03923nam a2200493 a 4500 ebr10425080 CaPaEBR m u cr cn||||||||| 100617s2010 caua sb 000 0 eng 2010024680 0833050052 (pbk. : alk. paper) 9780833050052 (pbk. : alk. paper) CaPaEBR CaPaEBR (OCoLC)676699037 n-us--- HV551.3 .J328 2010eb 363.34/80684 22 MG-994-FEMA Jackson, Brian A., 1972- Evaluating the reliability of emergency response systems for large-scale incident operations [electronic resource] / Brian A. Jackson, Kay Sullivan Faith, Henry H. Willis. Santa Monica, CA : RAND, 2010. xxiv, 199 p., 1 folded flowchart : ill. (chiefly col.). RAND Corporation monograph series "This research was sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and conducted under the auspices of the RAND Homeland Security and Defense Center, a joint center of the RAND National Security Research Division and RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment." -- T.p. verso. Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-199). The ability to measure emergency preparedness - to predict the likely performance of emergency response systems in future events - is critical for policy analysis in homeland security. Yet it remains difficult to know how prepared a response system is to deal with large-scale incidents, whether it be a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or industrial or transportation accident. This research draws on the fields of systems analysis and engineering to apply the concept of system reliability to the evaluation of emergency response systems. The authors describe a method for modeling an emergency response system; identifying how individual parts of the system might fail; and assessing the likelihood of each failure and the severity of its effects on the overall response effort. The authors walk the reader through two applications of this method: a simplified example in which responders must deliver medical treatment to a certain number of people in a specified time window, and a more complex scenario involving the release of chlorine gas. The authors also describe an exploratory analysis in which they parsed a set of after-action reports describing real-world incidents, to demonstrate how this method can be used to quantitatively analyze data on past response performance. The authors conclude with a discussion of how this method of measuring emergency response system reliability could inform policy discussion of emergency preparedness, how system reliability might be improved, and the costs of doing so. --From publisher description. Electronic reproduction. Palo Alto, Calif. : ebrary, 2013. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ebrary affiliated libraries. Emergency management United States Evaluation. Preparedness Evaluation. Incident command systems United States. Assistance in emergencies United States. Emergency communication systems United States. Electronic books. local Faith, Kay Sullivan. Willis, Henry H. United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency. RAND Homeland Security and Defense Center. Rand Corporation. National Security Research Division. Rand Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment (Organization) ebrary, Inc. Rand Corporation monograph series. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/rucke/Doc?id=10425080 An electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click to view 238640 238640