The importance of critical thinking skills in disaster management
Abstract
The adverse circumstances occasioned by disasters rarely remain static but rather continue to evolve, temporally and spatially, rendering preplanned response operations uncertain, at best, and ineffectual, at worst. As such, disaster management professionals need to think critically to implement response strategies best suited to the circumstances at hand, with the best available information. This paper provides an overview of critical thinking, and its importance in helping leaders provide order to the chaos often associated with disaster response and recovery efforts. Critical thinking skills include the ability to identify and define a problem, recognise assumptions, evaluate arguments, and apply inductive and deductive reasoning to draw conclusions from the available information. Understanding and improving a leader’s critical thinking skills helps to provide a sense of confidence, trust and authority during a community-wide crisis. As such, emergency management professionals must continually enhance their critical thinking skills.
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Author's Biography
Joseph Albanese received his PhD from McGill University, Department of Medicine, in 1998. Currently, Dr. Albanese serves as the Radiation Biodosimetrist for the Yale New Haven Health System Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response (YNHHS-CEPDR) and the State of Connecticut. Joseph is an experienced research investigator who holds an appointment at Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Therapeutic Radiology.
James Paturas is the Deputy Director for the Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response, with over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. He is also Associate Director for the International Collaborating Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response. As the Director of Ambulatory Development and Emergency Medical Services for Bridgeport Hospital for over 20 years, he served as the chairman of the hospital’s emergency management committee. He is the Past President of the American College of Contingency Planners and Past President of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. Mr Paturas currently serves on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning and Inside Homeland Security. He is also a Certified Emergency Manager and Fellow of the American College of Contingency Planners.
Citation
Albanese, Joseph and Paturas, James (2018, June 1). The importance of critical thinking skills in disaster management. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 11, Issue 4. https://doi.org/10.69554/TSSX1591.
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