THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORETICAL MODEL OF COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Social sciences do not use a single comprehensive theoretical approach to disaster research; numerous theoretical concepts, classifications and models have been developed. The most content-rich and widely-used model in social sciences is the Comprehensive Emergency Management model (CEM). This model also has the greatest impact on the development of the practice and profession of emergency management. On the one hand, Comprehensive Emergency Management connects into a complete whole the activities carried out in society concerning emergencies, and on the other hand, it divides these activities into inter-connected phases: prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. Its formation was the result of a long-term development of science and society, from the initial interpretation of disasters as scourges of God, to the understanding of disasters as socialy-conditioned, occurring in the form that is presented in this model. The process of development progressed from the realisation that, when it came to emergency management, it was possible to identify periods or phases in which different activities have certain common characteristics, to the realisation that the phases followed a specific chronological order, and finally, to the realisation that the types and levels of activities within one phase have a profound impact on the following period of emergency management, as well as on the management of any future emergencies. The development progressed from a phase model to a linear model, and finally to a cyclical model of understanding and dealing with disasters.