Local emergency management systems in the United States and Korea

Authors

  • Kyoo-Man Ha, PhD, CEM
  • Ji-Young Ahn, MD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2010.0020

Keywords:

local emergency management, the United States, Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to contribute to emergency management by systematically comparing the similarities and differences between the United States and Korean local emergency management systems and subsequently drawing related inferences. For this purpose, three major factors have been carefully compared: (1) local government and policy, (2) home and strategy, and (3) volunteers and activity in the two nations. The major tenets of this article are as follows: the United States has been managing local emergencies more comprehensively than Korea, although the United States has had its share of failures. Also, more American homeowners establish and practice family emergency plans. On the other hand, in Korea, the local government should try to deal with all types of emergencies. It is necessary for Korean homeowners to set up and practice emergency plans, recognize the different types of emergencies, and learn how to deal with them by incorporating interdisciplinary studies. In addition, volunteers should receive further systematic training in the communities, and at the same time the correlation between the extent of government support and the level of voluntary activity should be utilized.

Author Biographies

Kyoo-Man Ha, PhD, CEM

Senior Researcher, National Institute for Disaster Prevention, National Emergency Management Agency of Korea, Mapo-Gu, Korea.

Ji-Young Ahn, MD

Adjunct Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul-Paik Hospital, Jung-Gu, Seoul, Korea.

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Published

05/01/2010

How to Cite

Ha, PhD, CEM, K.-M., and J.-Y. Ahn, MD. “Local Emergency Management Systems in the United States and Korea”. Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 8, no. 3, May 2010, pp. 61-71, doi:10.5055/jem.2010.0020.

Issue

Section

Articles