Education in Disaster Management: What Do We Offer and What Do We Need? Proposing a New Global Program

Area of Science:

• Disaster Management
• Public Health Preparedness
• Emergency Response Training

Background:

• Post-disaster reviews reveal recurring issues like poor integration and inadequate training for disaster managers.
• Existing disaster management approaches require significant re-evaluation and enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address deficiencies in disaster response by developing a new educational framework.
• To identify essential competencies for effective disaster management.

Main Methods:

• Conducted an in-depth review of existing responder and disaster manager education and training.
• Performed an extensive review of educational competencies and domains identified by subject matter experts.

Main Results:

• Identified seven critical domains of competency and specific competencies for disaster managers.
• Developed a new, evolving curriculum based on these identified competencies.
• Defined measurable objectives for assessing competency mastery at various managerial levels.

Conclusions:

• The developed curriculum fosters interagency cooperation and collaboration.
• It aims to improve decision-makers' understanding of disaster manager capabilities.
• The program serves as a valuable tool for strategic/tactical enhancement, operational development, and continuing education for disaster managers.