chance, since one can never be sure as where, why, where or how the terrorist may attack. The infrastructure around the Emergency Control Center must be proper and viable for the whole society such that roads transport network as well as air evacuation and responses would be aided. Thus, when selecting the location of the Emergency Control Center, it would be fair to gauge the safety, accessibility, survivability and the capability of the Emergency Control Center to withstand catastrophes (Moore 5). Prospective Emergency Control Center designs For a proper and viable layout and architectural design of an Emergency Control Center to be good, it should maximize contact such as eye contact between decision makers and the rescue staff. This is so to ensure that there are data links and information flow is seamless. This is to ensure that there are shared displays and proper communication links so that the public and the Emergency Control Center staff members have a seamless and steady flow of information (Kiel et al 417). The shared displays and communication links ensure that information that is high priority is given to the people concerned such as the press and the general public. It is also important to note and stress on the fact that the space of the Emergency Control Center must be utilized to minimize distraction, reduce noise while at the same time increase bonding of the people. This stems from the fact that during emergencies and times of distress or anomie, all the staff members should be in the same headspace and focus jointly all their positive energy. This could be done by having open offices where desks of people doing similar issues are closely bonded together. Work Cited Balady, Gary J., et al. "Recommendations for cardiovascular screening, staffing, and emergency policies at health/fitness facilities." Circulation 97.22 (1998): 2283-2293. Crofts, J. F., et al. "Change in knowledge of midwives and obstetricians following obstetric emergency training: a randomised controlled trial of local hospital, simulation centre and teamwork training." BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 114.12 (2007): 1534-1541. Kiel, Douglas P., et al. "Efficacy of a hip protector to prevent hip fracture in nursing home residents: the HIP PRO randomized controlled trial." Jama 298.4 (2007): 413-422. Lee, Eva K., et al. "Facility location and multi-modality mass dispensing strategies and emergency response for biodefence and infectious disease outbreaks." International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 12.2 (2009): 311-351. McGee, James P., Anne S. Mavor, and Christopher D. Wickens, eds. Flight to the Future:: Human Factors in Air Traffic Control. National Academies Press, 1997. Stevenson, William J., and Chee Chuong Sum. Operations management. Vol. 8. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2009. William Moore, Developing an Emergency Operations Center, (ICMA, Washington, DC 1998) 5. Yang, ShuangHua, X. Chen, and J. L. Alty. "Design issues and implementation of internet-based process control systems." Control engineering practice 11.6 (2003): 709-720. Read More