Although
social science studies of Search and Rescue have
been
conducted for nearly fifty years, there are currently
no systematic studies
examining
the operation of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue
task forces
and
their integration and functioning with local fire
departments,
emergency
medical units, and other local agencies during the
response
period
of major emergencies. This lack of knowledge of
the USAR system
is
what prompts the DRC to carry out a three-year study
on the
effectiveness
of search and rescue USAR deployments in order to
assess
pre
and post impact capabilities and adaptabilities
of institutions, their
ability
to work together in supra-organizational efforts,
and the relative
effectiveness
of emergency management systems.
The
objectives of this study are:
1) Analyze the relationship among FEMA
USAR taskforces, FEMA
support
personnel, DoD support personnel, volunteers, local
agencies on
site,
and state emergency management offices and other
state and regional
agencies
active in the search and rescue sites, so as to
understand the
evolving
and emergent inter-organizational dynamics and the
interaction of
organizational
cultures.
2) Analyze the relationship between
civilian agencies and participants
involved
in SAR rescue operations and law enforcement agencies
during
USAR
deployments resulting from terrorist or criminal
activity, to identify
the
areas of conflict, changes in SAR operations resulting
from the
presence
of law enforcement agencies at the sites, and reinforcement
relative
to organizational cultures, information, training
and purpose.
3) Determine the extent to which the
emergent multi-organizational SAR
systems
during actual USAR deployments replicate the prevailing
consensus
In the social science literature regarding the presence
of
volunteer
and emergent group response and their importance
in rescuing
survivors,
the difficulties established organizations have
in integrating
volunteers
into their work, and the problems of managing rescue
activities
involving
independent, autonomous organizations.
4) Develop a description of the types of
collective actors that are present
during
actual USAR deployments, particularly noting the
timing of their
actions,
their length of operations at the sites, and the
reasons for the
cessation
of their activities
5) Identify examples of social actors
showing combinations of
relationships
and expertise and develop a sense of what they did
during
various
deployments.
6) Understand the operation of the
emergency medical system during
deployments,
particularly the securing and routing of injured
persons and
their
transportation to medical facilities.
Results
of this study will be interpreted in light of accumulated
knowledge
in
the sociology of disasters, allowing us to provide
local and federal
government
agencies as well as private organizations with a
useful
blueprint
to follow during participation in SAR operations.
This provision
of
guidance will be an important benefit for society,
in that it will improve
disaster
response programs at the local, state, and federal
levels. This
project
is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation.
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