Thursday, 17 May 2012
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Government Security
Emergency preparedness lowers death toll in Korea
Korea reduced average disaster death toll by 79 per cent with its two-prong preemptive climate change response, said Dr Yeon-Soo Park, Administrator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Of the disasters reported globally, 38 per cent of them occur in Asia Pacific. However, this region accounts for 89 per cent of disaster victims worldwide, according to a 2010 report by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Total mortality from tropical cyclones and floods is the highest here compared to anywhere else in the world.
“Korea is extremely concerned about the effects of climate change because of the massive losses in human lives and property,” Dr Park told over 100 senior leaders in government and critical infrastructure at FutureGov’s Disaster Management Response and Recovery Forum 2010.
Park explained the escalating pressure faced by the Korean government: “the rise in temperature in our country is almost double that of the global average of 0.74 degree celsius. And the sea-surface temperature is increasing at 1.4 degree celsius in Korea, compared to the average of 0.5.”
In response to this risk, the National Emergency Management Agency was formed in 2004. Its strategy was to strengthen the national disaster management system and its response capacity.
Legislation and organisational structure is essential to lay a strong foundation for Korea’s national disaster management system, according to Dr Park. “We have 19 acts covering prevention and response of all types of emergencies and disasters, such as earthquakes, hazardous materials, wind and flood, small river improvement, and so on.”
NEMA’s 550 employees take on the various functions in training, standards, legislation, system development and such during ‘peace’ time. When an emergency occurs, NEMA transforms into a unified control tower for 230 local government agencies, 202 fire stations and 38 central agencies. This structure – of centralising during critical times – increases efficiency while keeping cost low.
The Korean government observed that it has spent large amount of money every year in recovery after a disaster happens. From 1998 to 2007, natural disasters cost the country damages of US$1.9 billion and recovery cost of US$3.1 billion annually.
“We want to move from ‘cost of recovery’ to ‘investment in prevention and mitigation’. Last year (2009), disaster prevention funds surpassed 1 trillion Korean won (US$861 million). It provided us with the opportunity to make this paradigm shift in policy from recovery to prevention,” he added.
Dr Park believes that technology will play a key role in the strengthening of Korea’s response capacity. “The Korean government developed a comprehensive disaster information system fro disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. Other systems include automated rainfall warning system, automated disaster damage survey system, TV broadcasting system and earthquake response system,” he concluded.
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1 Comments
On 22 September 2010 Marc-Alexis Remond wrote:
Dr Park’s comment on moving the “cost of recovery” to “investment in prevention and mitigation” is a clear demonstration of the transformation of emergency services in this part of the world. Because Asian Governments are faced with more and more types of emergencies to deal with - natural disasters, health hazards and security threats - Public safety and security agencies have been tasked to provide an ever-widening array of services, while simultaneously reducing operating costs through increased efficiency and productivity.
As a result, many government agencies have invested in tools and infrastructure to respond to these requirements – on demand. For instance, Emergency Services teams today depend on high definition video conferencing and immersive telepresence solutions for all aspects of emergency management - Mitigation and Preparedness; Detection and Analysis; Response and Recovery – and Operations Continuity.
• Mitigation and Preparedness: Improve skills by dramatically increasing the number of virtual workshops, seminars, and learning sessions; by extending the reach of a single instructor to many students in distributed locations; by distributing training program; and by tapping into the expertise of field experts and of professionals at training institutions throughout the world
• Detection and Analysis: Generate increased operational effectiveness by enabling decision makers and emergency responders to implement operations plans and manage crisis situations confidently with access to intelligence information and decision makers
• Response and Recovery: Ensure efficient and coordinated response by rapidly and accurately assess the situation and produce a real-time common operational picture and enable instant access to people and information to improve coordination and information sharing for emergency responders.
• Operations Continuity: By deploying telework and mobility solutions for daily communications, governments at all levels can continue to function adequately and provide essential services in the event of a lengthy pandemic or other major disaster.
The benefits of video conferencing and video content management—systems that enable the recording, archiving and streaming of video and audio footage – have been widely recognized by world-class emergency services teams. Such proven technologies enable personnel to be better prepared, to quickly assess situations and securely communicate face-to-face in any environment, whether on-base or in the field – ensuring rapid and informed decision-making for greater mission success. At the same time, by enabling high-quality voice and visual communications in any environment, Governments can promote enhanced operational efficiency and sustainability.
Click on the link below to watch some key applications in emergency management.
http://www.polycom.asia/company/customer_success/by_industry/government.html?vid=Video_oklahoma_success_story