4 minute read
The Strategy Space
When running a crisis simulation, students used a room in the basement of Heth Hall, equipped with a single projector. Now, students are using two of the most technologically capable rooms on campus.
The third floor of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences (CHBS) building on the campus of Radford University houses two unique learning spaces — the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Social Media Watch Center.
A primary function of an EOC is to have key decisionmakers come together — in a technologically capable space — and figure out how to resolve a crisis. The focus inside of an EOC is on strategy rather than on tactical details in how to specifically resolve a crisis.
These are skills that Criminal Justice Department Chair Stephen Owen teaches students in his emergency preparedness courses. Owen’s courses utilize both new learning spaces on campus through crisis simulations, typically held at the end of each semester.
“These are flexible spaces that bring together key decision makers to help provide both assistance and coordination for an ongoing incident,” Owen said. “Each scenario has different needs which an EOC helps to support.”
Part of the robustness needed for a successful operation lies within efficient — yet effective —communication between the EOC and the social media watch center.
“As persons in the watch center review incoming data, they can alert the incident commander to important information, and the EOC can pull the same data on its screens,” Owen said
A temptation that comes with having access to a multitude of raw information is to pass along everything to the incident commander. During a crisis, it is important for the people inside of the watch center to serve as an information filter for the incident commander.
“The incident commander only needs to know what they need to know to do their job,” Owen said. “Someone needs to filter that. Raw data should be coming into the watch center, which can then be in communication with the EOC to build situational awareness.”
Some of the information that is posted to the video boards will pertain to computeraided dispatch feed, pending calls, photos from the scene, a map of the incident area and incident objectives.
Owen and his classes use the EOC to conduct professional emergency preparedness exercises. Each scenario differs and takes students through an emergency in a safe environment.
“The simulations allow students to apply emergency management concepts. Mistakes can be corrected now as students get comfortable with the relevant frameworks, so when they are at an actual scene, they can make better decisions and judgments when it really matters,” Owen said.
The EOC is an enormous step forward as an educational space at Radford University.
“We looked at actual EOCs when in the design phase,” Owen said. “We wanted to give students the ability to work in a professional environment that will mirror what they will see out in the field.”
All fields and careers will deal with emergencies — either directly or indirectly — while on the job.
“I think this helps for them to know what is going on behind the scenes at the command post,” Owen said.
“When they are in a scenario, even if they are not a commander or on the command team, they will have a context for why things are happening and how they fit into the incident command structure. It is a very real professional skill.”
Loaded with NUVI software, the Social Media Watch Center can analyze various social media platforms to search for trends, opinion leaders and origins of posts. The software can sort the data by emotion or sentiment. Each region is highlighted in either green, red or blue as a quick-reference for the sentiment behind each post.
School of Communication Assistant Professor John Brummette, who works with Owen on crisis simulations, applies the software to analyze trends, all in real-time. Having the analytical power of the NUVI software allows students to understand and harness the data to spot potential branding issues or respond to a crisis.
Criminal Justice and the School of Communication capped off the first year in the new CHBS building with a three-hour crisis simulation.
“Students work with the theories, concepts and technologies that guide professional practice. Being able to do so in a facility that parallels those in the workplace allows them to better be prepared for their chosen careers,” said Owen. ■
