Back-to-back crises have forced many governments to develop robust Resilience strategies. But words on paper are one thing. Serious innovation is also needed to implement resilience-enhancing strategies, revolving as they do around collaboration and data sharing. Which innovations matter most?
Three key emergency management software capabilities to consider:
Mobile critical event management command
For starters, COVID induced a massive shift in the way people work, communicate, and collaborate, with emergency management deeply impacted when Managers couldn’t congregate in person. As a result, virtual Emergency Operations Centers came into vogue to better support collaboration.
Turns out these virtual EOCs are mobile first. In other words, they are optimized for mobile users with dashboards resizing for mobile devices. Further supportive of collaboration, virtual EOCs facilitate mobile command, clarifying appropriate duties, education, training, license currency, and equipment for relevant roles.
Mobile critical event command also gives emergency managers a head start on activating their response plans when disaster strikes, with role responsibilities for Incident Command System positions, action plans, and the like.
Self-improving management systems
The systems virtual EOCs run on are also relevant for supporting collaboration and data sharing.
Why’s that? Well, emergency managers are increasingly looking for multi-use case solutions, finding it difficult to get business cases approved for single-use solutions, whether for collaboration or information capture. Instead, self-improving management systems come equipped with workflows that support key emergency response tasks; keeping staff focused on the response, instead of paperwork.
Workflows supportive of collaboration and data sharing include:
- Escalating emergency warning to incidents and tracking those incidents through their entire lifecycle
- Automatically alerting stakeholders through helpful message templates
- Creating Incident Action Plans
- Requesting and tracking resources, as well as assigning tasks
- Capturing relevant information through forms tailored to specific roles
- Mapping incidents, resources, assets, and critical infrastructure
- Assessing Community Lifelines to ensure stability of lifesaving public services
Best practice out-of-the-box
The solutions themselves allow for continuous improvement in collaboration and data sharing, as well, by bringing in more data sets and out-of-the-box processes in line with the best-practice frameworks, such as the PDCA management cycle.
However, these best practices might change. As a result, an emergency management software capability to consider is ongoing access to best practice, rather than one-off implementations, which get stale.
Besides giving agencies continuing value from access to updated best practices, this model operationalizes collaboration and data-sharing best practices in digital form. That way practitioners logging into virtual EOCs get a clear understanding of what’s going on, what they need to do in their role, and what tools they have in front of them to undertake the role immediately.
Finally, emergency managers and critical event management practitioners have long been ahead of the curve when it comes to sizing up new opportunities. But they’ll need to keep pushing for innovation in emergency management software if they’re to remain ahead of the rapidly deteriorating crisis picture. For capabilities besides mobile CEM, self-improving management systems, and access to best practice that matter, check out our Buyer’s Guide to Emergency Management Software.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)