Corresponding Chair:
Professor Paresh Wankhade, Paresh.Wankhade@edgehill.ac.uk
Description:
This year’s IRSPM conference seeks to explore the phenomenon of ‘Smart public services’ involving the use of technology and system design in enhancing public service delivery. While this is particularly important in the case of emergency services in the era of austerity for making efficiency savings and minimising wastage, it is not always clear what “smart” constitutes and how it benefits the service users. In particular, the panel seeks to explore the notion of ‘smart emergency (police, fire and ambulance) services’ and how it creates value and enhance service delivery and link this framework to the field of emergency management.
The panel will provide an inter-disciplinary platform to debate and discuss the issues which are relevant to the emergency management communities and research groups at IRSPM. The proposed panel will provide a forum for an engaged and critical analysis of the emergency services amidst mounting calls for professionalization in these organizations along with the growing interest and capacity of the professionals and practitioners (in these services) against the backdrop of fiscal austerity and shrinking budgets.
Submissions on the theme of ‘Smart’ in the context of emergency services will be particular welcome in addition to other themes including:
- Application of new technologies
- System re-design and associated challenges
- Challenges of multi-agency cooperation and interoperability
- Designing effective strategies to engage with service users
- Community and organisational capacities and resiliencies
- Organisational culture and management of culture change
- Improving wellbeing and resilience of emergency service workers
- Building theoretical and methodological foundations for research, teaching and professional development
Best Paper Award:
Emerald Group Publishing and the International Journal of Emergency Services (IJES) will sponsor the best paper award at the panel. For more information on IJES and submission guidelines, please go to: http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=IJES
Informal inquries about abstracts or the panel can be made to Profesor Paresh Wankhade, at Paresh.Wankhade@edgehill.ac.uk or Professor Peter Murphy at peter.murphy@ntu.ac.uk or Dr Lucia Velotti at lvelotti@jjay.cuny.edu