Behavioural Foundations of Community Emergency Planning

Because of the public's increased demands for effective planning and response to community-wide crisis, emergency management has become an increasingly important activity in modern society. Advances in technology have made it possible to detect, monitor, and transmit hazard data more accurately and rapidly than ever before. In addition, development of environmental and engineering systems theory has been matched by advances in the understanding of social systems. Despite this wealth of knowledge, however, the diffusion of scientific information and innovative planning practices has been sluggish. The purpose of this book is to address the need for integration of research findings that are directly relevant to the preparedness and response to community-wide environmental emergencies. The text falls into three categories; the history, context, and overall process of community emergency planning; the public's behaviour in response to warnings, and lastly, the point that emergency planning is a community effort. Meant as a source document for basic planning concepts, current emergency response practices and social science data, this book is intended to enable emergency organizations to effectively protect the public's health, safety, and property in community-wide emergencies.