D1.3. Report on the role of main stakeholders in crisis situations

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of deliverable 1.3 “Report on the role of main stakeholders in crisis situations” is for COSMIC to examine the role of the different emergency response agencies before and during crisis situations, and to focus on the communication challenges they face during those situations. The presentation of two case studies illustrates the differences between various services throughout the European Union and identifies common challenges. This is followed by an examination of the different emergency services – the fire department, health services, and the police – as well as other organisations (such as private companies, NGO’s and volunteer organisations), in which the aims of the COSMIC project are considered. The central question in this deliverable is: how can emergency agencies as well as the general public benefit from new and emerging information technologies and applications in the event of a crisis?

The report shows that new and emerging communication technologies may benefit the safety
and security of EU citizens in two different ways:

• First, new and emerging communication technologies and applications may be used to improve the communication with EU citizens and news media before crises (risk communication) and during crises (crisis communication).
• Second, new and emerging communication technologies and applications may be used to assist communication and information gathering for emergency response agencies as well as information sharing between those who respond at the scene of the event (first responders).

Though emergency response agencies differ in organisational structure, funding and tasks
throughout Europe, partners have investigated several common communication challenges.
These challenges are:

• Understanding of disaster management among the public
• Evolved management of information to the media and the public
• Early warning capabilities
• Acquisition of information from external sources
• Efficient ways to gather data from responders
• Volunteer management
• Harmonization of language and terminology
• Sharing and implementing lessons and best practices
• Interagency information sharing
• Responder communications in remote areas
• Retention of information and log-keeping
• Psycho-social support, intervention strategies
• Coordination challenges

Aside from the organisation and tasks, these challenges are more or less relevant for every emergency response agency. However, for every agency, several specific challenges can also be distinguished. This particularly applies to the fire department, as this service is often regarded in European member states as the key player in crisis and disaster management. Specific challenges that are emphasized in the chapter on the fire department include communication with citizens located within buildings, communication with citizens in areas that are difficult to access and communication with citizens during specific types of disasters, such as major fires or forest fires. Examples of the use of new technologies and applications show how the fire department tries to handle communication challenges.
After all, particular conclusions are drawn for the different agencies and organisations involved in, on the one hand the preparation phase of crisis management, while on the other hand the response phases:

• Police, fire department and health services are organised differently throughout the European Union. Differences in legal shapes and forms of governments affect what emergency response agencies can actually do in the event of a crises. Furthermore, the communication challenges they face depend on the tasks they have.
• Despite the differences, the opportunities for improvement for the emergency response agencies are quite comparable, both between different types and different EU member states. New technologies and applications can improve risk communication, crisis communication as well as prediction capabilities of crisis situations in different member states.
• The effectiveness of risk and crisis communication is often unrelated to the device or technology that is utilised, but rather related to how it is used. Often, the speed with which messages and information are made and communicated is essential.
• Challenges that emergency response agencies need to overcome in order to benefit from new and emerging technologies and applications are quite universal for EU member states and between different emergency response agencies.