The Terminology of Dangerous Events: Implications for Key Decision Maker Training

Abstract

This paper is based on the author's recent PhD research. The research used an anthropological style of ethnographic enquiry in order to understand and facilitate training for the principal emergency services. The research focused on the management roles of key decision makers, particularly in the context of multi-service response to crisis.

The British emergency services employ highly-structured and acknowledged response models for major incidents. These are usually described as ‘Command and Control’, ‘Gold/Silver and Bronze’, or ‘Tactical, Strategic and Operational’. The paper reports on research which questions the utility of a structured response to crisis events for both real and simulated training situations.

This paper will consider the popular use of terminology relating to the management of dangerous events. Three terms are offered as working conceptual categories for understanding and improving the response to dangerous events: ‘emergency’, ‘crisis' and ‘disaster’. The utility of this distinction is also considered in terms of a clarity of goals for the design of simulation training tools.