The “zero responders” – bystanders who proactively assist – play a pivotal role in the immediate response to crisis. They can be key players in preventing, reporting and containing a violent incident.
Visitor numbers to national parks are increasing. It means masses of people are being funnelled into potentially dangerous locations for which they may be unprepared.
Twitter was blocked in Turkey for about 12 hours at the height of rescue and relief efforts in the aftermath of a massive earthquake, severely hampering a vital tool for disaster response.
Again, thousands of residents in Western Sydney face a life-threatening flood disaster. Obviously, nature is a major culprit – but other drivers are also at play.
More 9/11 responders died from physical and mental health issues after the terrorist attacks than on the day itself. And survivors are still suffering 20 years later.
Australian emergency services are using social media for a number of purposes during disasters. What they are not doing well is analysing social media data in real time to improve disaster management.
Emergency service workers already have poorer mental health than the rest of us. In the wake of this bushfire crisis, we need to make the well-being of our first responders a top priority.
Volunteer numbers are shrinking in rural areas, leaving fewer people to battle bushfires. We need to change our thinking about volunteering to recruit more firefighters and keep the ones we have.
Paramedics face traumatic situations every day. They need policies to ensure support is provided in the immediate aftermath of trauma, and early access to mental health care.
Terrorist attacks are increasingly unpredictable. Manchester provides a key lesson in identifying how the gap between hypothetical plans and the reality of incidents is widening.