Emergency Management Ethical Dilemma
Based upon the ethical guidelines listed in box 12.7 of your text, give an example of an ethical dilemma that may arise for an emergency manager. Based upon a real or imagined disaster, describe the stakeholders involved, and the nature of the ethical dilemma.
Taking on the role of an Emergency Manager, how would you resolve the ethical dilemma?
Emergency management itself is a human-centered profession, and the primary concern of the emergency manager, should be the reduction of suffering. Seeing mankind at it’s worst can take a toll on an individual, but emergency managers have to be trained to strive in those moments, because that’s what the profession is all about. A glaring example of an ethical dilemma that may arise for an emergency manager would be in the response phase to Hurricane Katrina. Thousands of people lost all they had as a result of Hurricane Katrina, families were displaced causing schools to accept an influx of children into their districts that were never intended to be their. Society and emergency management personnel during the wake of Katrina treated the people of New Orleans as if they were objects rather than human beings. This was reflected in institutions response, and aid and recovery efforts. Since the citizens of New Orleans were seen as individuals who lived below the poverty line, they weren’t placed at the top of the list of priorities, but were treated as if they were second-class citizens.
This leads me to the role of emergency managers in these scenarios. Take for instance the ethical considerations for the timely collection of data following a disaster. A task like this becomes more complex as the level of chaos, stress, and uncertainty among survivors and the institutional actors who must address their needs increases emergency managers conduct disaster research, (Barron Ausbrooks, Barrett, & Martinez-Cosio, 2009). Emergency managers must understand that their disaster studies are critical to decision-making and policy development in preparation for future crisis, but they must also understand they need to balance that within the limits of fulfilling stakeholders needs when disaster victims are in need of help. Stakeholders may push for priority, which in turn may give way to a breach in ethics by emergency managers.
The example I provided above falls under the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) ethical standards. Our textbook states under the IAEM ethics that it’s important to:
- Avoiding conflict of interests resulting in personal gain or advantage at the expense of the public, one’s peers and employer;
- Conserving and protecting resources through effective use of funds, accurate assessment of potential hazards, and timely decision making, (Phillips, Neal, & Webb, 2017).
The events following the lack luster response to Katrina, brought to light things like the need for improved communications and planning at all levels of government, and the longer-term needs for families facings natural disasters. The Federal, state and local government failed the citizens who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Living by a code of ethics presented by the IAEM will help prioritize the individual human being who suffering, over that of the stakeholders and emergency managers and the companies they work for priorities.
References
Barron Ausbrooks, C., Barrett, E., & Martinez-Cosio, M. (2009). Ethical Issues in Disaster Research: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina. Population Research & Policy Review, 28(1), 93-106. doi:10.1007/s11113-008-9112-7
Phillips, B. D., Neal, D. M., & Webb, G. R. (2017). Introduction to emergency management, 2nd edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
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