Communicating Emergency Preparedness

Damon P. Coppola is the author of several leading emergency management academic and professional texts, including Introduction to Emergency Management, Introduction to Homeland Security, and Introduction to International Emergency Management. Mr. Coppola is also the co-author of several FEMA Emergency Management Institute publications, including Hazards Risk Management, Emergency Management Case Studies, Comparative Emergency Management, and NIMS and Incident Management Systems. As an independent consultant in the emergency management sector, Mr. Coppola has provided planning and technical assistance to emergency management organizations at the local, state, national, and international levels, and in both the nonprofit and private sectors. Mr. Coppola’s clients have included FEMA, The World Bank, Save the Children, The Humane Society, ACORN, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Corporation for National and Community Service, Marriott International, and more. Mr. Coppola received his masters in Engineering Management (MEM) in crisis, disaster, and risk management from the George Washington University.Erin K. Maloney holds a masters in communication from the University of Connecticut at Storrs, and is working toward her doctorate of philosophy in communication with a specialization in environmental science and policy at Michigan State University. Ms. Maloney’s practical experience and research focus primarily on health communication, media, and research methods. Her research generally has implications for communication campaign message design and public processing of messages. Ms. Maloney consults on grassroots communication projects, most recently on a campaign that succeeded in passing a millage to preserve farmland and open space in the State of Michigan. Ms. Maloney is also an instructor and a research assistant in the department of communication at Michigan State University.

• Public Disaster Preparedness: In Theory and In Practice. Managing Risk, Emergencies, and Disasters. The Campaign — Step 1: Early Planning. Step 2: Develop a Campaign Strategy. Campaign Implementation and Evaluation. Program Support. Emergency Management Public Education Case Studies. Appendix: Websites and Downloadable Guides Found on the Internet. Index.

... communicating effectively is imperative in emergency response. Authors Damon Coppola and Erin Maloney, who are both communications consultants, understand how central communications are to disaster management. In this work, they explain important measures such as development of communication strategies, partnership planning, and launching a directed public awareness campaign to reach targeted populations. ... Communicating Emergency Preparedness is a solid read that provides substantive advice in a user-friendly format. This book is appropriate not only for communications professionals but also for government officials, emergency preparedness managers, risk consultants, and community leaders at all levels. —Brian M. Harrell, CPR M.A., writing in ASIS Book Reviews, August 2010This book provides public safety and emergency management practitioners at local and national levels with the background and tools needed to plan, design and carry out public disaster preparedness efforts. It serves as an academic resource and a how-to guide. ... Although written with an emergency management focus, Communicating Emergency Preparedness provides public relations and communications information that can be easily used in any field of public safety or public service. ... this book is a quick and easy read that is well organized and jam packed with resources and references for further research. The book provides sidebars with tips for success and information, such as Web addresses and links. Each chapter ends with a list of additional publications and sources for more information. At the end of the book, there are roughly 20 pages of case studies, sample public education plans and an Appendix that lists organizations, websites, and links to downloadable guides on public education and communicating with the public. ... Communicating Emergency Preparedness would be a beneficial addition to any public safety professional’s library, but especially for senior-level individuals tasked with some level of preparedness or public education.—Bob Smith writing in Public Safety Communications, 76(1):49In Communicating Emergency Preparedness, Mr. Coppola and Ms. Maloney embark on an ambitious attempt to connect academic concepts in several fields to actionable strategies for public communication for emergency preparedness. ... the authors include a full chapter on Program Support, from funding sources and grant prospects to partners able to provide in-kind resources and even guidance on how a project team may learn to request support during the flow of the campaign. This piece de resistance may be just the ticket to help support the practitioner looking to convert the concepts of communication science and market research into actionable project planning to develop successful preparedness communication campaigns.—Steven C. Weiss, PhD, writing in the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Vol. 6 [2009], No. 1, Article 70