The SERIES model: development of a practitioner focused emergency response evaluation system

Abstract

PurposeEffective Emergency Response Management (ERM) system evaluation is vital to the process of continual improvement within emergency response organizations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate if an entire ERM system can be captured and encoded within a standardized framework.Design/methodology/approachEmploying an exploratory approach the authors apply a mixed methods case study design and inductive reasoning to analyse documentary evidence provided during the inquest into the London Bombings 2005. The authors use content analysis to investigate the nature of ERM system data availability and apply principals of Network Theory to iteratively develop a framework within which data can be encoded.FindingsThe authors find that complex ERM system data can be captured and stored within a standardized framework. The authors present a conceptual framework and multi-stage mixed methods process, the Standardized Emergency Response Incident Evaluation System (SERIES) model, to support data collection, storage and interpretation. The findings demonstrate that ERM system evaluation can benefit from the adoption of a standardized mixed-methods approach employing data transformation and triangulation. The authors also demonstrate the potential of the proposed standardized model, by integrating qualitative and quantitative data, to support interpretation and reporting through the use of appropriate data visualization.Originality/valueThe SERIES model provides a practical tool and procedural guidelines to capture and share vital ERM system data and information across all emergency services. It also presents an opportunity to develop a large comprehensive multi-incident dataset to support academic inquiry and partnership between academics and practitioners.

A picture paints a thousand words: supporting organizational learning in the emergency services with data visualization

“…Using a multi-stage mixed methods approach, the first stage of research was designed to identify what data is required to understand an ERM system and to provide guidance for data collection. We proposed an initial model framework, the Standardized Emergency Response Incident Evaluation System (SERIES) model (Figure 1) (Holdsworth & Zagorecki, 2020).…”

“…Our research seeks to address OL in the emergency services by supporting practitioner evaluation of emergency response. Building on earlier research where we developed and tested a model for data collection and analysis (Holdsworth & Zagorecki, 2020), in this stage of research, we investigate the use of data visualization to support the evaluation of Supporting organizational learning emergency response data by practitioners. We consider how visualization of data can communicate what actually occurred during the response (the context and subject to be learnt from) and its utility in generating summative and formative comment regarding the response itself (the learning outcomes identified).…”

How did fire and rescue services (and HMICFRS) in England respond to the COVID-19 pandemic?

“…In most countries, central and local governments as well as organisations responding to disasters are involved in emergency planning and response. In practice, however, the responsibility for emergencies tends to be assigned to organisations involved in emergency preparation and response at the local level (Henstra, 2010; Holdsworth and Zagorecki, 2020). This is because the three blue light emergency services (police, fire and ambulance services) are the first services who deal with an emergency.…”

“…This paper will therefore explore how fire and rescue services in England have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, during the period of the pandemic between March 2020 and the end of January 2021, when mass vaccination roll-out was established. It draws on the literature on emergency services response in relation to recent events of national significance in the UK and North America and contributes to the developing theoretical and conceptual work on practitioner focused evaluation of emergency management frameworks (Hamilton and Toh, 2010; Henstra, 2010; Holdsworth and Zagorecki, 2020). More significantly, it examines the form and nature of local services collaborations with the police, ambulance and other public services during the emergency and how effective their emergency planning arrangements prepared them to respond by drawing on the documents related to the fire and rescue service response to the COVID-19 pandemic.…”