The Importance of Role Play in Disaster Management
 
The war on terror is in full swing. Western countries such as the United States of America and England are in a seemingly constant state of terror alert.

Despite the brilliant efforts of their special agencies it is inevitable that a couple of the planned terrorist attacks will get through their clutches and therefore the governments of these countries are already working at how to handle the consequences.
 
It is crucial that in the event of some form of disaster, whether it be a terrorist attack, earthquake, floods or a major fire, that all of the emergency services can work in conjunction with each other.

To make this possible there are frequent disaster management role plays, for example there will be a mock terrorist attack with numerous injuries and fatalities. The inevitable call to the emergency services will be made and then all of the pre-disaster planning will come into reality.
 
Numerous disaster management specialists will be on hand to observe how each sector performs, sectors such as the fire service, the ambulance service and the police. These specialists will be noting where any improvements can be made for future planning and discussion meetings.
 
Some people argue that you can not plan for such freak situations as people will be aware that it is a role play and therefore are less likely to freeze. They will also be aware that the people are not really injured and that they are purely acting.

Even though I can understand this point of view I personally feel that these role plays are an essential part of planning for a disaster. Even if only one lesson is learnt from the experience it is better that none.
 
Let us all hope and pray that we do not have to live through another act of terrorism but that if we do our emergency services have had the required training to get us through the situation.
 
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