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Nyame-Asiamah F, Boasu BY, Kawalek P, Buor D. Improving fire risk communication between authorities and micro-entrepreneurs: A mental models study of Ghanaian central market fires. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2023; 43:451-466. [PMID: 35294062 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study conceptualizes how fire management authorities can empower nonexpert public to participate in fire risk communication processes and increase their own responsibilities for managing fire preventive, protective and recovery processes effectively. Drawing narratives from 10 disaster management experts working at government institutions and nine micro-entrepreneurs operating self-sustaining businesses in different merchandized lines in Ghana, we analyzed the data thematically and explored new insights on mental models to generate a two-way fire risk communication model. The findings suggest that fire management authorities planned fire disasters at the strategic level, collaborated with multiple stakeholders, disseminated information through many risk communication methods, and utilized their capabilities to manage fire at the various stages of fire risk communication, but the outcomes were poor. The micro-entrepreneurs sought to improve fire management outcomes through attitude change, law enforcement actions, strengthened security and better public trust building. The study has implications for policymakers, governments, and risk communication authorities of developing countries to strengthen their fire disaster policies to minimize commercial fire incidents and address the damaging effects of fire on people's livelihoods, businesses, properties, and environments. Our proposed two-way fire risk communication model is a new theoretical lens for experts and the nonexpert public to assess each other's beliefs about risk information and manage fire risk communication effectively at all stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Nyame-Asiamah
- Leicester Castle Business School, De Montfort University, Leicester, England
| | - Bismark Yeboah Boasu
- Department of Geography, SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, Wa, Ghana
| | - Peter Kawalek
- Centre for Information Management, School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University, Loughborough, England
| | - Daniel Buor
- Department of Geography and Rural Development, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Thomas M, Klemm C, Hutchins B, Kaufman S. Emergency risk communication and sensemaking during smoke events: A survey of practitioners. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2023; 43:358-371. [PMID: 35191053 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Emergency risk communication (ERC) for smoke emitted from major fires continues to challenge governments. During these events, practitioners (including scientific, communication, and emergency response government staff) are tasked with quickly making sense of the public health risks and the communication options available. Practitioners' sensemaking-the process of creating meaning from information about an unfolding emergency-is key to effective ERC. This article identifies the factors that ERC practitioners consider the most important to their sensemaking for smoke events. A survey of practitioners (n = 86) was conducted to elicit their views on the level of importance of 22 different factors (individual, organizational, and contextual) on their sensemaking. The results indicate that the majority of the factors tested are very important to practitioners. This finding likely reflects the multidimensional nature of emergency smoke events and provides evidence as to why practitioners are challenged when trying to make sense of emergency situations. Despite multiple factors being considered very important to practitioners, the time-limited nature of emergencies means that practitioners will inevitability be forced to prioritize in their sensemaking efforts. Our results also provide insight into practitioners' prioritization of different information sources. Specifically, practitioners prioritize their own knowledge and the knowledge of other practitioners. The two most important factors were information from other incident management stakeholders and the practitioners' past experience. Other information, including community-based and academic knowledge, appear to be of lower priority for practitioners. Based on the study results, recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Thomas
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Celine Klemm
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Brett Hutchins
- School of Media, Film & Journalism, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Stefan Kaufman
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Thomas M, Klemm C, Hutchins B, Kaufman S. Unpacking the Realities and Complexities of Sensemaking: Government Practitioners' Experiences of Emergency Risk Communication. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2022; 42:2536-2549. [PMID: 34569091 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
During public health emergencies, government practitioners must rapidly make sense of the risk to human health and the emergency risk communication (ERC) options available. These practitioners determine what, how, and when information is communicated to the public. Recurring criticism of ERC indicates that the communication is not meeting the needs of the community. To improve ERC practice, it is therefore critical to understand practitioners' sensemaking in these complex and time-critical settings. This article unpacks the realities and complexities of sensemaking, the process by which practitioners create meaning from the information they receive about an emergency as it unfolds. Qualitative interviews gathered practitioners' lived experiences of public health emergencies, namely, smoke events (e.g., wildfires and industrial facility fires), and thematic analysis drew on sensemaking literature. The evidence shows that sensemaking is challenging, as practitioners experience pressure from the emergency context and organizational, political, and social expectations. Sensemaking for ERC comes with an underlying imperative to accurately make sense of the situation, in a timely manner and in a way that leads to the best health outcomes. Practitioners must balance creating plausible meaning (sensemaking) with the accuracy expected by stakeholders. The analysis also highlights how sensemaking scope is delimited by professional expert identities and roles within the emergency management system; that is, practitioners' understanding of their expertise and role, and that of other practitioners. Past lived experiences are viewed as key facilitators of both individual and collective sensemaking, and the history of similar public health events shapes sensemaking in this context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Thomas
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Celine Klemm
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Brett Hutchins
- School of Media, Film & Journalism, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Stefan Kaufman
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Marfori MT, Campbell SL, Garvey K, McKeown S, Veitch M, Wheeler AJ, Borchers-Arriagada N, Johnston FH. Public Health Messaging During Extreme Smoke Events: Are We Hitting the Mark? Front Public Health 2020; 8:465. [PMID: 32984250 PMCID: PMC7492534 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Emergency services working to protect communities from harm during wildfires aim to provide regular public advisories on the hazards from fire and smoke. However, there are few studies evaluating the success of public health communications regarding the management of smoke exposure. We explored the responses to smoke-related health advisories of people living in a severely smoke-affected region during extensive wildfires in Tasmania, Australia early in 2019. We also evaluated the acceptability of portable high efficiency particle air (HEPA) cleaners used in study participant's homes during the smoky period. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 households in the Huon Valley region of Tasmania following a severe smoke episode. These households were initially recruited into a HEPA cleaner study. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for common themes using an inductive framework approach. Results: Public health messaging during the 2019 wildfire event in Tasmania was widely shared and understood, with social media playing a central role. However, some participants expressed concerns about the timeliness and effectiveness of the recommended interventions, and some would have appreciated more detailed information about the health risks from smoke. Public messages and actions to protect households from wildfire threat were, at times, contradictory or dominated in coverage over the smoke messaging, and many participants were conflicted with the multiple public messages and action relating to the more serious perceived threat from the fire. Conclusions: Public messaging about smoke and health should continue to use multiple avenues of communication, with a focus on simple messages provided through social media. Messaging about the smoke hazard should be available from a trusted central source regarding all aspects of the wildfire emergency, with links to more detailed information including local air quality data alongside interpretation of the associated health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Therese Marfori
- Environmental Health Group, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.,Public Health Services, Department of Health, Tasmanian Government, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Sharon L Campbell
- Environmental Health Group, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.,Public Health Services, Department of Health, Tasmanian Government, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Kate Garvey
- Public Health Services, Department of Health, Tasmanian Government, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Scott McKeown
- Public Health Services, Department of Health, Tasmanian Government, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Mark Veitch
- Public Health Services, Department of Health, Tasmanian Government, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Amanda J Wheeler
- Environmental Health Group, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.,Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicolas Borchers-Arriagada
- Environmental Health Group, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Fay H Johnston
- Environmental Health Group, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.,Public Health Services, Department of Health, Tasmanian Government, Hobart, TAS, Australia
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