Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy
Conclusions
The MEMA case illustrates the importance of leveraging relationships between a state emergency management agency and private sector stakeholders . The Agency ’ s experience during the pandemic highlights the ways in which organizations with different needs and capacities can partner to collaboratively solve problems in pursuit of a common goal .
Maryland Business Emergency Operations Center activities over five months of the pandemic was integral to the State ’ s overall response . It provides a model for the future . In support of consequence management operations these efforts included conducting regular outreach , coordinating conference calls , arranging bulk donations of resources , and developing a common understanding of incident priorities across stakeholder groups . The result of these and other accomplishments was effective integration of public and private sector organizations throughout the initial months of the pandemic .
Rather than continuing to confront a perpetual cycle of disasters , public and private sector agencies need to apply the vigor and focus exhibited in the pandemic to other disaster risk reduction priorities . Emergency managers are well suited to address complex interrelated issues , leveraging their consensus building and networking skills . But resilience is a shared responsibility across all sectors of the community . Emergency managers should capitalize on their relationships with private sector organizations in an effort to make significant progress in breaking the cycle of disaster .
Today ’ s complex hazards require an approach rooted in innovation and partnerships . Beyond that , in alignment with BRIC ’ s guiding principles , it would be productive for the private and public sectors to propose forward thinking solutions that can encourage and enable innovation , maintain flexibility , and scaling these initiatives in a manner that permits goal attainment .
Improving consequence management activities will require identifying and selecting immediate actions . Depending on the nature of these needs , community groups can be engaged to assist the determination of priorities . The successes realized by Maryland stakeholders transcend jurisdictional boundaries . Beneficial ideas and processes developed in one community can be applicable to other locations or a broad spectrum of communities . Improving connections between public and private stakeholders also acclimates local participants to their counterparts , which can prove useful in regional disasters .
Public organizations can capitalize on their relationships with the private sector to implement transformative disaster risk reduction projects . Approaches can include leveraging P3s , packaging multiple funding sources together , and making difficult choices about how and where we live . Engaging the emergency management system in disaster risk reduction and leveraging relationships with
172