Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


kent1226536447.pdf (640.55 KB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

THE ROLE OF EMERGENCY MANAGER PERCEPTION AND CITY SIZE IN DISASTER PLANNING: A COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY

Bowser, Gregg C.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1226536447

Abstract Details

2009, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography.
This research looks at three western Pennsylvanian cities and examines their disaster response apparatus through examination of critical documents and interviews with emergency coordinators at both the municipal and county levels. In doing this, we seek to see if there is an understanding and awareness of how the National Incident Management System and the National Response Plan operates in these managers. In addition, I explore how the size of these cities influences the emergency planning and decisions made by their municipal and county emergency managers. After conducting the research, I found that there was a correlation between increasing city size and official responses regarding various hazards to be addressed within their community. Larger city managers seemed more concerned with terrorism than their counterparts in smaller cities, and in Pittsburgh it was deemed a significant threat. Other factors, such as number of emergency response exercises and the origin of the city emergency operation plan seemed to change with city size. More striking, however, was the fact that the managers of all three cities shared several similar opinions of the federal and state system as it is, stating dissatisfaction with the grant opportunities and stipulations attached to those available, as well as frustration with the unrealistic expectations of the Department of Homeland Security. It is the researcher’s opinion that there should be more done to limit the number of restrictions placed on money made available from state and federal levels in order to assist the local governments in making urban areas both large and small prepared for the hazards they face.
David Kaplan, PhD (Advisor)
Ute Dymon, PhD (Committee Member)
Thomas Schmidlin, PhD (Committee Member)
104 p.
Geography
hazards; disaster; urban; public policy; government; emergency management; city; local

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Bowser, G. C. (2009). THE ROLE OF EMERGENCY MANAGER PERCEPTION AND CITY SIZE IN DISASTER PLANNING: A COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1226536447

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Bowser, Gregg. THE ROLE OF EMERGENCY MANAGER PERCEPTION AND CITY SIZE IN DISASTER PLANNING: A COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY. 2009. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1226536447.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Bowser, Gregg. "THE ROLE OF EMERGENCY MANAGER PERCEPTION AND CITY SIZE IN DISASTER PLANNING: A COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1226536447

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1226536447
515
© 2008, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.