Insights for Managing Emergencies Series Introduction

Since completing a Master of Science in Emergency Services Administration at California State University, Long Beach while fighting forest fires around the country, I have been interested in theory and its potential to offer fresh insight into the planning, organization, and management of emergencies. Over the past several years, I have studied academic writings on design, systems, transition studies, management, and organization while searching for any insights that might be useful in managing emergencies to include emergency and incident management. So far, I have applied this exploration to conference talks, work with Save the Children, the creation of a forthcoming Introduction to Systems Thinking self-study course for the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Defense and Homeland Security, and a few a publications.

This series will provide a summarized reading of theory from academic sources that may not normally fall within the scope of the related literature and draw out key insights that offer direction for innovative practice. Each post will offer an overview of a piece of writing varying from an excerpt to a chapter or article before offering a perspective on its possible practical applications to the management of emergencies. The first goal is to provide a foundation for advancing practice at the level of organization, management, and planning. At the same time, I aim to connect readers with concepts outside of the typical boundaries of emergency and incident management to further increase the diversity of ideas within both fields. These goals will provide an overarching direction for this series.  

The series title "Insights for Managing Emergencies" and the repeated use of the phrase "managing emergencies" are intentional choices made to speak to the emergency and incident management communities collectively as many of the insights are applicable in both arenas. I hope you will follow along with the series as I continue to explore the wonderful world of theory searching for its practical applications. If you have a post you would like to contribute, please let me know!